"Aoulef, an island in the sand" Aoulef by JLBG

Aoulef Travel Guide: 9 reviews and 16 photos

When you look at this photo, at first you will see sand and nothing else. If you look more carefully, you will see in the right, just over the horizon, a green line. This is the palm grove of Aoulef, in the distance.

And in the middle of the photo, what can it be? A road sign? We are used to see road signs along roads, which makes sense. However, in the Sahara, when there are no roads, road signs, when any, can be anywhere!

Aoulef-ech-Cherfa and Aoulef-El-Arab are two twin oasis split by a couple of kilometers. In 1982, the sand trail from In-Salah to Reggane passed 2 km away. There is now a surfaced road.

Last visit to Aoulef: Apr 1982
Intro Written Mar 2, 2007
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Reviews (9)

Tidikelt, towing the 2cv Citroën - Aoulef

Tidikelt, towing the 2cv Citroën Things to Do (9)

On our 1975 travel, the 2cv Citroën needed sometimes some help to prevent getting stuck. When the trail looked too... more travel advice

Excellent shade under a living Tamarix - Aoulef

Excellent shade under a living Tamarix Things to Do (9)

Tamarix grow well in the Sahara, given that they can find enough water in the sub-soil. Most of the time they grow as... more travel advice

Tidikelt, close up on a piece of fossil wood - Aoulef

Tidikelt, close up on a piece of fossil... Things to Do (9)

I have not found any information about the type of trees that are found in the fossil forests of the Tidikelt. However,... more travel advice

Tidikelt, Fossil woods Things to Do (9)

Near Aoulef, there are several petrified forests with fossil tree trunks. They date from the time when there was plenty... more travel advice

Comments (8)

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zadunajska8 Jan 4, 2012 at 3:24 AM

Such amazing photos! I really love this page
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Nemorino May 3, 2010 at 2:42 PM

Great photos of road signs in the middle of the desert, where there aren't even any roads!
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evaanna Jun 6, 2009 at 2:07 PM

Excellent pictures of the desert. I think you were very brave to drive there in your car. Good point about having a large number of the same things to give to the children. I would have probably taken various items.
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lynnehamman Apr 30, 2009 at 11:31 PM

An amazing thought- that the Sahara once was a place of water.Very good tips, and photos, Jean-Louis.Especially the tip about carrying enough water.
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LoriPori Apr 2, 2009 at 4:08 AM

Signs in the desert!! I would probably need one telling me what direction I was going - NSEW! hehe! I found the fossil wood intriguing. Also thank you for checking out my updates from Mijas Spain.
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Bwana_Brown Mar 27, 2007 at 10:25 AM

This visit sounds like a bit of an adventure with your off-road car driving! I wonder why the Peugeot was better in sand than the Citroën? Excellent tips on the area trees, especially those fossils!!
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tiabunna Mar 9, 2007 at 1:35 AM

What marvellous photos! Fossil trees in the Sahara ... who says there's no such thing as climate change? An intriguing page indeed.
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Trekki Mar 8, 2007 at 10:52 AM

Wow, simply wow ! It is indeed fun to see roadsigns in the middle of an endless sand :-) I like the marabout :-)