Active camel trade
One of the main reasons we chose Mauritania for our trip in the Sahara desert was because of the continuing existence of camel trade throughout the country.
Michael Asher had also informed us that the Atar region, where we were based, was probably the best place to buy camels.
It was therefore with great anticipation that we made the short trip to a nearby village called Azougi to see some camels. We had been told there were camels for sale there and when we mentioned this to Hakim, he had offered to take us.
First glimpses of open desert
The ride was on local public transport, a truck that departed when it was full. We rode in the cargo tray at the back, together with an oil barrel, some spare wheels and a couple of goats.
The view from Hakim’s roof to the distant desert hills
The half hour journey offered us our first glimpses of what lay beyond Atar. A vast, rocky plain stretched out before us, gradually rising to a jagged line on the horizon. Nothing moved apart from our truck, noisily cutting through the stillness.
At Hakim’s signal, the truck stopped and we jumped out. The truck quickly continued on its way with the remaining passengers, leaving us standing by the side of the sandy track looking around.
There were no camels in sight, just a few scattered huts.
A misunderstanding?
Hakim pointed out what looked like an abandoned archaeological dig (the first settlement in the area apparently) before inviting us to rest in the shade under some nearby palm trees.
“Is this Azougi?” I asked, perplexed.
“No, Azougi is 8km further north” he replied.
We looked at each other, resisting the temptation to yell “But we came here to see camels!”
Perhaps he had misunderstood. The archaeological site was probably the most interesting thing in the area…for people who weren’t looking for camels to buy. Having not known him for long, we decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Buying camels, but then what?
Resting in the shade of some palm trees with Hakim
We spent some time talking under those palm trees. Hakim told us his dad had been a nomad. He himself had finished school at 15 and then set off into the desert with a camel to wander by himself.
The conversation turned to camels. Hakim had already said on our first day that the most important thing for us would be to buy camels that were well trained. Not being Mauritanian, we wouldn’t have time to master an untrained one.
With our focus on finding camels to buy, we hadn’t considered what to do next. Where would we keep them? Atar was a significant population centre so presumably we couldn’t keep them there.
Luckily, Hakim had some answers. He said after buying camels we could stay with friends of his in Taouaz (a small village a couple of hours to the north-east of Atar) where there was enough space for the camels. And if we wanted, he could train us in camel handling for three days, after which we’d be ready to set off alone.
The plan
This all sounded very promising and it got better. He said he would show us the Atar camel market tomorrow and then take us to see some friends of his who had camels to sell. They lived as nomads out in the desert beyond Taouaz.
Apparently they owned some six hundred camels, from which the fifty or so that would be best suited to our trip would be selected. We could try out any of these and then pick the three that behaved best in our hands. It sounded like just what we needed. With such a huge selection to choose from we were confident we’d be able to find our three ideal camels.
It was vital for us to get good camels, they would be key to the success of our trip. Once out in the open desert we would be relying on the camels to carry all our kit and supplies and – crucially – our water. A weak camel that refused to march could leave us stranded.
Going with the flow
That night, we reviewed our situation. It felt like things were falling into place fast, almost too fast. We’d only just started looking for camels. We still wanted to track down Asher’s friend in Chinguetti [link to Detailed Planning..]to see how he could help us. He might also know of good camels for sale.
We should probably have told Hakim to wait a couple of days while we looked at other options. On the other hand, if he found us good camels, why shouldn’t we buy them? None of us could really be bothered trying to go against the flow that seemed to be carrying us along so well.