This Challenge is only open to all cars: RHD & Left-Hand Drive vehicles. The route can be completed by almost any vehicle, and there is no distinct advantage to having 4×4 drive (except when others are stuck in the sand!). We have no charity contacts in Mauritania so arrange for your car to be disposed of and it is then removed from your passport allowing you to leave the country. You can hitch off another team and fly home from Dakar which is a better option as you stay in St Louis Senegal which is a real highlight. Hitching works fine as there will be a good number of teams pressing on to Banjul who can help you.
Nouakchott Challenge
The Nouakchott Challenge leaves the UK Friday 13th January 2023 & Friday 12th January 2024 then heads South through Morocco, Western Sahara, and into Mauritania. The route travels mostly on tarmac roads, but the highlight is the two-day crossing of the Sahara Desert. The journey is approximately 3000 miles, and can comfortably be covered in 2 weeks (if all goes well). Those in a hurry have completed it in less, but that is missing the point, really. This is NOT a race. There is so much of interest en-route that it makes no sense to rush your travels. The entry fee per car is £399.
The Challenge really starts in Southern Spain, where hotel accommodation is provided. European teams start from here so there is no need to go to the UK. The Road Book provides the clues as the Participants bond over a beer (or two) in the hotel bar, and form into travelling groups for the journey South. Ahead lies Sand, Sea and... even more sand. Experience the heat of the desert sun, and the challenge of nursing a knackered car all the way to destinations that most people would only consider flying to.