ACROSS THE SAHARA BY MOTOR

Evening Star, Issue 21055, 18 March 1932, Page 3

ACROSS THE SAHARA BY MOTOR

EAST AFRICA TO LONDON “ From East Africa to London by road ” is a sentence which, is short in words but strong in its appeal to the imagination. The journey is of more than 7,500 miles, and requires roughly five to six weeks to undertake in comfort, although about a year ago the Prince do Ligne motored through from Brussels to Stanleyville, some 5,500 miles, in fourteen days. The Royal East African Automobile Association has recently brought out, with the financial help of the Shell Company of East Africa, a pamphlet entitled, ‘ A New Motor Route, East Africa to Lagos and London.’ It gives maps of the route, with the places, rest houses, and so forth, together with the mileages, while there are also two pages of information about the trans-Saharian service. The road has now been opened for about four years, but up to two years ago the journey was a perilous undertaking, involving the crossing of the trackless sands of the Sahara, a distance of some 600 miles, and if by chance anything untoward happened it probably meant death by thirst. About two years ago, however the Compagnie Gcnerale Trans-Saha-rienne started running large motor omnibuses from Algiers to Northern Nigeria, carrying eight passengers and equipped with frigidaire and wireless. This enterprising company run a regular time-table service at short intervals, and at the terminal points of the Sahara—namely, Gao and Reggan—they have built their own hotels. The fact, however, that interests the association and its members is that the company has established a system whereby pilots will accompany members across the desert and they have the key of the petrol and_ water dumps which have been established at intervals of 200 miles. The motorist has, therefore, the added security of not only being certain of being able to follow the track, but in case of a breakdown it would be only a matter of a couple of days before the motorist would bo picked up or a relief car sent. For the first ninety miles from Gao the stand is rough and tussocky, but it is mostly firm and hard for the remainder of the distance, and an average in parts of the journey can be made of from thirty to forty miles an hour. Mr Galton-Fenzi, the secretary of the association, states that he has met many persons already who have made the journey, and that they state that the crossing of the Sahara is an absolutely unforgettable experience. The crossing uslually takes two or three days, with travelling at night. The experience is said to be unique, as tiie silence is so great that it can almost be felt, and there is not an animal, insect, or bird of any description. The full moon should be chosen if possible for the trip, as the beauty and grandeur of the desert is then at its height, and the sunsets and dawns are most wonderful. The best time of year is between December and March, inclusive. In the centre of the Sahara Desert there are the Hoggar Mountains, and just before reaching Fez and Tangiers the Atlas Rang© is crossed. There are many places to be visited on the journev, such as Wandu. Here the Belgians nave a big training camp, where they tame the wild African elephant. There are the old historical towns of Fort Lahrny and Kano, and, of course, in the Lake Chad district, big game shooting trips can be arranged. Timbuctoo is about 200 miles off the actual route, but is connected to it by what is described as a lair motor road.— 1 The Times.’