Sahara from Djanet, Day 5

 Sahara from Djanet, Day 5 

It was another walk after breakfast from our wadi camping site towards civilisation.

It was an hour's walk to reach the road, tarmac and civilisation and driving on tarmac made a difference after days of bouncing along bumpy dusty trucks. There was also a new road sign telling drivers to beware of cross winds causing sand to drift across the roads which can build up to be the equivalent of an arrestor bed if the driver hits a deep patch at speed.

We passed a road that was signed posted Niger, a reminder that we were just 60 kilometres from the border. Shortly afterwards we turned off the tarmac into the desert. There was no sign but there was a well used track but I was thankful for our guides and drivers as if I was driving myself, I might have missed the turn. We stopped to see the Elephant Rock.

A view looking up the wadi from the Elephant Rock.

A short drive around the corner was a Neolithic tomb, dated approximately to 5,000 BC. It is the tomb of someone important although it has not been excavated. There are several of these tombs in the mountains which have been left uncovered as the sand has been blown off into the wadis and desert floor. There are other tombs but this is the only one with two rings of stones.

A view of the tomb from further up the hillside. It faces east and the rising sun. 

A lone acacia tree dwarfed by the expanse of sand and a rocky outcrop. We had lunch in the shade of another acacia tree before heading back to our guesthouse in Djanet.