Waw an Namus

Hundreds of kilometres from anywhere, Waw an Namus interrupts the Sahara with a science-fiction set: a volcanic caldera whose black ash apron darkens the sand for kilometres around - visible from orbit as a sooty thumbprint - cradling a cone and a ring of small lakes tinted blue, green and red by minerals and algae, palms and reeds fringing water that has no business existing here. The name means 'oasis of mosquitoes', and they attend their lakes faithfully. For Sahara travellers it is a holy grail waypoint: the crossing's reward, camped on the caldera rim within the deep south's expedition-only practical frame.

What you actually see

• The coloured lakes - blue, green and red rings in the black bowl.
• The ash apron - the dark thumbprint on the desert's skin.
• The central cone - the caldera's heart above the palms.
• The rim camps - starlight over an impossible oasis.

When to go

November to February, expedition season, as for the whole deep south. Check current travel advice before planning, and arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Honest expectations

This is among the remotest places wheels can reach: specialist expedition arrangements, serious fuel-and-water logistics and current-conditions judgement are the entire method. The mosquitoes are real at the water; the fragile crater takes tracks slowly - drive and walk where guides direct.

Nearby

Nothing, magnificently - the Fezzan's empty quarter surrounds it.