Lots of sound advice from those who've done it, but it doesn't
have to be a nail-biting experience. A recent poster hired a guide for the trickier bits and survived the expedition with a smile, it seems.
We (wife and I) did 4 weeks of wandering around earlier this year:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/one-ten-to-tan-tan/. While we didn't go deep into the dunes, we did get to some remote places and the element of uncertainty added a bit of spice to the experience. Some might call us foolhardy, but attitudes to risk and the ability to calculate them is a very subjective thing. Sure, we could've come unstuck several times, but we made careful assessments of the risks vs the gains and decided, sometimes, to turn round and go back. Sometimes, too, we might've
wished we had...but always found a way through in the end, learned a bit more about lots of things and fell in love with the country.
If the photos have put you off, perhaps these guys are only in that position because they've got backup. I doubt they'd be up to the axles in pink dust if they didn't have the safety net of at least one mate with a towrope.
As for the locals, we found them to be almost always friendly, helpful and never far away....that was sometimes a little annoying
but it's their culture. The only times we felt uncomfortable, if that's the right word - were in towns, where some local lads could get very pushy and occasionally abusive. Helps to know a little street Arabic....
We're going back next year. About the same time as you. What's your route plan? PM if you like.
