Atlantic Route for Dummies

[sadoblazo]

hi guys. i was wondering if some of you battle-hardened travelers would help me sort out a few issues concerning the trip that i will take in June.
I will be taking the atalntic route from tangier to dakar and back. trip will last a month. im riding a 2004 Suzuki V-strom 650, 2up, full luggage and camping equipment.
ive now spent months reading the pages of this forum, as well as other sites (this beats any other hands down) and any book i could get my hands on. Still some doubts remain over the itinerary that maybe some of you could help me solve.



Many concern the border crossing between western sahara and RIM. For a newbie who has never set foot on african soil, its a bit of a scary prospect!

1: there seems to be some confusion over which road to take across noman's land. Ive heard some say that you have to keep right at eeach fork on the road to reach the mauritanian checkpoint. easy enough, i thought, until a few days later when i read the trip notes of three italian guys who rode the stretch on harleys (threepercenters.it but only in italian) who stated that at each fork they kept left. Sahara overland only states that at the first fork you have to keep right, and that if you keep left you end up taking a smugglers' route which goes around the mauritanian checkpoint.
Could those of you who have taken the route tell me which way i should go?

2: SECURITY CONCERNS: what should i expect when riding across nomans land? what happens if i get bogged down in the sand and get stuck there for a considerable amount of time? From reading the pages of this forum everything sounds so damn easy. probably because those who are writing have done stuff like that a trillion times, but again, im a newbie... and a scared one, i have to admit.
a week ago i managed to speak to the friend of a relative of mine. he's told me one of those horror stories who make you think twice about what you're doing.
in 2003 they drove across the border in a camper. 3 men with their partners, all italians. 1 of these guys had ridden the paris-dakar twice, and all had been to africa before. well... they got stopped between the 2 checkpoints by armed bandits. they robbed them (fair enough) and then raped the 3 men in the group (at least the women were not harmed).
Christ!!! and i thought the mines were enough of a worry!! what is the situation on that damn stretch of road, guys? will it be reasonably safe or should i at least add to my equipment some lubricant? (excuse my arrogance, but im not talking about the one for chains)

3: how tough is the terrain? remember that we're traveliing 2up with luggage, and that the dl650 aint exactly a feather. add to that the fact that i have little experience in off-road riding. will it take me a whole day of digging the bike out of the sand or is it pretty easy stuff to ride through?

4: the strecth NDB-NKT. 450 kms with no fuel, when i last 330. Jerry cans, ok, but the question is: am i certain to find fuel in NDB or do i have to carry jerry cans preventively across noman's land? certainly im not gonna enjoy the extra weight.

5: The Rosso/Diama dilemma. i am determined to make the diama barrage into senegal. first because im trying to avoid rosso, and then beacuase i really woud like to ride through the park and enjoy the scenery. but again i am concerned over the conditions of the piste. how hard is it to ride with my sort of set up? and in case i cant make it and have to go through rosso, what exactly shuold i expect?

6: Declaration of currency at borders. as you know i have to declare the amount of money im taking into the country. some say you have to declare exactly what you have, others that its best to declare as little as possible. can somebody tell me what i should do and why?

7: and now an old favourite of yours: the carnet de passage! will i need one into senegal considering that im riding a 2004 bike? some say i need it, some say i can do a laissez-passaire, others that i dont need it but that its best to have it. Could you guys put the final word on this issue?

8: im traveling in june. unfortunately its the only time of the year that i can take that much time off. what sort of heat should i exxpect along the route?

those are the things that worry me the most. many of you will probably be thinking that im a paranoid f^**, but im trying to be as prepared as possible. im sure youll be understanding with me thanks in advance for any time you might take for your replies, and let me say that this fourm is simply unbeatable for content but above all for the quality of the participants. thanks guys!!!!

[geert]

sadoblaqzo,

i was in nmauretania in januari ( with a 4wd) so i can help you a bit further.
1 ) border between morocco and mauretania is not difficult but very slow: they take your pasport and let you wait for 4 houres and then let you trough:
the reason is ( as they say) that they control each pasport by radio with agadir.

But then they let you trough mostly with a dozen of cars, so you just follow the rest.

Anyway between the to borderpost is about 2 km's so you'll find it.

Indeed there are several roads but most of them and up together again so choose the middel ons and you'll be safe.

2+3)There are no risks of getting stuck between the border posts: its rough but hard surface and anyway there are dozens of cars passing. Stories of rape etc... didn't saw anything scaring and again you are no longer alone there.
every ten minutes are so there are cars passing

4) there is a fuel station on the road nhb - nkt right under the border and one somewhere around wher the road bends south ( at least 100 K from nhd)
further i don't know cause ther we chose to go by the beac to nkt

we didnt went to dakar so about senegal i can only tell you that everybody tell another story

so i hope i helped you a bit further
geert

[javierCarrion]

hi .\
forget taking "left" or "right" . Just follow the map . Its here , in the post about the landmines .

. If you follow this track -the white one - , you can cross with any vehicle .Dont worry about clearance , anything . Even if you don't carry a GPS print the map on paper and just follow it . Easy.

Regarding getting stuck in nomansland .. well some people do . It mostly deppends on which route you will take .

If you take the straight (red) one .. you ll probbably get Stuck . I got stuck even with a XL600 with nobblys. Hoever if you follow the white one , then ITs easy as hell . I did it with a lowered -bodykitted - mondeo ! without scraching the spoilers/bumpers! .



If you think you *may* get stuck .. then for god's sake cross that strech in the morning . Getting stuck in daytime is just a nuisance ... nothing else . By night I heard really horror tales about that area.

Rosso or Diama ? If you ask , chances are that you don't have a Carnet de Passage. Then go Via Diama . You will have to pay there to cross (around 50-80 Euros ) but is well worth .

even that your bike is less than 5 years old , I would go via Diama , just to avoid Rosso hassle.

The Weather is gonna get quite -quite- rainy as you get to Dakar . And hot .

Petrol stations (i.e. Stations with pumps , etc) in BirGuendiz , Nouadibou , 100km after Nouadibou and obviously in Nouachott . Then 200 km without petrol stations until Rosso . In Senegal no worries about petrol.,

Have a nice day
JAVIER

you have a good day

[Kevin]

The piste to Diama may be closed if there has been a lot of rain, the weather in Senegal will be humid, a bit hot, and some heavy rain. The roads are good so don't worry about that.

[javierCarrion]

HI Kevin . Hope everything is ok ..

Indeed you are absolutely right ,. the piste to diama will be closed ! . Remember 2 years ago in Guelmin ? ( I was on the bike and you on the Merc Van ) ? When I arrived to the piste was "barely" open ... just after the rainy season .. and that was around mid August ..

so yep . By July odds are that the piste is either unpassable or simply closed.

Javier .



PS. Going to Serekunda in a few weeks. R U Up for a ?

[henryuk]

I hope to be taking a similar sort of route late 2008, so interested to hear the advice.

I am a big fan of finding as many uses as poss for equipment to save taking extra stuff when you could use something you have to have anyway. Maybe you should investigate the lubricating properties of WD 40 or engine oil before you commit to an extra luggage item!! What would be best in a critical situation such as the one you describe in 2)...

[sadoblazo]

hi guys. thanks to everyone for the replies.
do you guys seriouslu recon that the piste to diama will be closed in early june. i plan to be there around the 10th or so. ive checked the annual rainfall and in june there seems to be still little rain compared to july.
im trying like hell to avoid rosso, but in case i have to go through it, what can i expect? do you guys have any suggestions?

[greenbug]

Generally the Atlantic route is relatively easy. Even the notorious "no mans land" section is not too difficult. You will have less then 2kms to negotiate and the main tracks are not too complicated to follow. If in doubt double track and wait for the next car that will surely be following form the border post.

The petrol situation in RIM is no longer an issue even if you are on a bike. There is a petrol station on the road to Nouk or in Noadi. The road is newly tarred and it is a joy to ride.

Senegal has become difficult for Laisser Passer for older vehicles but without worries for newer vehicles. Rosso is not such a nightmare, have crossed it 3 times, if you get one of the "helpers" to negotiate the nonsensical layout of offices and spurious stamps. More importantly this option will also be usefull when getting onto the ferry. On the Senegalese side it is relatively straight forward, remember you will need a insurance try and get the ECOWAS policy that will cover you for most of West Africa. I found it next to impossible to get it in Noaks or anywhere else in RIM.

Diame can get rutted and some sections can be quite sandy for a bike. It is also quite a solitary route. When we drove it we saw one other car otherwise the occasional fisherman or farmer. One thing that I remember was that they were not prepared to help us when we had no carnet for our old VW pick up without asking exorbitant money for a 3 day permit.

BE carefull of the rainy season as there is a dramatic increase in the incidence of Malaria....a lot less fun with all the downpours that come with the rainy season.

Lastly have your bike well prepared as there is no chance of finding parts or getting tyres........everything is about mopeds or cars. The closest help is in Dakar.

[sadoblazo]

thanks greenbug. so you actually advise going through rosso rather than diama? although trying hard to actually get a picture of what rosso is like, i still havent managed to quite understand it. you say it's quite easy with the use of a 'helper', but stuck in a heard of shouting people how can i tell the 'helper' from the 'robber'?
going through rosso would definitely be the best choice for me considering the vehicle im riding. but all the horror stories that circulate in this forum make wanna avoid it like the plague...

[Kevin]

Rosso isn't as bad as they say, been there a load of times and if it wasn't for avoiding the convoy situation in diama I would use it every time. The piste for Diama is in rosso, you will know at the checkpoint after 1 km if they will let you pass or not. It is possible on a motorbike in amy weather in my opinion.

Javier. nice to hear from you, i left Africa over a year ago and am living in Dublin, is OK here too, if you're ever passing drop a line.