R O U T E
water = time ...... fuel = distance™
Our 7700-kilometre (5000-mile) route will be 80% off tarmac, and at times off-piste, or cross country, traversing trackless desert with the aid of maps, GPS and prominent landmarks. Parts of the route I've done before (some not for 15 years) but most of it will cross unknown country.
We'll van the bikes to Genoa in Italy and from there take the ferry to Tunis and cross Tunisia to the Algerian border. Three hundred kilometres later near the oil town Hassi Messaoud we fuel up and head into the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental (Great Eastern Sand Sea) to Hassi bel Guebbour (HbG), 300km to the south. This will be an extreme if short 2-day stage to start with - relentless big, steep dunes and in fact we are now considering doing this tough section on the way back. Instead we may parallel the highway south to HbG on the easy sands alongside to get a feel for the bikes and make adjustments.
At HbG, we'll pop into the nearby warm springs for a soak and
then head towards Gara Khanfoussa mountain to the valley beyond. This requires taking a diversion into the hills west and then south to avoid a checkpoint at Quatre Chemins which has lately barred the route south. At Ain el Hadjadj well we fill up, as from here we're attempting an untried passage through the Oued Samene canyon which may be passable on bikes. At the small dune crossing south of Hadjadj we have 40 litres of fuel and a bit of food stashed - if we can't get through the canyon we'll have enough to get back. Once in Oued Samene our bashplates will earn their keep here and our pace may slow down to a crawl as we struggle up the canyon for a day or two.
If things go to plan we'll continue over the Samene watershed and down along creek beds to hopefully reach the Fadnoun Plateau road from the west. A short 'upstream' recce in December makes this possibility likely. From here (500km from HbG) we must turn back north to Ilizzi to get fuel. We then head out east to the Libyan border and wind out way down past Fort Tarat, over the stony Fadnoun again (past some hot springs) to the Plain of Dider near the southern scarp of the Fadnoun and the beautiful 150km ride along the edge of the Tassili plateau to the oasis of Djanet. Now there is petrol again at Bordj El Haouas this longer section via Tarat becomes possible.
With 2500km already covered with just two fuel stops and another 5200km to go, Djanet is the beginning of our longest and most intimidating stage. We'll head south, riding smoothly to conserve fuel but fast enough so we don't run out of water. There is only one well in the next 
900km that we know of. Near the Niger border, well away from the known bandit haunts in the east, and the Algerian border patrols who pursue them, we'll locate a 110-litre fuel cache (as well as food and water) buried a few weeks earlier at Erg Killian, just as our main tanks run dry. This fuel cache equates to another 600km per bike and is vital if we're to cross the Tenere in Niger°°°.
We're now heading out across the featureless plain of the Tenere - fast going as long as the sand is smooth and firm, but where navigation by GPS is the only way to maintain one's orientation. Our destination is the Arbre Thiery Sabine, aka Arbre Perdu (Lost Tree - not on my map) - a solitary bush in the middle of the flat void. where the Paris Dakar originator Sabine had his ashes scattered when his chopper crashed during the '87 rally.
From this desolate landmark our plan was to head back west to Adrar Bous mountain and Iferouane, but following bandit activity in the Air earlier this month we're considering continuing east right across the Tenere to Dirkou and then all the way back west until we reach the famous caravan town of Agadez - our journey's southernmost point.
°°° If things are not 100% with the bikes fuel consumption, weather and anything else at this point, we will not risk the full run into Niger. We may have problems with visas for Niger, or more likely re-entry visas into Algeria (large tyre-eating detours would be required). Without a re-entry visa into Algeria we can't officially leave, but we can unofficially pop into Niger to visit the Tree and then head cross country for In Guezzam.
Back North
The biggest town on our one-month trek, Agadez will be a chance to reprovision before heading back north, 600km along the Trans-Sahara Highway to the Algerian frontier at In Guezzam. The road to the Algerian border is now relatively safe. Depending on the availability of fuel In Guezzam (as well as our own energy reserves!), we'll either head directly north 400km to Tamanrasset (passing the point where my first two-wheel Saharan venture came to an early end in 1981) - or take a detour far out west towards the little-known Tin Rerhoh escarpment.
From Tam it's more R and R up into the Hoggar mountains, along treacherous washed-out tracks where our agile bikes are in their element. From the famous Assekrem Pass we descend through the northern foothills, fuel up at Ideles (250km) and head cross-country again, traversing the Amadror plain through the Tourha Pass I recce'd recently. On the far side of the pass we head up towards Garet el Djenoun mountain from where we'll attempt to reach the Amguid Crater site along untried oueds from the southeast. Another 110-litre fuel dump is in place here, near the gap in the escarpment which should lead to the crater and back.
If the bikes are in shape and we still have time and energy, from the Amguid region we head back east along the Graveyard Piste and down to the Ta Half canyon, seeking out a narrow pass that leads through the plateau to the beautiful Erg Tifernine region recce'd in March 2002. Here our loop begins to close as we head up the east side of the Erg back to Gara Khanfoussa mountain and fuel HbG (1200km). Then it's possibly into the Grand Erg for the dune route north for the final 1100km leg to Hassi Messaoud, the border and Tunis port.
... inshallah, as they say out there. This route is an optimal scenario. Things never go to plan, as I've found out there, but they do always work out - one way or another, hamdullilai....
