The travel

The Saharawi refugee camps are located about one hour bus/truck journey from the city of Tindouf, in the South-west of Algeria, close to the Moroccan and Mauritanian borders.
To get to the camps and participate in the race you join a Spanish charter flight from Madrid to Tindouf, leaving on the 22/02/2013 and returning the 1/03/2013.

Price: 900 Euros with reg. fee included
Kids under 16 pay 700€

The registration fee is the same for both runners and non-runners and includes:
Flight Ticket Madrid-Tindouf-Madrid
Travel insurance
Algerian visa
Accommodation: participants will be split in to small groups of 4-5 and will be hosted by Saharawi families in their tents. Mattresses, pillows and blankets will be provided but bringing a sleeping bag is strongly recommended.
Food: participants will eat meals with the Saharawi families. However, a ‘pasta party’ will be held on the evening before the marathon
Water: participants will receive mineral water in sealed bottles as required.
Transport: transportation will be provided from Tindouf to the camps and for various site visits.
Race registration: race participation, t-shirt and a medal.
Humanitarian aid: 50€ of contribution to the 2013 Sahara Marathon project and to other projects at the camps.
If a participant or a group of participants are interested, he/they can help and directly fund a project at the camps.

Schedule

Saturday Upon arrival at the camps participants will be assigned to local families and shown to their tents where they will be able to rest following the days travel.
Sunday Participants will be free to explore the camps and acclimatise. Race registration will take place and a information will be provided. In the evening a ‘pasta party’ will be held for all visitors.
Monday Day of the Marathon
Tuesday Prize giving ceremony
Wednesday,Thursday, Friday Children race and sport events, visits to schools, hospital and to the sand dunes.

The programmes will include visits to schools, hospitals and the war museum. A lecture on the history of the Saharawi people and an explanation of the current situation will be given.

The Sahara Marathon organisation and the Saharawi people will try to ensure visitors enjoy their stay at the camps. However, it is important to understand that the event is also about solidarity and, for a week, participants will be living in the same conditions that the Saharawis have endured for 35 years. With this in mind, it is requested that participants visit the camps with an open mind and a flexible attitude.

THE FLIGHT
An Air Algerie aircraft has been chartered to transport the delegation from Madrid to Tindouf, leaving on Friday 22nd February and returning on Friday 1st March.
However, in the event that less than 100 participants register to take the chartered flight it may be necessary to revert to scheduled flights requiring a change of aircraft in Algiers.
The meeting point will be at the counter of Air Algerie in the new Terminal T-4 at Barajas airport, where you will have to be at 18:30h.
The charted flight has been requested for:
-Madrid-Tindouf: friday 22nd february 2013: 21.00
-Tindouf-Madrid: friday 1st march 2013: 18.30  (arrival in Madrid: 23.30 h.)
This schedule won’t be official until AirAlgerie confirmation.
The plane will make a technical stop at Orán or Alger, but normally there’s no need to get out of the plane.

VISA
The visa is collective and we will take care of it. Don’t forget your passport and make sure about the expire date (must be valid for 6 months ahead of the travel date).

THE ACCOMODATION
All participants will be split in to small groups of 4-5 and will be hosted by Saharawi families in their tents. You can ask to join a particular group or create one, otherwia you’ll be assigned randomly.
All families will receive economical aid and supplies from the organization, and since for the saharawi hospitality is very important they’ll do their best to make you feel part of the family.
If you want you can bring small gifts to the family, possibly sharing the gifts amongs neighborood families and kids to help more people. We suggest small toys for the kids, flashlights, pens and colored pencils, utility tools…

THE FOOD
The organization will offer a pasta dinner the night before the race, a breakfast and a pocket lunch the day of the race. All other meals will take place with the respective saharawi families (lentils, couscous, salads, camel or goat meat, french fries, pasta)
Is very important to drink only the bottled water (we’ll take car of water distribution in each family), that is the same water used for tea that you can drink safely.

SHOPS
If you want to buy something you can use Euros (don’t bring big bills). There are quite a lot of shops where you can buy artisan articles and have a drink. You can also find locutories where you can call home. The best is to bring one of the childs with you so they can understand you better.

HYGIENE
We’ll stay in a refugee camps in themiddle of the desert, this means that we must forget a daily shower and all the commodities of our WCs.
Outside every house/tent there will be a small building with a wc, and you’ll always have available a basin with water to wash.
The day of the race, if we won’t have problems with water, everyone will have the chance to take a shower in the protocol building (bring your soap and towel).