Lisboa / Timbuktu

[8340SU]

Hi,
Back in February 2006 I posted a thread call “questions LISBON / TIMBOUCTU”, it was the first one and the beginning of an adventure.
Now,
I’ve made a 10 week solo trip on a motorcycle from Lisbon to Timbuktu and back. If someone needs some info I’ll be glad to share it with you.
My trip was something like this:
In Morocco, I did some pistes on the beach near Tantan.
In Western Sahara I did the M12 and M13 (from Chris Scott’s Sahara Overland).
In Mauritania I went to Atar, Ouadane, Chinguetti (R3, R9, R4), then south to Tidjikja (the R10 piste), and then I went further south to Kiffa, also by piste. From Nema I went up to visit Oualata and then came back and went to Timbuktu in Mali, on a 600km piste.
Mali: From Timbuktu to Mopti, Dogon Country, Douentza, Djenne, then to Bamako by piste near the Niger. I crossed the border to Guinea, where I did a 2 week (almost all off-road) round trip, from Kankan, to Nzérékoré, Conakry, Boke, Labé, and Kindia. Then I went back from Bamako via Kayes, Nioro, and Back to RIM, and all the way north to Lisbon.

It was a wonderful trip, a dream come true.

I would like to express my gratitude to all people that answer my questions in this forum when I was preparing this trip.

Cheers,
Paulo

[Zoltar14]

Especially in the Atar - Tidjikja part. I wanna travel to Timbuktu as well, but I'm not sure what the best route would be. How much time did it take you? From Atar to Tidjikja and from Tidjikja to Timbuktu?
And how did you get in Atar?

[CaBRita]

Here is the link to the portuguese forum were Paulo has been posting his trip report.
If you can't read Portuguese at least enjoy the very nice pictures:

http://www.nomadstrail.net/forum/index.php?topic=2993.0

I have been building a Word document with the posts that I can share with anyone that asks it.

I've been to Morocco on three occasions by motorcycle and a trip further south is always boiling in my head.

Best Regards,
Luís CaBRita

[8340SU]

Originally Posted by Zoltar14

Especially in the Atar - Tidjikja part. I wanna travel to Timbuktu as well, but I'm not sure what the best route would be. How much time did it take you? From Atar to Tidjikja and from Tidjikja to Timbuktu?
And how did you get in Atar?

Atar to Tidjikja
5 days, but we took it slowly. I did it with two 4X4, some folks I met in Atar.With my sand riding experience it would be impossible alone. It's a very remote track.

From Tidjikja it took me 3 days to get to Kiffa. Then it's tarmac all the way to Nema (about 500km). It would be a shame not to visit Oualata (100km north of Nema). From Oualata it took me 4 days in a not so difficult piste all the way to Timbuktu. Check this link.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...mbouctou-18256

I got to Atar using the tarmac road from NKT, I went there for the visas.

Cheers
P

[duffyduck]

hi paolo!

nice pics on your portuguese forum!

have you got any gps tracks from the route nema-timbouctou and timbouctou-bamako (Timbuktu to Mopti, Dogon Country, Douentza, Djenne, then to Bamako by piste near the Niger)

we are planning this trip starting in 3 weeks...
we will also try to give live-reports on our homepage:
www.longwayhome.at or - Home


i´ve also some other questions specially for the area between nouadhibou to timbuktu:
what´s about the availability of internet cafees in those countries?
what´s about the coverage of mobilephones?

real adventurers camp and cook. is it easy to find shops to buy water, meals, fruits...?

regards...

[8340SU]

Thanks duffyduck!

The gps tracks from nema to timbuktu are in this link:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...mbouctou-18256

Some notes on this track:

It’s easy to get a bit lost getting out of small villages, for instance outside Kataouane and Bassikounou.

At km21 there is a checkpoint where the police tells you to go left (East) if you ask the way to Bassikounou: it’s the direct route to Bangou village.

Before Bassikounou the track goes southern than the wp’s (I missed the km194), but it’s a clear piste all the way.

Before Koussana village the piste goes East and you don’t go to Medala, instead you go straight to Fassale Village, where there is a Police and Douane stations.

It’s a very long piste, (4 days on a motorcycle) not difficult but a remote one. You don’t see many people.

Wp:
I didn’t record the tracks that I used. I just uploaded the places where I camped. If you want I can look for them and post it here.

I didn’t check all the time for internet cafes. But there are in most bigger villages. Ndb NKT, Atar, Timbuktu, they all have but in Nema for instance I didn’t find: there was one place but nobody was there at the time.
On main roads (tarmac) as well as at villages there is cell phone coverage.
Water, fruits, bread and can food are available at almost every village. (Maybe it’s a better solution to take katadin micropur tablets with you and use it on tap water instead of buying 1,5L bottled water all the way through your trip.)

Cheers
P