Women Crossing the Sahara
 

In Sept, I travelled through the Sahara in Niger as part of an expedition with a travel company. Having always travelled independently, this was my first sojourn into the "tour group" experience. I survived...but it is safe to say that not only was it my first tour, it was probably also my last. lol

While my fellow paying companions discussed TV and movies for a month (seriously..they did)...I was absolutely entranced by the landscape. I was also interested in the hows and wheres of obtaining fuel, water, food, as well as vehicle maintenance, payoffs etc. I was limited in my ability to probe these aspects however, because apparently, this amounted to be treated as "special" from the others. It was very frustrating to be treated as "tourist". I loved the desert though..absolutely loved it.

Since returning home in early October, I am obsessed with returning to the Sahara. I would like to cross independently, and am devouring everything I can find to read. I am considering crossing by motorcycle (or 4x4 if I can come up with the money) and am planning to continue on to other parts of Africa as well. I am finding little though on women's crossings of the Sahara. I would love to have feedback on the following:

1) Can anyone direct me to recent written accounts of womens experience crossing the Sahara?
2) Any thoughts as to issues/feasibility of solo crossing in general?
3) Any thoughts as to issues/feasibility of women solo crossing?
4) Thoughts on how manage security and safety? (21 tourists were captured by bandits in Niger 2 weeks before my expedition began).

I am open to all possiblities. I recognize that the sane thing to do is to travel with others....

Lois is on the loose in North Africa now, check her website.
http://www.loisontheloose.com/

Thanks John. I'll watch for Lois updates on her journal.

Hello [femalenomad]

Depends on the definition of "crossing". E.g. going by the Atlantic route you end up on the other side but the travelling is done almost entirely on tarmac.

Which mode of transport? If own car or bike, successful solo travel is only for the very experienced.

In Algeria or Libya you are not allowed to travel without a guide anyway.

Sex makes no real difference when it comes to assimilating experience and mastering the skills required, physical strength is a bonus.

Like everywhere else, trying not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time definitely helps. Almost every incident ends up being reported here, so stay tuned. In the end it wasn't 21 tourists - just two.

If you just want to be there to admire the landscapes without actually going too far, perhaps Morocco will be a good starter.

My understanding was that the entire group was captured, and that the rest of the group was released the following day, but the 2 Italians were held until mid October.

I was thinking that Morocco would be a good place to practice driving, but I would really like to go back to Temet in Niger.

I have much, much more homework to do!!

Thanks for the feedback Roman.

Myself and my travelling companion have just returned from Morocco and the Sahara on our bikes. KTM 400 mine and XR400 Jen's.

We do want to travel back as this time we followed weypoints provided by a friend.

PM me your e-mail address if you want to chat more about this.

We are in the UK


Cheers

Julie

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j8...horne/team.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j8...horne/joo7.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j8...orne/jen10.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j8...horne/jen6.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j8...horne/joo1.jpg

Ladies of the desert
 

Hi Julie,

AWESOME pictures!!

The Sahara is a tricky beast for most, but being a woman and contemplating it definitely does add an additional few challenges.
I suspect that there are quite a few female HUBBers who would love to read about your experiences. Is there any feedback you are happy to put on here for us?

I am planning an adventure to Maroc and Mauritania (with lovely HUBBers George and Zydie) and am a little aprehensive with it being my first real African experience on a bike.

Any shared learning is good!


Thanks!

Hi Julie,

Thanks for the offer to chat. I need another 8 posts before I can PM. Once I do...I'll send you my email. Or perhaps you can PM me instead?

Fab photos by the way!!

Hi Shells,

I'm curious as to what additional challenges there are for women from your perspective. Are you willing to elaborate on your comment?
Thanks!

I was wondering that - gender should never be an issue. Its only going to carry on being an issue if Women make it a problem. We can be our on worst enemy.

If you want todo something then just go out and do it who cares what gender you are.

My travelling compainion is a photo jerno and i take photos for a bike magazine so i cant say to much about our trip yet as it will be featured next month in a 4x4 magazine and following months in BIKE magazines.


I cant send PM's either.

Not a problem at all
 

Hi!

I didn't mean to convey anything about women not being willing or able - not at all!

I am very keen to give things a go, no matter what the gender expectations are. For me it's more the challenge of being a woman and travelling to a very male dominated society that is the challenge - completely different cultural norms.
And then there is being 5'7 and handling a 650 cc beastie in the sand! :)

Not insurmountables by any means - additional challenges (I wouldn't have it any other way!)

I must agree with Shell on this.

Traditional societies can be a bit of a challenge for women. I've been to Morocco few times (with 2 male friends) and to the middle east. In the North of Morocco, an occidental woman accompanied by a male would be "invisible", just totally ignored, no eye contact. That's the way to show respect. A bit surprising. (Except in shops!)
A (occidental) woman on her own would be considered no better than a prostitute and easy game. The image they have is that occidental women just sleep around with anyone who approach them! Being assertive and wearing conservative clothes helps fend off unwanted attention.
In the south they are "Berbers" and more open, generally very friendly and helpful. At least it was my experience when we went there.

Also the bikes! They're just so bloody heavy! That can be a bigger challenge for women and small riders in general. Although men, even short ones (!) have bigger upper body strength than women. Planning how and where to park so that I can get the bike off again is always in my mind. In small spaces it can be complicated. Or on a slope. But the big plus of being a woman is, if you have a problem, there will always be someone very willing to help you! Just look a bit dumb, flick those ye lashes and it works any time! ;)

My experience in Morocco last month was all positive from a females perspective.

I’m a 9 stone – slim built – fair haired 34 year old women and I found that the Men were fine with me when I was filling up the bikes or ordering food or asking for help or just saying ‘NO I DON’T NEED A NEW CARPET’
It really didn’t cross my mind that I was being treated any different than male tourists.

I rode from Spain to the Sahara and had chain problems on the way – the men were happy to help like they would in the UK.
In fact I felt very safe amongst the Moroccan People. Safer than in my own city in the UK!

The sand was as fine to ride in – though I was on a 400cc KTM which is not as heavy as the biker touring bikes. If I was to go again I would still go on an off road bike like the EXC rather than the touring bikes as they are to heavy in the Sahara in my opinion.

The only danger in Moroccan Sahara is if you run out of fuel – water or get lost.
I feel a guide would be a good idea - male or female.

…….or you can crash, have a breakdown or get sick ++

Linda did Africa North to South solo a number of years back. Get her email address from her web site haefale.de/linda.

yes i agree - but then that is the same anywere even in your own county.

That's right, just like your points about fuel and water.......... But the consequences are bigger in Sahara then most other places, esp if you travel alone.

Yes I agree.

I would not go into the Sahara on my own on a motorbike - not my bike anyway - i only get a 100 mile range and thats not enoght to get fully into it.
Thats why we had a 4x4 as a support car with fuel water - food tents and first aid.

Julie

Yes I know, but I don't think that's what femalenomad are looking for.

Regarding travelling alone in the Sahara
 

Hi femalenomad,
I can't say that I could recommend travelling alone in the Sahara. There are too many things of sufficiently high likelihood of going wrong that could turn your trip into a disaster. As someone already mentioned, in the Sahara the consequences of something, ordinarily quite minor, going wrong are greatly amplified. Take a look at http://www.desertbiking.co.uk/.

I travelled with another motorcyclist (we each had our own bikes), south to north, along the Western Route a few years ago. I was apprehensive about the traverse, even though we did have two bikes, should one break down. The real bonus was hooking up with two Land Rovers in St. Louis who were going our way. Not only did that provide greater security in general, it was also a brilliant experience, meeting other travellers and spending a couple of days in their company.

Some people might think that solo crossing is feasible. They may be right, but I think for a newbie, it's sailing a bit close to the wind.

Don't let that put you off, though. Do the trip, just don't lose sight of how important numero uno is! ;-)
Later,
Ken.

Going Solo
 

Femalenomad,

Good on you for dreaming your dream and having the balls to do something about it (and we all know that some of the ladies have big'uns!)
:yes:

I always say that Africa is a completely different ballgame when it comes to travelling - and you obviously also wisely think similarly enough to be researching your options before launching into a massive expedition.

You will definitely find contacts on the HUBB for women who have done Sahara crossings. There will be fewer who have done it solo. The men who have done the journey will be able to give you the nuts and bolts of the bike strain side of things, and the physicalities of the journey. You may need to just fill in the gaps by piecing together experiences from women who have done it accompanied.

Having travelled for a short while solo (albeit in Europe and Slovennia) for a first trip, getting my teeth into it, I always felt massively relieved when I was meeting someone at a destination, or had people to meet for small parts of the journey.

I don't think a female solo crossing of the Sahara an impossibility. Guaging your own rider and mechanical skills, your knowledge of the terrain and experience in similar situations will give you your answer in a few short seconds - and only you know for certain what that is. Go with that.

There are plenty of people on this forum making the journey south and putting plans together - you could do a phased trip through by joining up with different groups until you are far enough south to be more confident about completing sections independantly.

It's all about comfort zones I suppose, and knowing when they are being challenged and when they are just being pushed too far.

Happy researching. It's a fantastic destination!

In my view the sex are not that important in Sahara. Sure you will have some issues with the locals but in the desert you will probably spend most of the time alone so that part doesn’t matter much.

How hard it will be consist of many factors, like:
-Time of year (temperature)
-Terrain
-How much water and petrol you have to carry
-Type of vehicle
-Your own skills
-Your mental preparation
-Can you expect to get help on that route if anything happens?

As you see most of these points you can influence in the planning-stage by choosing a route and a time of year that fits your vehicle and skills.


If you choose to travel alone bear in mind that from time to time you might feel lonely and if something goes wrong you are completely on your own. Some people, including myself, appreciate this so much that it’s worth the extra risk. Other people prefer to go in a group; a combination might be a good thing.

I think some of the things that are important for a nice trip are:
-Some kind of plan
-A sound vehicle where most things work
-A genuine interest for what you are doing
-Be open-minded don’t over focus on your task, use your time and enjoy
-Knowledge of your vehicle (how to fix a flat tire, normal service procedures etc)
-The skill to handle unexpected problems
-Be curios
-Respect for your bodies signal (tiredness, temporarily weakness, fear etc)
-Good logistic
-Do it because you want to do it, not to prove anything


Nothing here is sex-related, sure you need the physical strength to put your bike back on the wheels when you crash but you can practice before you leave. I’m not an athlete myself (smoking 20 cigarettes a day and I never work out) but I have managed to cross Sahara in summertime – alone, and I will probably do it again.

This is just my personal meaning, IMHO there is no right or wrong. If you want to go then prepare yourself and do it, but take care you might be addicted.


http://www.actiontouring.com/01_ALG_0028.jpg

As a female that's travelled in the Sahara I don't think you'll have much of a problem; however I was using local transport and didn't have a bike or the mechanics of one to deal with. Being out in the desert alone & in the heat with my 'limited' (read:none) mechanical know-how would be a bit much; however the locals are very friendly & would help you out (IF you were to come across some!!!)

Kira

Wow! Love the feedback!!
 

Thanks to all of you who have posted feedback. It's a wonderful combination of encouragement and sound advice. Greatly appreciated!!

I fell in love with the Sahara for it's remoteness, isolation, beauty and harshness. I will be looking for those same things in my crossing(s). I think perhaps it will need to be a joint venture first, or combination of solo/joint. Whatever the trip, I am so excited to be pursuing this.

I am delighted to have found this forum and to find that there are many other Sahara travellers out there.

Thanks all! Keep the feedback coming.