Sahara Meltdown

Whilst the UK geared itself for a frenetic Christmas build up in a typically wet and chilly climate Paul & Anne from OneLife Adventure set off with two other, well equipped vehicles to Sahara.

The team made it to Marseilles in no time at all and we were soon on the ferry to Tunis, Tunisia. 20 hrs later we were driving down olive groves and past young shepherds in the road to access the route to the Sahara.

Organised as a shake down trip for a newly prepared Toyota 78 (prepared to exceptional standards by Eddie Priscott and Frogs Island 4x4) Paul was keen to test the rig in a number of environments – namely mountainous tracks and extensive sand dune navigation.

Matt & Red the youthful owners of the Toyota 78 aptly named ‘Lara’ were also in training as they are about to embark on a year-long global trip. This trip has been planned by OneLife and Paul will be with Matt & Red for the early part of the trip. Places remain on some of the early legs of this itinerary – check these out on the web site.

The other vehicle a defender 110 owned by Overlander Gear’s David Bradshaw was also along for the fun.

The trip was awesome in every regard and many new areas in Southern Tunisia were recced using local maps and GPS.

The mountain passes and canyon were really breathtaking and the easy undulating tracks seemed to go on forever. Everyone looked forward to the sunsets and wild camps as this meant a warm fire and good grub and beer was only minutes away….

The sand was particularly firm due to the cold, yes cold, and so the dune driving was challenging but easy work for the well-prepared 4x4s and wild camping in the middle of the Sahara is something to be savoured….

Ancient Berber cities were visited, long vacated, as well as the famous troglodyte dwellings, star wars sets and the Roman ruins at Dugga. Each in their own right were very special places and all set in scenery which is beautiful and untouched…if you like culture, history and like to get away from it all – this is the trip for you….