Europe to Ghana by van (and boat)
 

Hi. A guy I know wants to drive a VW Transporter van to Ghana. I'd be happy advising him if he was riding a bike, but I've really no idea for a 2WD van.

Going via Morocco, I know its straight forward to Nouakchott and even Dakar, but is there now a reasonable route to Bamako? I met some 2WD estate cars in Bamako, but don't recall their route and know they'd found it challenging so a van might be even worse. I rode Kita-Kayes and would class that as unreasonable in my own van. :-)

Or is it easier to cross through Algeria and do the sandy bit into Niger in convoy?

Thanks for your thoughts.
Rich

It is paved all the way to Bamako now. From Morocco to Bamako the only dirt/sand he will have to go through is the little bit at the Mauritania border crossing.

thanks. they must have been busy building roads!
which way does the road go? I'd heard they were road-building near Ayoun el Atrous. which would be shorter than the way we came via Dakar for the rally

Search the forum for recent info. I'd think for a van it's best to go Mauri-Mali. There where 2WD routes in 2003, and I thought Ayoun-Nioro and Nioro-BKO is paved now. Haven't seen it though.

;-)

Did that route in Sept / Oct last year and the Dakar - Kayes - Bamako route is perfectly viable for a van. Some stretches from Kaolack to Tamba in Senegal are hellishly slow with broken up tarmac and there is an unpaved 120 mile section from Diema to Didjeni (spelling?) in Mali with corrugations from hell but a van will most certainly make it.