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[Egypt's Maps]
[Saharan No-Maps]
[Cairo Maps Services]
[GPS Safe Use] 

Things BEFORE You Go

• Always bring enough batteries for double the trip time (assume one set enough for half a day even if power cable exists for the car).

• Ask a friend to bring a backup GPS and upload it with the entire list of waypoints and tracks.

• Bring your paper maps even if were printouts from GPS-software.

• Print out the list of this safari’s waypoints and keep it in your dashboard’s Navigation Notebook for backup in case GPS loses its memory.

• Bring the traditional paper map of the best scale you could get for the area.

• ALWAYS have a compass of any form. Best are orienteering to use with your paper maps. Car compass is essential for 4x4ers.

• Have your planned route diagram complete with tables of with bearings, and distances of legs in your Navigation Notebook.

DURING Trip

• Never depend solely on GPS built-in basemap. Use your paper ones. If a software basemap is to be used, use it in printed form.

• At the trip and DURING ALL TIMES, be oriented on where you are on the map.

When GPS Is Broken

You should be ready anytime this happens by some knowledge of where the area is on the small scale maps and how your route is like in it (see above). The following should then be easy to do:

1. Mark your position on the map to the best of your knowledge.

2. Choose safest and nearest point to a road, an oasis, or Nile Valley.

3. Plot a sketchy route on the map that seems reasonable.

4. Calculate a table of bearings and distances.

5. Follow the route by dead reckoning or terrain association if applies.

Best Practices

Use Navigation

• The more landmarks recognized, the more you feel at home with the terrain for any emergency.

• Send an email of the planned waypoints and route file to a friend with your estimated time of finish the tour and numbers to call if you’re not back in time. Make sure your friend knows the area and can act on emergencies and CALL the friend when you’re back!

Keep In Your 4x4:

• ALWAYS have a calibrated car compass.

• ALWAYS try to have a co-navigator at your side. It’s even more fun when he/she points out the landmarks and give them names from maps.

For Hikers:

• Bring a good case for your maps that they can stay out of packs but not damaged or wet.

Other Supplementary Tools

• Satellite phone

• Silent guide

• Having on-board one or more co-navigators is always safer to support your opinions and decisions and for more fun!

General Notes

• This is for YOUR safety and your friends' lives. This is NOT part of a game to be careless about.

• They're based on practical experience in 4x4 desert safaris and mountains hiking.

• For more on how to gain knowledge in Desert Navigation, see here.

• The complete list above has some overlaps. You should choose a comfortable subset for yourself as you go.

• Best practices are usually hard to implement at the beginning, but as you go, you'll get used to them.

[Egypt's Maps]
[Saharan No-Maps]
[Cairo Maps Services]
[GPS Safe Use]

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