Morocco / Mauritania
 

I just arrived in Senegal, hereafter some info :
- Crossing in Ceuta: no problem, took me 20 minutes
- Tan Tan: Spent a night in Ksar Tafnidilt - http://www.tafnidilt.com/en/index.html You have to leave the road (Guelmim-Tan - Tan) 20 km before Tan - Tan, take a good track to the west, and after 6 km you will find KSAR GPS: N 28°32' 775, W 010°59' 569. One can camp or rent a room. Highly recommended
- Between Tan Tan and Dakhla: Police check points roughly every 100 km, no corruption
- Good mechanic in Dakhla: Abdileh, Dakhla Assistance, next to the building of Surete Nattionale
- Hotel Tahiti in Dakhla: acceptable
- Petrol stations before border to Maurtania: Hotel Barabas is 91km from the border. There also is one at the border, but they don’t have fuel all the time
- Border formalities at Moroccan side: one hour


- Piste between the 2 borders, 5 km, easy, can even be done on a street bike
- Border formalities at Mauritania side: two hours, a lot of hassle
- Hotel Titris in Nouadibou: acceptable
- Road from Nouadibou to Nouakchott: reasonable traffic during day time, many police check points, I felt safe
- There is one petrol station 250 km from Nouadibou, but they don’t have petrol all the time
- Hotel Awkar in Nouakchott: to be avoided
- Diama Piste to Saint Louis: easy
- Border formalities: 90 minutes
Will continue to Matam tomorrow
Have a safe trip
Albert

Thanks - this is really useful. We are about to embark on the same route...

Thank you...

Thanks for posting! It's GREAT to see that there's a few still traveling despite the obvious.
Safe travels, all!

I am in Essouira now picking up my HJ60 in Tiznity and heading for Sidi Ifdni for the night.
Morocco was never better/friendlier than now IMO.
I got the Mauri visa yesterday
in Rabat, 340 Dh.
They issue around 100 visas per day now, most is for French heading for St Louis. Why worry? Drive only in daylight.

I will be driving on the beach a lot. From Nouadibou with my friend/guide Abou from Nouackchott. Will not stay in Mauri more than a couple days. Going the pîste from Kiffa to Kayes.
Bonne route mes amis!

Dear Albert,

Interesting and useful feedback, thank you!

Were you driving car or riding bike?

Did you use a carnet? In case you didn't were you asked for it?

Safe trip,
Luís Cabrita

Hi Albert
 

I mean that you cross the border in Diama not in Rosso. Am I right?
If you drove by piste you got out of N2 in which point. I don't see any piste on map from Keur Massene to Diama. Although there is a border crossing in Diama
Safe trip.

I am on a Luxembourg registered KTM 640 Adventure.

Took the dam piste in Rosso (entrance on the right 100 m after petrol station) and crossed into Senegal at Diama

All the best
Albert

I am in Bamako right now.

I did not yet use a carnet.
Albert

Dear Bartosz,

As far as I have read from other posts travellers coming North arrive to Rosso and turn right to the piste to Diamma at N16.51232 W15.81237.

Have a look at GE yourself.

Best Regards,
Luís Cabrita

Hi Cabrita
Thank you for info. I think that border crossing in Diama is more friendly and quiet than Rosso.
Best Regards
Bartosz

Just got back from Dakar having ridden down through Morocco, Mauritania & Senegal.
Absolutely no problem with Mauritania. The locals were helpfull in the extreme and there is a strong police presence on the roads.

Word has it that the problems are down to local bandits rather than terrorists.

There were a LOT of French people travelling in Mauritiania and they have had no sniff of a problem either.

Can confirm that it is absolutely impossible to get a visa at the border with Mauritania. We already had them but asked the police chief out of interest.

Of all the countries we travelled through, Mauritania felt the safest.

If there were to be anyone on the road approaching Mauritiania and wondering whether to travel through - I would say go for it - you will not be dissapointed.

p.s. evening traffic on the outskirts of Dakar is a nightmare.

pps we crossed at Diama - very quiet although there was an annoying hold up.
A guy was manning a barrier across the bridge and wouldn't open it unless we gave him a bung.
This was in full view of the police office so we can guess where half the money goes.
Suppose it could have been a 'toll' but I think it was just opportunism.

There is ALWAYS a border gate "operative" at Diama and his standard fee is 10 euros. He's had THREE payments from me!!

The turn to Diama is easy to miss - it just looks like a dirt track out through the "buildings" -- that's because it is! :-)

You sometimes find after 200 metres that there is a checkpoint, as this is the entry to the National Park.

The 100kms to Diama are AWFUL, but anything is better than Rosso.

At the last junction before the border (a T-junction where you turn left) there is usually another checkpoint.

The best thing about all this is the first beer in St Louis!!

Roger

Diama Piste
 

When I took it ten days ago the piste was in excellent condition. There even was a french guy doing it two up on a BMW 1.150 Touring without a problem.

Albert