day 6 – 06/04
More than 300 kilometers of slopes through the restricted area completed – a really hard day. After dinner, a strong wind rocked us in our Pajero into sleep.
day 7 – 07/04
Another day of strenuous kilometers on pistes is behind us. After half of the distance we had to go to Matmata for refuel – time for a photo of the great landscape. Then we had a tire damage. Because the fresh wind of the previous evening has expanded to a sandstorm, we are happy to stay this night in hotel “OFFRA” in Douz.
But there are also good news: The “G” is running again
day 8 – 08/04
In the rally shedule today would be the rest day. After a good breakfast in the otherwise unfortunately empty restaurant we make the plan for the day. It is cool. There is still a strong wind and still a lot of sand in the air. No weather that invites to relax by the pool. So today we are going to write the service roadbooks to Touzeur and from there to the finish.
Daytime task completed: Douz – Kebili – Touzeur – Gafsa – Sidi Mansour – Douz = 450 km. The service roadbooks are written. And in Touzeur we have made the hotel “Hafsi” clear for the rally. The weather is still bad. The visibility on the Chott was partly in the sandstorm under 100 meters – definitely not a day for driving in the dunes.
day 9 – 09/04
On the agenda was the special stage from Douz to Camp Zmela. By the rain of the night, the sand should be easy to drive. However, already the trip to the gas station showed how strong the rain was. And it was raining all day. Some of the queds were actually filled with water. And also in the Camp Zmela directly at the dunes was anything under water.
day 10 – 10/04
Now it is final: We have to finish the tour with only one vehicle. The “G” only tries to get to the north on its own. And we had to check today again over 200 kilometers on pistes. A real challenge, because in many places the pistes were hard damaged and often queds had become deep rivers that had to be crossed. Our finish today, Ksar Ghilane, is currently not reachable. The oasis is completely enclosed by water. And the asphalt road, new since last year, is completely washed away on 20 m. Since it was already dark at our arrival, there are the pictures not before tomorrow.
day 11 – 11/04
The challenge of the special stage to be checked today from Ksar Ghilane to Douz over the plain of Mida and past the Parc Jebil were not the dunes, but the first 3 km from the monument towards Fort on the piste to Douz. It was necessary to drive in the south around the huge water surface around the oasis.
But all this was not important, only the images of destruction. For example, Camp El Biben is almost completely destroyed. Staff and guests were evacuated with the military helicopter. But for all those who were already there, the pictures speak for themselves.
day 12 – 12/04
Ok, westward around the Chott El Jerid (biggest salt lake of North-Africa), the last dune downhill drove, at sunset to the rush houre at the Starwars set and the last kilometers to Tozeur written. Now we checked in at “Hafsi”, the hotel we will use at the 2017 rally.
