At the extreme east of the Maghreb, Tunisia is bordered in the north and in the east by the Mediterranean, in the south by Libya and in the west by Algeria. North is mountainous, the steppe in the centre and the desert in the south. due to its geographical situation, the climate is of the Mediterranean type , heat in summer, mild and rainy in winter. The forests of holm and lièges oaks are the biotopes of the Mediterranean mammals, foxes, hares. The central steppe was recently repopulated by antelopes.
The settlement of the area is attested well before our era. Towards 800 BC, Phoenicians established ports on the coast. Carthage became a power threatening Rome. The Punic Wars ended it in the year 146 BC. Consequently Pax Roma governs the area which passed then under the domination of Byzance. Towards 700 AD, the Arabs subjected the area, it was the foundation of Kairouan. Attached to the Othman empire, Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881. It acquired its independence in 1956.

Tunisia is in the trip like a stage of connection towards the Algerian Sahara. After the arrival in Tunis the second days, the Tuniso-Algerian border was crossed the fourth day at Nafta.

In the centre of the Maghreb, Algeria has a coastal sea of almost 1.000Km on the Mediterranean. It is bordered in the east by Tunisia and Libya, in the south by Niger, in the west by Mali, Mauritania and Morocco. It is structured in four transversal belts from the north to the south : In the north, the Tellian Atlas forms the Mediterranean edge, in the centre the high plateaus constitute the high plains of Constantinois in the east, in the south the Saharan Atlas and Aurès border the great Saharan Erg covering nearly 85% of the territory. Only the coastal zone is of the Mediterranean type, the high plateaus and the Saharan Atlas is steppe while the Sahara is desert. Fauna is hardly different from Europe except in the Sahara, kingdom of the gerboise and the dromedaries. Algeria was visited in spring 1990.

Algeria is, mainly, until Tamanrasset a stage of connection out of tar crossed in escorted convoy. With beyond the dunes are the daily as from the eighth day.

Niger does not have any sea access. It is bordered in thenorth by Algeria and Libya, in the east by Chad, in the south by Nigeria and the Benin, in the west by Burkina Faso and Mali. With twice the surface of France, it is one of the largest country and the least populated of Africa. Two thirds are desert, a third is steppe, only the narrow part of the western south along the Niger river is cultivable. The process of turning into a desert is in constant progress making fear the disappearance of the settlement. Its history is inseparable from the trade of gold, salt and slaves which made the power of the empires from 10th to the 13th then at the 16th centuries. End 19th century France added it to its possessions in the area. It became independent in 1960.

Niger is one of the strong points of the packed tour with Ténéré, the salt works of Bilma, the mythical "Arbre du Ténéré", the ancient city of Agadez, then the capital Niamey and the trail along the Niger river to the border with Mali.

Mali is bordered in the north by Algeria, in the east by Niger, in the south by Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea, in the west by Senegal and Mauritania. It is with Niger one of the largest and the least populated country of Africa. The north is occupied by the Sahara and the centre by the Sahel. The south-west is characterized by the Niger river since the border of Niger country which curves in the north of Gao towards the west to do at Mopti a rich delta with the confluence of Bani. The old settlement of Mali is attested by the cave paintings dating back from the green Sahara. Until the 11th century, it was the centre of the kingdom of Ghana on the Trans-Saharan commercial road. Then the invasions of Almoravides Berber come from Mauritania and Morocco imposed Islam. At the end of the 19th century it was incorporated in the French empire and acquired its independence in 1960.
 

Mali is the second strong time of the tour with in particular Tombouctou and Djenné, the Dogon country, the cliffs of Bandiagara and the Bamako capital.

Senegal is bordered in the north by Mauritania, in the east by Mali, in the south by Guinea and the Guinea-Bissau and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. In the centre of the last southern third and in the north of Casamance, Gambia, territory along the eponym river, is the result of the policy of the gun-boat and the competition that were delivered the European colonial powers in the 19th century. Senegal is almost perfectly flat. at the north of the equator its sprinkled climate gives a vegetation of the Sahel type, many national parks are arranged there.
The settlement of the area is attested more than one million years before our era. From 5th to the 15th centuries, the empires of Ghana, Tukrur, Mali... followed one another and ended with the arrival of Portuguese in 1444. It was allotted to France at the end of the 19th century and integrated Africa Occidental French. It became independent in 1960. Its first president was emblematic Léopold Sédar Senghor.
After the customs formalities with Kidira, a last stage of connection out of tar leads to Saly-Portugal on the Petite Côte.
 

Mauritania is bordered in the north by Morocco and Algeria, in the east by Mali, in the south by Senegal and in the west by 700 km of Atlantic coast. It is with more than 60% a desert, the Sahara progressing unrelentingly towards the ocean. The climate is particularly hot and dry. Ornithological fauna is abundant rare species in the national parks of the coast.
The settlement of the area goes up well before the draining of the lakes which covered the current Sahara. The introduction of the dromedary to Morocco made possible the trip to the long course and consequently the invasion of this area by Almoravid Berber come from Morocco. Islamization was followed from there. Its geographical situation and its climate preserved it European colonial competitions. It became French at the beginning of the 19th century and acquired its independence in 1960. The political and economic situation is unforeseeable and unstable.


My trip is given as an indication. Reality will be a function of experience gained in Ténéré and people meet. The strong points should be Adrar with the oases of Atâr and Chinguetti and if possible the plate of Tagânt. The road of the return is envisaged by the Banc d'Arguin towards the Moroccan border.

Morocco is bordered in the east by Algeria and in the south by Mauritania. The mountains of the Atlas in the east and the Sahara in the south isolates it from the remainder of the African continent. It has two sea coasts, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. due to its geographical situation, Morocco has a climate implying a flora and a fauna very diversified from the north to the south and from the west to the east.
The history of Morocco is very old and very rich reinforcing its tourist attraction.
Morocco was visited in 1972 and 1995.
 

The projected trip skirts the coast of the Sahara Occidental to Agadir, then Marrakech, les Gorges du Dadès et du Todra, finally Mekhnès and Fès before the loading at Ceuta to Algeciras.

Spain was briefly visited in 1971 at the time of a stay on Costa Brava. I do not think that assigned time enables me to deepen this country with a so rich culture.

The road designed to reach the French border is most direct and fastest.

As for Spain, the road in France is the most direct to the Var then to my residence.
The stay at the Backoffice is devoted to the debriefing of the journey as well  as administrative aspects taken in charge by my brother.

The experience gained at the time of this African tour takes part in the decision to take during last quarter 2005 before leaving for the trip around the world.

This first experience will be tested at the time of the second gallop of test in East and Northern Europe.