A long hot drive across the Western Sahara and Mauritania

After our adventure in the Djebel Sahrho we crashed for the night in a campsite in the town of Foum Zguid, one of the kicking off points for camel trains across the Sahara (Timbuktu 52 days travel south east). We then started a long journey across dirt and sealed roads first across to the coast at Tan Tan, then south through the Western Sahara stopping at Laayoune and Daklha and then crossing the border into Mauritania and down to Nouakchott. The route was interesting at times, with beautifully sculpted dunes being scoured by the wind and the deser ending abruptly in high cliffs over the Atlantic Ocean. We typically drove about 10hrs each day and were wiped out by the heat. The border crossing was interesting. The Moroccan side involved hours of sitting around and waiting but both imigration and customs went well and there were no outrageous demands for money. We took a guide through the 4 miles of infamous no-mans land between the Moroccan and Mauritanian border posts since the whole area is mined. I don't know how people could get through there without a guide since the safe route weaves its way through a maze of interconnected pistes and burnt out cars. The Mauritanian side was quick and efficient (once it reopened from lunch at 3pm). Just after the border we passed the famous 3000-car iron ore train on its way inland to Choum.