400km of desert tracks to Western Sahara. The route for this came from Chris Scott’s ‘Morocco Overland’ book – highly recommended.
Day 1 was only half a day really. From Assa we crossed the Oeud Draa to the south and then stuck out west. The road became a track at the little village of Labouriate. This is only a handful of buildings and appeared to be completely deserted. Not long later, all signs of human influence had vanished. When night fell, we could not see a single artificial light in any direction. Oddly, we still had an internet connection. Such is modern technology.
Day 2 was a long, satisfying plod deep into the desert. West. We just drove west. Just before lunch, the sand started getting deeper so we let some air out of the tyres. The sun was shining. The air was warm and the sky was clear. There was nobody around. I mean, we really did not see anyone all day. In the evening, we made a little campfire, cooked in the tagine, drank some wine and watched the stars. This really felt like desert travelling at its best.
Crossroads 
Early morning
Day 3 started with a gorgeous sunrise. Took a while to prise Diane out of bed but we eventually got going. An hour later, we reached the plateau edge. Great views towards the Chott Mezwat. A chott is a usually dry salt lake. However, before that came a steep and rocky drop. I put Baloo into creeping mode (lo range, all diffs locked, 1st gear) and we gently tip-toed down. The truck was magnificent. No drama at all. Made us both very happy. Next came the chott, is a great wide-open, flat saltpan. Good fun and a nice release from the tension of the descent.
Not early morning 
Inspection 
At the bottom 
Edge of Chott Mezwat
A short while later we were on tarmac. Tyres back to full pressure. Sensible driving head back on. We stopped short of Smara and pulled well off the road to enjoy a quiet New Year’s Eve celebration. An hour after dark we heard Cent barking. The baby camels had come first footing. We shared a few scraps of food and toasted the arrival of 2020 with them.
Happy New Year 
Now that’s a desert I could happily do!
Looks great.
Happy New Year !
Big and bare and sandless – that’s how you like them? Happy New Year you two. Si & Di
Your trip looks outstanding, you truly are going into the wilderness. Keep the photos coming.
Yep, having a great time. Hopefully, more wilderness coming. Happy New Year. Si & Di.
Great stuff, Simon, glad you’re having fun!
Oh yes.You don’t seem to be doing too badly yourselves 😉 Today we are going to sneak into the Africa EcoRace compound and have a chat with Gaz. Happy New Year to you and Tracy. Si & Di