FAMILY TRIPS

only in English, sorry for mistakes

Most of the time when we hit the road out of Cairo, my family was with me. There isn't any safer place to leave your kids playing around (specially in Egypt) then on a huge and soft sanddune.

The probably biggest family trip we did in November 2001. We visit the Valley of the Whales (Wadi Rayan). 6 cars, 11 adults, 8 kids, 2 dogs, and we had about 4 GPS and a easy road map with way points, kindly provided by egyptoffroad (see below). It was just for 2 days but for my daughter Maria it was the first real trip out in the sand. I guess she enjoyed it.

We had at the very beginning some small problems with un-experienced desert drivers who got stucked. But with the above mentionned "man- and kidpower" the cars where ready again after some pushing. After some turns I found the right descent to the Wadi and around two hours after leaving the Bahariya road, we reached our campsite close to the bones of the Whales.

It wasn't easy to coordinate a group of six cars through some soft sand patches when drivers aren't well experienced. The second day on the way back to Lake Qarun we had some serious dunes and sandpatches to cross. I knew how to handle my car, a secondhand Gallopper which I used for the last year in Egypt. As soon I felt that I reached a critical spot, instead to slow down, I pushed "her" over it. The next 1 to 2 km hard and soft surfaces where approaching. As I remembered some 4 cars got stucked on the last 2 km before crossing the last dune. I took us about 2 hours to get all the cars over that dune. The beer after that was a bit warm but anyway, after digging sand and pushing cars for hours, nothing tasts better.

Eveybody gave his best. One of the most important aspects of desert trips is to work together as a group. Thanks to all for making this trip possible and succesful.

Click the links on the map to see some pictures of the trip

Participants of the Valley of the Whales trip where: Jasmin (Italia) and 3 kids (Mitsubishi Pajero) Amun (Austria/Egypt), Meline (Italia/Egypt), 1 kid and 1 dog (Toyota Hilux) Mohamad (Egypt), Richard (Egypt) and 1 dog (Jeep Cherokee) Susi (Peru), Francesco (Switzerland) (KIA) Jim (USA), Maya (Russia) and 2 kids (LandCruiser Prado) Almaz (Eritrea), Tom (Switzerland), Julia, Maria (Hyundai Gallopper)

More nationalities then cars on this trip.