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Home > Projects >Running the Sahara > FAQs
We know you will be full of questions about the experience and the practicalities of going to the Sahara, so we want to help you address some of them already and reassure you that the trip is both affordable and safe. During your 7-day stay in the camps, you will be looked after by a Sandblast ambassador, who will help oversee the programme and facilitate your translation and transport needs. You will live with a Saharawi refugee family and be well looked after. Don’t worry you will have a wonderful time. A. COST  Scenes from Smara by Amanda Seymour, 2010 Participant A. How much will it cost?Around £1000 all included. Please note that the exact break-down varies from year to year due to changes in flight rates and other variables but roughly the costs are the following: London-Madrid flight: £50 to £100 (early registration will get better deals) B. Your first stepTo participate you need to register , provide a £100 non-refundable registration fee (this covers the £25 Sandblast admin fee plus £75 for the extra programme in the camps) and fill in a registration form by December 15th, 2011. This amount is deducted from your final payment, which is due on 15th January 15th, 2012.  By Amanda Seymour, 2010 participant C. Where, When & How?Where does the Sahara Marathon take place? It takes place in the Saharawi refugee camps located near Tindouf in SW Algeria. When does the Sahara Marathon take place? It takes place every year around the last week of February. The exact dates vary a little from year to year. They are set by the main organizers in Spain and the camps and we do not usually know the final dates until four or five months prior to the event. You fly out a few days before the race date and stay for a few days after the race. How do I deal with visa and flight tickets? Sandblast will deal with your visa and travel arrangements. This is part of the support we provide. Everyone going from Spain travels on a group visa. How do I get there? You will fly to Madrid. This is the only leg of the trip we do not organize. Once at the Madrid airport you will meet your “Sandblast Ambassador” and join the Spanish contingent participating in the Saharamarathon. From Madrid you will fly on a chartered Air Algerie flight to Tindouf, in SW Algeria. The flight is about three and half hours.  By Amanda Seymour, 2010 participant D. Once you’re there?What happens when I arrive? Once in Tindouf, you will be met by the Saharawi authorities and Saharamarathon organizers at the airport and be driven to Smara, one of the four camps wherethe Saharamarathon race is hosted. Where will I stay? Once in Smara, you will be collected by your host refugee family at a central gathering point. You will live with a group of 5 to 6 other UK participants. We will try to ensure that friends and family stay together. Staying with a family will offer you a unique chance to experience the legendary hospitality of this exiled desert culture and learn about their lives and stories of the refugees. What is the accommodation like? It is basic and clean. Mattresses, pillows and blankets are provided. If you like to sleep in sheets bring your own and also towels. Washing facilities exist but again are quite basic. There are toilets that often double up as shower rooms. You will be able to wash from buckets of water. You can ask your hosts to heat up a water in a water if you can’t face washing with cold water.. What will we eat and drink? You will mostly eat with your Saharawi hosting families.The food is fine and sometimes even very good depending on the talent of the cooks! There will be food for vegetarians and meat-eaters but a lot of the food consists of pulses, pasta, rice and potatoes. A pasta party is held on the night before the race. You will be given plenty of bottled water on the day of the race as required. Water and drink are often provided by the host families but as they are quite expensive we suggest putting together a kitty to contribute towards drinks and buying in shops nearby. How do we get around? You will initially travel in buses prior to the race date to get from one place to the another and then after wards, depending on the size of the group , in several 4X4s and on foot for locally- based activites. The transport is provided by the Saharawi authorities which are largely donated vehicles. Local taxi known as passage also exists for the more adventurous. You pay 200 dinar to travel between camps. What do we do before and after the race? Prior to the race date you will spend time settling in and preparing for the race. During these days you will mostly follow the general Saharamarathon programme. After the race day the activities will be organized by Sandblast. These will include meeting local figures in different sectors of the society like women, youth, artists, seeing schools, hospitals and interesting projects and participating in fun interactive activities to learn more about aspects of Saharawi culture and society. Do I need to get vaccinations? No jabs are required and there are no mosquitoes. There are hospitals and clinics in each of the camps in case of emergency, but we recommend you bring basics like headache and diarrhea pills. (There are indications of cases of Hepatitus B and you may want to get a vaccination if you are worried about this).
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