how much petrol is too much

[marko]

i plan on traveling from moracco to mauritania,mali ,algieria , niger to nigeria the down the coast to south africa ina 73' vw .is a 50 gal. gas tank and 3 5 gallon jerry cans of petrol too much .i should get about 15 to 20 miles to a gallon. and weight is a concern. also any tips on traveling the sahara (probally solo) in a two wheel drive would be helpful

[Chris Scott]

It's rare to need more than 500 miles of fuel in the Sahara - elsewhere in Africa much less - Dont know what that is in US gal/mpg.

Are you talking a VW van? I've found they are the most common wrecks in the Sahara (from your van's era). So that means they were popular once but I presume dust and a rear, air-cooled engine slowed some down to a stop. Dont let the air filter fall off on the washboard.

Find a copy of Sahara Handbook (not 'Overland'). It's 20+ years out of date on much stuff but the authors used a VW bus to research the easier pistes. Plenty of advice there including usual repairs we dont seem to have to do anymore.

if you're talking Beetle then we saw one in the dunes once [the nasty section in Desert Driving, fyi] with a portal 181 back end, Jaguar wheels all round and milk crates for storage. Clearly a great set up if you're not in a 181 already.

Ch

[marko]

its a beetle it was originally set up to run in baja . right now i,m building a type 4 air cooled 2.5 liter engine with a porsche 911 cooling system w/ external oil cooler the air box (cleaner) will be located in the car. heavy duty 091 bus transmission . double shocks in the rear and about 14 inches of ground clearence and a full bumper to bumper roll cage .going to build a roof rack for storage. do you know what of if any parts for vw's are advailable in africa? what are the conditions from tidjika to nema ?can a two wheel drive make it? where would it be best to find a guide for that run? do you think it might still be possible to get from Goa, Mali and go north to the border at Bordj Moktar then to Reggane in Algeria

[Yves]

Hello,

>do you think it might still be possible to get from Goa, Mali and go north to the border at Bordj Moktar then to Reggane in Algeria?

Goa(mali) - Tessalit - Bordj Baji Mokhtar is still possible. But recently clashes between Tuareg and Army had been reported (near Anefis).

Bordj Badji Mokhtar - Reggane is not possible actually, the piste is closed for tourists. But the piste to Tamanrasset is open. An alternative is to take pistes and offroad directly to In Salah. In the Algerian Sahara a guide is required.

Regards, Yves

[Chris Scott]

do you know what of if any parts for vw's are advailable in africa?
no but someone else will

what are the conditions from tidjika to nema ?
v sandy at times but I did it in 88 - may be more of a track now

can a two wheel drive make it?
I suppose if you recce ahead and know where/when to gas it - but you'll still get stuck a lot. TBH that route sounds a bit ambitious. Try the railway route to Atar first - if you find that easy then Nema may be OK.

where would it be best to find a guide for that run?
Tidjika I guess. By Tichit it was already v sandy (in 88). Or go with a patient 4WD.

do you think it might still be possible to get from Goa, Mali and go north to the border at Bordj Moktar then to Reggane in Algeria.
Mali has its good periods but I hear that the Reggane route is closed now in Alg - shame as it would be a piece of cake in a VW. BBM to Tam is allowed and is doable in 2WD too.

Ch

[marko]

so it seems that reggane wont be possible .can i get a guide at the border (Bordj Mokhtar) to go to In Salah ?any idea what a guide would cost or where to find one?

[Yves]

Hi Marko,
>can i get a guide at the border (Bordj Mokhtar)
well, first you need a visa - do you allready have one? If yes, you will find a guide in Bordj Mokhtar, the police or Gendarmerie will help you.
If not, the usual procedure is to use the services of an travel agency. Minimum cost is about 500 EUR to cross Algeria.
The piste BBM - Tam is easy, even for a 2Wd

Yves