As a rule, I don’t normally watch the movie before reading the book… However, this time, I couldn’t wait and I had to see the movie ‘Tracks’ as soon as possible after receiving it as a gift recently. I am now reading the book.
Tracks is the self-penned, true story of Robyn Davidson’s epic solo adventure across more than 2500km of the Australian desert to reach the Indian Ocean. Robyn was in her late-20s and accompanied by her dog and a team of 4 wild camels. It took Robyn approx. 8 months to complete the trek and National Geographic Magazine sponsored her, sending out a photographer at various stages in the desert to capture the story (something that Robyn was initially at odds with). There is a great write-up about the location shooting on the National Geographic website, click here.
If desert trekking appeals, watch the film. Even if you are only mildly curious about what an adventure in the desert looks like, we encourage you to watch the film. For those of you who have long-dreamt of hiking out in to the Saharan wilderness with a camel caravan, the film will fuel your ambitions further. Of course, Robyn’s is an extraordinary tale of courage, endurance, grit and, certainly, adversity. She showed us what it is to escape from conventional society when in today’s world that is becoming difficult to achieve.
On a smaller scale, the reason we look to trek out in to the desert for a few days is to also disconnect from the real world! We get in tune with nature and enjoy the simple pleasures of walking and camping each day. That aside, most of us enjoy the physical challenge!
How we can help
We arrange guided desert treks in the Sahara of anything from 3 days and upwards. We provide a friendly team of camels and, importantly, Berber guides who hail from the region. Please refer to our webpages on the treks or contact us for a tailor-made hiking itinerary in the Sahara.
P.S. – if you can recommend any other books / movies that have inspired your travels, we’d love to hear from you!
Note: featured image – Copyright Rick Smolan / Contour by Getty Images