You may envisage yourself trekking the Sahara Desert in shorts, t-shirts and sunglasses (and there definitely is some of this!). But we spoke to a group of recent participants and their packing tips for the Sahara Desert Trek contained a few unexpected items.
Make sure you’re ready for your Sahara Desert Challenge by following these recommended packing tips.
Layers – this may go against everything that springs to mind when thinking of the desert but the Sahara is a place of extremes. The temperature at night can drop to freezing so it is really important to bring layers. A down jacket, fleece, leggings for under your trousers and a beanie hat wouldn’t go amiss.
Head torch – once the sun goes down the desert can be a very dark place. A head torch is invaluable at night in order to see into your rucksack, around your tent and even what is on your plate over dinner! Getting one with several brightness settings is also useful so you don’t blind your fellow campers.
Flip Flops – after spending all day walking across harsh terrain, there is no better feeling that taking off your walking boots and socks and slipping into some comfy flip flops. It gives your feet a chance to breathe and recover from the day’s walking and get them prepared for the next day of trekking.
Zinc oxide tape – blisters can be a really big problem in the Sahara. The heat can cause your feet to swell and make your very comfy walking boots not so comfortable. Take time each morning to wrap your feet in zinc oxide tape. Hopefully, this will stop blisters forming in the first place and make sure the challenge is kind to your feet. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to wrap feet – there are plenty of videos online. Your fellow trekkers are also sure to have some tips of their own!
External Battery Pack – The Sahara Desert Trek is the perfect chance to get off the grid for a while. But you may want to use your phone for photos or your camera may need charging. Slight problem though; there is no electricity in the desert. Bring a power pack to help make sure you can continue to snap photos of the amazing scenery. When buying one, make sure that you read the specifics of how many times they’ll charge a phone (you are without electricity for 5 nights).
High energy snacks – trekking for 5 days over undulating terrain can be exhausting! Make sure to bring some high energy snacks to keep you going over the sand dunes and across the plateaus.
Gaiters – you’d usually associate wearing gaiters with trekking in water. They can also be very useful to keep the sand out of your boots (another thing that can cause blisters!). You can get specialised desert gaiters, but normal ones will do the job just fine.
If you haven’t booked your place on the Sarah Desert Trek yet, you can find out more information on the Charity Challenge website.
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Our charity challenge is to trek for four days through this ever-changing landscape and to climb to the top of the massive Chegaga Dunes, where we will witness the desert sun-rise. The days will be hot and the trekking will be tough, but Team GAC with our unrivalled support will help all team members conquer this mammoth desert! Vista s as far as the eye can see combined with the pleasure of having the volcanic Anti-Atlas Mountains as our backdrop need we say more!