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Frequently Asked Questions
For the Navigation Course
Photo © Mohamed
Mabrouk
Q1: Do I have to own 4x4 to attend the course?
Q2: I cannot find the contents of the course anywhere in the
website. Could I have them emailed to me?
Q3: I heard that to navigate is to have enormous skills with
mathematics and all sorts of maps and stuff? Will I really become a navigator
with this course?
Q4: I have been hiking on my own in Europe for many years and
have excellent knowledge of European maps and how to use them, do I need to use
a GPS to offroad or hike in Egypt?
Q5: Will the course enable me to go safaris without a guide?
Q6: Are there any useful maps at all for Egypt?
Q7: Do I have to own a GPS for the course?
Q8: We are a group and wish to take this course together. How do we make it and will there be a discount?
Q9: We're not based in Egypt. Could we still take the course?
Q10: What is there after we take the course? Do you have
alumni meetings or special challenge trips?
For a question you haven't seen or comments about what you think of the answers, please
email here.
Q1: Do I have to own 4x4 to attend the course?
A1: Not at all. For instance, the course is for 4x4 and hiking as well. However, a 4x4 is necessary
for fieldtrip day so renting one should be arranged then (we set dates of fieldtrips
at last day of the course). I have 2 seats in my 4x4
that could be available at some courses too (on first-come first served
basis).
Q2: I cannot find the contents of the course anywhere in the website. Could I
have them emailed to me?
A2: Certainly! Email the instructor directly (mabrouk@saharanavigators.com)
for them please. It should be included in website in the future.
Q3: I heard that to navigate is to have enormous skills with
mathematics and all sorts of maps and stuff? Will I really become a navigator
with this course?
A3: First, the course doesn't have anything like real mathematics.
A calculator will be needed though for the exercises. We'll explain
complex concepts (such as map projections) but will leave mathematics for software
(and GPS) to solve for us and you'll be able to get the overall picture of
everything.
Second, This course is specifically for desert safaris. Sailors —for
instance—will find many common things and will be amused to learn few things that we overlanders use (e.g., satellite
images) but this is not their course. It's also an introduction only and have only
one fieldtrip to practice the exercises which is good to engage you in the hobby
and acquire more maps to plan for more, but should always be with a local guide
and with all safety procedures mentioned in the course taken care of.
Q4: I have been hiking on my own in Europe for many years
and have excellent knowledge of European maps and how to use them, do I need to
use a GPS to offroad or hike in Egypt?
A4: You have two problems here, compass usage like sailors and dangerous
trails. Compass skills in the desert are most important unlike in Europe where
there are plenty of recognizable landmarks and you're reluctant to use a compass. Desert is so flat and
featureless with no landmarks that your experience with dead-reckoning will be
tested to the maximum. GPS boosts your safety in hiking and offroading in Egypt,
and attention to your position all the time is hugely important. In mountain
hiking it's a bit different since the challenge is not to find that canyon your
trail is in, but to find the trail itself. These are ancient ones and not as
wide or clear as your eyes can see easily. Quickly you'll reach a dead-end and
waste huge time and maybe compromise your safety—even a GPS (on this micro
scale at the trail) might not be good enough! This calls for the use of local
guides. The course covers that in addition to some etiquettes related
to the GPS and geocaching, etc.
Q5: Will the course enable me to go safaris without a guide?
A5: We don't advice you to do so. Guides know more about survival than you
can imagine—remember the common saying "Sahara has no master". If
you're not Egyptian, then also there's restriction against going offroading without local guides.
Fortunately, the course allows you to communicate better with guides and even
plan your own safari with their assistance. You might like to try silent guides and start personalizing your own maps.
This specific skill is covered very well in the course. This course will come
specially handy for those who wish to venture off-road internationally across
Sahara countries of North Africa where guides come with many cultures and a
connection between your maps and your guides is important.
Q6: Are there any useful maps at all for Egypt?
A6: Sure! Local and international map-makers have provided some
good ones which are available in various scales. Let me
know your needs (paper or digital) and I'll help to the best of my knowledge. It is important here to say that
some Egyptian maps with good quality will be used during the course and their suitability
explained (and
sometimes inaccuracies) so that you would know how to assess your map
and use them effectively.
Q7: Do I have to own a GPS for the
course?
A7: Certainly Not! But you could do yourself a favor and buy one as well (if
you're really serious about offroading). For those who don't own one yet, it
might be best to wait till after the course—there will be many
handy tips on almost all known types of versatile GPSs and their usability in
the Sahara (e.g., some GPS signals don't work here) and the few exercises that
uses GPS in the field are easy to do on your own anytime you can.
For those who own a GPS, before you come to the course you should have read the manual and
have a reasonable knowledge of how to use its menus. The course will be about how to use
a generic GPS for navigation. Only occasionally, there will be a mention of some
specific brands that helps your overall knowledge.
Q8: We are a group and wish to take this course
together. How do we make it and will there be a discount?
A8: If there weren't enough seats in any of the scheduled dates to
take all of you, a special course could be arranged if you're more than 8. Email numbers and
suggested dates to
CourseGuide.
And yes there's usually a special discount for groups but you have to check at
the time of your reservations and get a confirmation email from instructor at
the specific dates you're taking.
Q9: We're not based in Egypt. Could we still take the course?
A9: Absolutely! Make sure you choose a schedule suitable to you. Let me know
of your schedule at your reservations email so that we could fit you in a
fieldtrip suitable to you if possible. You'll have to get a confirmation email
from instructor about that.
Q10: What is there after we take the course? Do you have
alumni meetings or special challenge trips?
A10: There is nothing scheduled for such events for the time being, but stay tuned
(website here) and I'll inform you
when they're arranged. Your suggestions are welcomed for additional course dates and themes. There
are now large communities of travelers in Egypt from all levels of experience.
You could join them to meet more like-minded people and hopefully similar
navigation skills and discuss navigation techniques among other things. Check
SaharaSafaris.
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