Ireland to South Africa on KTM 690s

[anthonybonello]

First of all, thanks to HUBB for being such an invaluable resource in planning our trip. Thank you to all those that have shared their experience and insights. We have gleaned a lot from these forums. We have little to know experience with anything like this so HUBB has bee a wealth of information. So, again, thank you!

Otherwise, just wanted to create a thread to share any experiences that my friend Richard and I have and contribute to the community. Basically we are riding KTM 690's from Belfast, N Ireland to Cape Town down the west coast of Africa. The Route is Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, BF, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Zambia, Namibia, SA. Thats the plan at least anyway.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...4999999922&z=3

As per usual we have a website that we realistically won't be posting to, www.monadikandco, but when the chance arises, we will post to instagram and Facebook. @nomadikandco.

Otherwise we will keep this posted as best we can, and if anyone has any other gems of info or "must do's" as we go that we have missed in any other thread that has come before, we would be glad to hear it.

We are in the south of Spain at the moment and hopefully on our way to Morocco in the next day or so.

Wish us luck.

[Nuff Said]

One more new member so Hi and welcome to the HUBB
Sorry, can't help on "Must things to see" on your route not my part of the world, hopefully, some other members on here that can.
But still, I can wish you a safe ride.

[CREER]

Personally I think you're missisng the most beautiful country in the sub-region, Cote d'Ivoire ... Mali & Burkina are both wonderful but CI is incredible!

You ask for 'not to be missed' but don't mention what you like to see/do, culture? animals? scenery?

If you need more info about particular bits of the sub-region, do let me know.

[anydavenow]

Thanks Anthony, and best of luck for the trip. I will be following in your wheel tracks next year so the only "must do" I can think of is to keep sharing your experience for people like me!

[Brian Dublin]

enjoy guys and don't hesitate to get in touch if you need any info as you travel.
please take time to meet up with some of the West African bikers as you travel down. They will be delighted to meet you and are an amazing source of local info

[anthonybonello]

Originally Posted by Brian Dublin

enjoy guys and don't hesitate to get in touch if you need any info as you travel.
please take time to meet up with some of the West African bikers as you travel down. They will be delighted to meet you and are an amazing source of local info

Cheers Brian, good idea. Any tips on how to connect with them in advance?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[anthonybonello]

Thanks for the feedback. We're getting the ferry from algeciras in the next hour or so then on to Rabat. We've a VTE so Ivory coast is definitely an option. Are pretty open ended, within a 12 week budget.

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[Brian Dublin]

Originally Posted by CREER

Personally I think you're missisng the most beautiful country in the sub-region, Cote d'Ivoire ... Mali & Burkina are both wonderful but CI is incredible!

You ask for 'not to be missed' but don't mention what you like to see/do, culture? animals? scenery?

If you need more info about particular bits of the sub-region, do let me know.

you might revise this recommendation given your other thread on the Coup

[CREER]

Originally Posted by Brian Dublin

you might revise this recommendation given your other thread on the Coup

If you understood West Africa, you'd know this is a blip on the landscape

CI is fine now, it's all calmed down and yet again it's been a day or two of anguish, no more than anywhere else on the continent

Most of the bullets, as I mentioned before, were sent into the air ...

It's perfectly safe to cross the country and see all it has to offer!

[mollydog]

Originally Posted by anthonybonello

Thanks for the feedback. We're getting the ferry from algeciras in the next hour or so then on to Rabat. We've a VTE so Ivory coast is definitely an option. Are pretty open ended, within a 12 week budget.

Hope you have time to update your ride here from time to time. I know you kids love your Facebook and Instagram ... but some of the old geezers here don't use either. But we do check in here on HUBB. You don't need a web site, just post up ride report here with pics, videos, whatever.

I would be interested to know about your KTM's and how those 690's are holding up. What year(s) are they? Mods? How are you carrying extra fuel and luggage? Plan for parts if required?

Lots of travelers are interested in the 690 and wonder how the newest ones do on a long, tough trip. My DR650 is at 60K miles, so considering an upgrade to Orange.

Good luck, safe riding!

[eloypas]

Hello

I just finished on May 17. West coast solo on XT600. Irún to Cape Town. Awesome.
https://demorasur.blogspot.com.es/
Good luck

Enviado desde mi U FEEL mediante Tapatalk

[anthonybonello]

Originally Posted by mollydog

Hope you have time to update your ride here from time to time. I know you kids love your Facebook and Instagram ... but some of the old geezers here don't use either. But we do check in here on HUBB. You don't need a web site, just post up ride report here with pics, videos, whatever.

I would be interested to know about your KTM's and how those 690's are holding up. What year(s) are they? Mods? How are you carrying extra fuel and luggage? Plan for parts if required?

Lots of travelers are interested in the 690 and wonder how the newest ones do on a long, tough trip. My DR650 is at 60K miles, so considering an upgrade to Orange.

Good luck, safe riding!

We will try and update as often as we can. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks though Instagram will have you wasting even more of your day online. Hahaha!

To answer questions about the bikes, they are KTM 690s, 2014, both of them. 2014 was the first year of ride by wire throttle I think. My bike I bought with about 10,000kms on it. Richards had ~3k miles.

The mods that we made to the bike are listed on the website.
https://www.nomadikandco.com/the-bikes/

Gear that we are taking is also.
https://www.nomadikandco.com/equipment/

So far we are about 6000kms into it and the bikes have been cruising through Europe, Morocco and Mauritania through the desert. The Sahara wasn't too hot at all, one day of solid heat but the bikes didnt seem to run too hot. A lot of hwy so far so steady 100km/h stuff. We have noticed that we are burning a bit of oil. Richard's we actually put close to a litre in the other day. Mine ~400mL. Not ideal, but we are monitoring it much more closely now. We can't see a leak in either bike. But they have plenty of power and are running smoothly so not an issue there. We have 4L of MotorEx 10-60 in the Rally Raid bash guard tanks between us so good for a while.

Otherwise we hit Senegal and had some great dirt roads from Rosso across to Diama. Hit a few good bumps. Stock suspension is really nice, at least in our experience. Main thing we are stoked with so far is the Enduristan luggage. Without a rack it seems on there pretty solid. Hopefully it stays that way.

The pace should slow down here now so we will see how everything runs going into hotter heat and more stop start riding.

Overall, its been a great bike. Love that snort of power when needed to pass a smoking truck or just get up to speed on the highway.

-Anthony

[anthonybonello]

A quick update on visas and borders.

We entered Morocco off the Ferry from Algecerias-Tangier Med. No issues there other than regular apathy.
Visa- no problem
TIP-
Insurance-
Sim card for 10euro with 3Gb 4G, >100 mins intl calls and 700mins local

We made it to Rabat and wasted a day trying to get a Mauritanian visa which they claimed would take a week in Rabat. They told us to go to the border.
Seeing as our day was cut short we thought we would try Ghana and Nigeria. Neither were any help. Others might already know this, but none residents of a country the embassy is in generally can't get for that country. At least not that far from Nigeria or Ghana in this case. Our original plan was to get these visas closer, but thought we would chance our arm. If nothing else it was a good introduction to African bureaucracy.

Morocco Check out
No issues, just follow your nose.
A few kms of no-man's land.
Mauritanian Border
Sheik, a hustler/fixer introduced himself as the guy famous on HUBB> We got a laugh out of that.
Sign in with the police. No cost or attempt to exhort
Apply for Visa- 55euro. Legitimate and nice guys. Digital photo and visa in passport.
TIP- 10euro
Insurance- 10days was 4286 Ouguiya = 10euro
Sim Card for ~10euro with patchy 3G, but reception all through the Sahara for safety in case of an accident. We heard Maroc Telecom hasa best signal in the south and desert, but found no problems with our Orange sim.

Lots of checkpoints from Western Sahara all the way through to Senegal. Harmless though so have a Fiche ready. print off ~30 and that should be plenty.

We were planning to get the Mali visa in Dakar, Senegal, but read that Nouakchott was the same day. We passed by in the afternoon and got to the Mali embassy at 3.50pm, 10mins before they closed. 30mins later we had a Mali visa. Definitely recommend this for how easy it was.
- 14 day visa = 6500 Oug (16 euro), 30 day = 8000 Oug(20 euro)

Mauritania Checkout at Diama
Sign in with police in a book.
Customs- Signed the bikes out and claimed a 10Euro tax. We went along with it, asking for a receipt until he gave our documents and passports back, then refused to pay. He gave up after 10 mins.
Passport- The police is in with the bridge tax crew. He stamped us out of Mauritania easily enough but the bridge toll hustlers we gave into in the end. 1euro each. Next time we would just ride away. A police offered was backing htem up and saying we needed to pay.

Senegal Border
100m later, at the other side of the bridge was a whole other story. There is another bridge toll. Total bulls%^&. 4000CFA (7euro) We refused, showed our receipt from the other side, they locked the gate. A car came up behind us and we moved to go with it when the gate opened and they called in some muscle to stand in front of the bikes. We stood our ground, moving in front of another car coming the other way to prevent it passing. It basically escalated to the point that one guy started dragging Richard's bike backwards away from the gate by the rear rack. Lots of shouting and aggression but not particularly fearful for our person. We decided that we wanted to see the police and if they said we need to pay, we would pay, just a ploy to save some face, but the police never showed. Eventually we paid and got our dodgy receipt, from a receipt book, but price hand written. They were so mad that they refused to shake hands after it we paid. They were definitely mad.
Not a nice introduction to Senegal, but after that it has been great.
Visa- Free and no problem.
TIP- Easy, really nice young guy. 2500CFA each
Insurance- 17,000CFA from the lady in the cafe behind customs. we got 2 months and covers all CFA countries which is nice. Seems legit and others experience has been the same. She asked for 17500 at first but then reverted to 17000 of her own accord. Later we heard a rumour from a local it should be closer to 5000... but that seems pretty cheap, so don't know if he was serious or not.
Sim card- Get in St Louis- Got ripped off for 6000CFA for a 3G card that doesnt give me 3G. Got another for Richard's phone in St Louis- 1gb of 4G for 3000CFA and worked right away.

We are now good for visas all the way to the Nigeria border. We are planning to try and get Nigeria in Bamako. Meet a motorcyclist going north who had friends that got theirs in Bamako earlier this year. Fingers crossed.

Ghana- We are still not sure if we will make it to Ghana as we dont want to void our VTE visa for BF, Togo and Benin. VTE allows us to go to Ivory Coast so considering that. A Moroccan at the Ghana embassy in Rabat said it is no problem to get the Ghana visa at the border as you enter, but we haven't got a solid idea if that is the case. Which is to say we will update with our experiences as they unfold.

Otherwise, Senegal is a breath of fresh air after the Sahara. Lots of vibrant, smiling faces, colors and culture. We are currently at the Zebrabar which is sadly devoid of any other travellers to swap tales with, but a beautiful spot to recharge.

Plan is to head to Kidira-Kayes border crossing into Mali. If anyone has any good route recommendations from St Louis to Bamako let us know. Looking for some mix of interesting landscapes and offroad without grinding to a halt. Hoping to get across Senegal in 3 days or so.

Thanks guys.

-Anthony

[CREER]

We are now good for visas all the way to the Nigeria border. We are planning to try and get Nigeria in Bamako. Meet a motorcyclist going north who had friends that got theirs in Bamako earlier this year. Fingers crossed.
You have me confused between this & your next statement, where did you get a VTE?

In Barcelona? Bamako was definitely fine in late December for Nigeria, see Phil at the Camel & say hello from me!

Ghana- We are still not sure if we will make it to Ghana as we dont want to void our VTE visa for BF, Togo and Benin. VTE allows us to go to Ivory Coast so considering that. A Moroccan at the Ghana embassy in Rabat said it is no problem to get the Ghana visa at the border as you enter, but we haven't got a solid idea if that is the case. Which is to say we will update with our experiences as they unfold.

By going to Ghana your VTE won't be annulled, you can re-join the VTE countries by crossing Ghana, I've done this numerous times with both a single and multiple entry VTE & I'm Irish too. However, the Moroccan is very far wrong about the border. You MIGHT be lucky and pay US$150 at the CI-Ghana border for a maximum of 10 days entry into Ghana. The Ghanaian Embassy in Abidjan rarely issues visas these days and only for CI residents normally. So don't count your luck there! Try Bamako possibly???


Plan is to head to Kidira-Kayes border crossing into Mali. If anyone has any good route recommendations from St Louis to Bamako let us know. Looking for some mix of interesting landscapes and offroad without grinding to a halt. Hoping to get across Senegal in 3 days or so.

St Louis to Bamako, the best route (a Russian biker was about 12h ahead of me and did the same route, I was in a van) is via Dakar - Tambacounda - Kedougou (30km of roadworks + 90km of sheer nightmare elephant holes) then to Saraya crossing at Moussala. The road then takes you to Kenieba, Kita and then Kati on the edge of Bamako. The first part of this road near the border doesn't even show up on google maps but it's fantastic tarmac with speedbumps on the edge of villages

[CREER]

We are now good for visas all the way to the Nigeria border. We are planning to try and get Nigeria in Bamako. Meet a motorcyclist going north who had friends that got theirs in Bamako earlier this year. Fingers crossed.

You have me confused between this & your next statement, where did you get a VTE? In Barcelona? Bamako was definitely fine in late December for Nigeria, see Phil at the Camel & say hello from me!

Ghana- We are still not sure if we will make it to Ghana as we dont want to void our VTE visa for BF, Togo and Benin. VTE allows us to go to Ivory Coast so considering that. A Moroccan at the Ghana embassy in Rabat said it is no problem to get the Ghana visa at the border as you enter, but we haven't got a solid idea if that is the case. Which is to say we will update with our experiences as they unfold.

By going to Ghana your VTE won't be annulled, you can re-join the VTE countries by crossing Ghana, I've done this numerous times with both a single and multiple entry VTE & I'm Irish too. However, the Moroccan is very far wrong about the border. You MIGHT be lucky and pay US$150 at the CI-Ghana border for a maximum of 10 days entry into Ghana. The Ghanaian Embassy in Abidjan rarely issues visas these days and only for CI residents normally. So don't count your luck there! Try Bamako possibly???


Plan is to head to Kidira-Kayes border crossing into Mali. If anyone has any good route recommendations from St Louis to Bamako let us know. Looking for some mix of interesting landscapes and offroad without grinding to a halt. Hoping to get across Senegal in 3 days or so.

St Louis to Bamako, the best route (a Russian biker was about 12h ahead of me and did the same route, I was in a van) is via Dakar - Tambacounda - Kedougou (30km of roadworks + 90km of sheer nightmare elephant holes) then to Saraya crossing at Moussala. The road then takes you to Kenieba, Kita and then Kati on the edge of Bamako. The first part of this road near the border doesn't even show up on google maps but it's fantastic tarmac with speedbumps on the edge of villages