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sub-Saharan Africa Topics specific to sub-Saharan Africa. (Includes all countries South of 17 degrees latitude)
Photo by Daniel Rintz, Himba children, Namibia

The only impossible journey
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Himba children, Namibia



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  #1  
Old 12 Jan 2013
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North to South Visa Info

After doing some research, I've come up with the below game plan for my overland trip from Morocco down to Southern Africa. I'm American, but I think this information is useful for everyone as not much is different from what I gather.

I just wanted to run this past everyone to see if there are options that I missed or if I have some things noted incorrectly.

I haven't decided on an exact route yet, so I want to have a few options for certain countries so that I am covered under most circumstances.

Much appreciated,

Tony

Notes: Get Angola in your home country if at all possible. Get a proper invitation letter for Gabon and Nigeria before applying for a visa.

Visas to get as you go:

Rabat: Guinea, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast
Dakar: Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone
Banjul: Guinea Bissau (better in Ziguinchor), Sierra Leone, Nigeria (don't bother)
Bissau : Nigeria (easy)
Conakry: Liberia
Freetown: Liberia, Ghana
Monrovia: Ghana
Ouagadougou: Ghana, Nigeria
Abidjan: Ghana, Togo, Cameroon
Accra: Togo, Benin, Angola, DRC, Nigeria (Difficult as non resident)
Lomé: RoC
Abuja: Camaroon, DRC, RoC
Yaounde: Gabon

Country Specific:

Morocco - NO Visa
Western Sahara - NO Visa
Mauritania - Visa - Got in RABAT, Morocco | Note: arrive before 8am to drop off
Senegal - NO Visa
Cape Verde - Visa - Get at airport (Fights from Dakar)
Gambia - Visa - Get at border or two day allowance to acquire in BANJUL
Mali - Visa - Get in CANAKRY, Guinea or NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania
Burkina Faso - Visa - Got in RABAT, Morocco (available in Bamako, Mali as well)
Guinea Basau - Visa - Got in Ziguinchor, Senegal
Guinea - Visa - Got in RABAT, Morocco | Note: I asked for a specific start date and got from date of issue.
Sierra Leone - Visa - Get in BANJUL, Gambia
Liberia - Visa - Got in FREETOWN, Sierra Leone or get in CANAKRY, Guinea
Ivory Coast - Visa - Got in Nouakchott or Get in RABAT or DAKAR or CONAKRY
Ghana - Visa - Got in Monrovia. Or get in FREETOWN, Sierra Leone or ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast
Togo - Visa - Got in ABIDJAN, or get at border or ACCRA, Ghana
Benin - Visa - Get at border or ACCRA, Ghana
Nigeria - Visa - Got in Bissau or Get in BAMAKO, Mali or BAKAU, Gambia or ACCRA, Ghana (need invitation letter)
Camaroon - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Nigeria or MONROVIA, Liberia or ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast
Gabon - Visa - Get in YAOUNDE, Camaroon (need notarized invitation letter)
Sao Tome and Principe - Visa - Get Online
ROCongo - Visa - Get in LOME, Togo or ABUJA, Nigeria or YAOUNDE, Camaroon
DRCongo - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Nigeria or LOME or GABON
Angola - Visa - Get in ACCRA, Ghana N05° 36.75' W00° 11.22' (Only issued in home country now?)
Namibia - NO Visa
Rest of Southern Africa - NO Visas
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Last edited by ajctraveler; 2 May 2013 at 15:34.
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  #2  
Old 13 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ajctraveler View Post
After doing a bit of research, I've come up with the below game plan for my overland trip from Morocco down to Southern Africa. I'm American, but I think this information is useful for Europeans as well as not much is different from what I gather.

I just wanted to run this past everyone to see if there are options that I missed or if I have some things noted incorrectly.

I haven't decided on an exact route yet, so I want to have a few options for certain countries so that I am covered under most circumstances.

Much appreciated,

Tony

  1. Morocco - NO Visa
  2. Western Sahara - NO Visa
  3. Mauritania - Visa - Get in RABAT, Morocco
  4. Senegal - NO Visa
  5. Gambia - Visa - Get at border or two day allowance in BANJUL to acquire
  6. Mali - Visa - Get in CANAKRY, Guinea or NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania
  7. Burkina Faso - Visa - Get in BAMAKO, Mali or RABAT, Morocco
  8. Guinea Basau - Visa - Get in BANJUL, Gambia?
  9. Guinea - Visa - Get in RABAT
  10. Sierra Leone - Visa - Get in BANJUL, Gambia
  11. Liberia - Visa - Get in CANAKRY, Guinea
  12. Ivory Coast - Visa - Get in DAKAR, Senegal
  13. Ghana - Visa - Get in FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
  14. Togo - Visa - Get at border?
  15. Benin - Visa - Get at border?
  16. Nigeria - Visa - Get in BAMAKO, Mali or BANJUL, Gambia
  17. Camaroon - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Ghana
  18. Gabon - Visa - Get in YAOUNDE, Camaroon
  19. ROCongo - Visa - Get in LOME, Togo or ABUJA, Ghana
  20. DRCongo - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Ghana
  21. Angola - Visa - Get in ACCRA, Ghana N05° 36.75' W00° 11.22'
  22. Namibia - NO Visa
  23. Rest of Southern Africa - NO Visas
looks like you have done you homework.

some alternatives if a plan fails.

if you plan to spend more then a couple days in benin or 1 week (i think) in togo pick up your visa earlier, like accra. togo is pretty easy to extend by will cost you a day in lome.

drc i got in gabon easily

roc was pretty easy in younde too

angola i couldn't get anywhere so be prepared for that to happen. i flew my bike from kin to lumbumbashi

i got nigeria in accra for a small non resident fee (visa 50 for aussies, plus another 60 for non resident)

abuja is not in ghana its in nigeria :P
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  #3  
Old 13 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ozranger View Post
looks like you have done you homework.

abuja is not in ghana its in nigeria :P
Looks like I didn't do my homework that well

Thanks for the tips
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  #4  
Old 13 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ozranger View Post
drc i got in gabon easily
At the border or in a city?
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  #5  
Old 13 Jan 2013
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in Libreville.
it was almost too easy, like something wasn't right. but maybe that was because every other embassy didn't want to know me. i met someone who got drc in accra pretty easily too
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  #6  
Old 15 Jan 2013
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You can actually get your Mali visa at the border really easily as well as I did. I went to the embassy in Abidjan and they wanted 25,000. At the border it was 15,000.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajctraveler View Post
After doing a bit of research, I've come up with the below game plan for my overland trip from Morocco down to Southern Africa. I'm American, but I think this information is useful for Europeans as well as not much is different from what I gather.

I just wanted to run this past everyone to see if there are options that I missed or if I have some things noted incorrectly.

I haven't decided on an exact route yet, so I want to have a few options for certain countries so that I am covered under most circumstances.

Much appreciated,

Tony

*Edited after ozranger's post

Morocco - NO Visa
Western Sahara - NO Visa
Mauritania - Visa - Get in RABAT, Morocco
Senegal - NO Visa
Cape Verde - Visa - Get at airport (Fights from Dakar)
Gambia - Visa - Get at border or two day allowance to acquire in BANJUL
Mali - Visa - Get in CANAKRY, Guinea or NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania
Burkina Faso - Visa - Get in BAMAKO, Mali or RABAT, Morocco
Guinea Basau - Visa - Get in BANJUL, Gambia?
Guinea - Visa - Get in RABAT
Sierra Leone - Visa - Get in BANJUL, Gambia
Liberia - Visa - Get in CANAKRY, Guinea
Ivory Coast - Visa - Get in DAKAR, Senegal
Ghana - Visa - Get in FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
Togo - Visa - Get at border or ACCRA, Ghana
Benin - Visa - Get at border or ACCRA, Ghana
Nigeria - Visa - Get in BAMAKO, Mali or BANJUL, Gambia or ACCRA, Ghana
Camaroon - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Nigeria
Gabon - Visa - Get in YAOUNDE, Camaroon
Sao Tome and Principe - Visa - Get Online
ROCongo - Visa - Get in LOME, Togo or ABUJA, Nigeria or YAOUNDE, Camaroon
DRCongo - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Nigeria or GABON
Angola - Visa - Get in ACCRA, Ghana N05° 36.75' W00° 11.22'
Namibia - NO Visa
Rest of Southern Africa - NO Visas
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  #7  
Old 15 Jan 2013
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Hi,
We are currently in Cameroon, check our website for visa information.
Generally, Dakar is a very good place to get visa. We got : ivory coast, guinea, guinea bissau and sierra leonne there. Next stop was freetown for liberia and ghana. Nigeria visa is difficult, they refused us in accra, but got it in benin. We heard its easy to get it in bissau. Super efficient is calabar, nigeria for the cameroon visa: takes about 2 h. Now in yaounde, we get gabon visa in 2 days. We will also try for drc in gabon as well as trying for the angola obe...fingers crossed!
our website also gives costs for visa:
Indlovu

Shout if any more questions

Team Indlovu
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  #8  
Old 20 Jan 2013
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Tina & Anton(indlovu)

Hi Anton & Tina

We have been trying to contact you, hope all is going well....
So sorry we missed you in Gambia, we saw you going passed 2Rays bar a couple of times but we did not have the car with us so could not come after you....... It would have been nice to have you come and stay with us, hope your trip is going to plan.
We are leaving Gambia on the 4th Feb to head back to UK but we will take our time.
Keep in touch & let us know how your plans go, our e-mail is
chrissue1986@talktalk.net
When you get to South Africa have a braai for us.....
Regards

Sue & Chris
From the Mauritanian Embassy queue in Rabat.
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  #9  
Old 21 Jan 2013
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Latest update on visa:
We got refused DRC and Angola today in Libreville. New regulations (5-6months ago) do not allow to issue any visa to non residents.
We got the Congo visa and will now carry on till Brazzaville to try again there... Not looking good for overlanders at the moment!!

Team Indlovu
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  #10  
Old 19 Feb 2013
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I'll update this thread as I go along..

Got my Mauritania visa in Rabat. Got there Thursday morning and they opened the doors at 8am. There were maybe 25 people waiting, mostly Africans, although a few travelers as well. Handed out sheets, I filled it out in line, but had to leave a few blank. Wasn't a problem when I handed in the form along with two passport photos and a few photocopies of my passport. Cost was 340 dirhem for the ordinaries (30day) visa. I put in for a future date and was given exactly what I asked for.

The only issue I had was that the form they gave me said that the pickup was from 3-4pm Monday to Thursday and 12-1pm on Friday. I showed up early and waited and waited, everyone around seemed to expect doors to open at 2pm. At 1:30 they opened up and handed out the passports.

Easy enough, just get there early and confirm what time to be there the next day.
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  #11  
Old 19 Feb 2013
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Hi all,
In case it's useful, here are our west side visa experiences so far.
We're currently in Libreville, so its all recent.
http://capetocapeblog.wordpress.com/visas/

Edit...
Meant to add, we will update the blog with our Gabon visa experiences asap, but for now, please be aware of this
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...cameroon-68931

Happy travels
Sam & Catherine

Last edited by Niva Say Never; 19 Feb 2013 at 09:51.
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  #12  
Old 19 Feb 2013
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Great thread this, thanks for posting. I am just about to do the same route ( leave on the 26th) , and so I will also input my experiences as I go along. I dont actually have a car or motorbike, so all my travelling will be done via local transport.
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  #13  
Old 19 Feb 2013
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If you stuck in Brazzaville click below

Quote:
Originally Posted by Indlovu View Post
Latest update on visa:
We got refused DRC and Angola today in Libreville. New regulations (5-6months ago) do not allow to issue any visa to non residents.
We got the Congo visa and will now carry on till Brazzaville to try again there... Not looking good for overlanders at the moment!!

Team Indlovu
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...sa-congo-64808

I was stuck in Brazzaville with DRC and Angola Visa's for 81days(june-sept 2012)
I endup sending passport to my home country for drc and angola visa's
"TNT" is the cheapest to send your passport.
free place to stay(camp only) in hipoocampe in center of Brazzaville,jusk ask for Olivier.
cross to DRC Boko-Louzi -Kimpese I paid for ferry only 1000cfa=$2usd.
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  #14  
Old 24 Feb 2013
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Against all odds, we got both visa en route! The DRC one in Libreville, the Angola one in Matadi. Important is to have contacts within the country who are willing to write letters of support or complete other requested documents.
For details keep checking out website: Indlovu

Team Indlovu is enjoying Luanda now!
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  #15  
Old 25 Feb 2013
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Team Indlovu, i could not see a "tab" for Visa's on the main page of your site... is the Visa information buried within the blog entries?
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