Nouakchott-Kifa-KayesTambacounda
 

Just a general question about this route .... I just looked at a YOUTUBE video of someone doing this and it looked like it was just sand with ruts. I was a bit surprised, as I thought it was do-able in a 2WD. Thoughts anyone?????

Roger

Doable yes with a 2wd in the dry season, sandy pistes, much more fun than the tarmac. Beautiful bambara and peul villages en route. A few river crossings. Take it easy as it can be hard on the tires. I had two punctures in ten minutes and with only one spare had to drive 65 kms on the rim before we could find a Michelin Man.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O...1012010938.jpg

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

My friend took this route and says it will be difficult with 2wd to pass the oueds, but it is doable.

Difficult with a 2WD, even in dry season, especially the first third between Kiffa and Kankossa quite sandy, an experienced driver might make it ... maybe not just now

It's a very fun route! 100 times as fun as the tarmac!

I don't think I would do it in a 2wd, at least not alone. But it would be i challenge for sure!

Thanks for all the replies, people!

Roger

OK - we have now consulted the three maps we have of this area and they all give different information, and NONE of them seem to echo the conditions shown in the youtube video I mentioned. Total confusion!

Can anyone say what the most reliable map is, showing the likely condition of roads in south central Mauri and that little bit of Mali around Kayes???

Roger

There are no roads between Kiffa and Kayes! Only pistes, most of them sandy. The occasional rocky patches, and several oueds to pass. Piste sometimes disappear and you have to ask the way - if you find someone speaking other than pulaar or bambara. :)
A GPS does help.
We met a passenger bus doing Mayes-Melga (border village) so it can surely be done even with 2wd.

Thanks Priffe ... I met a couple of girls from Sweden, in Gambia back in February, who had been driving all around this area in a 4x4 - I wish I had got more info from them! Do you know anything about the Ayoum-Nioro-Diema route???

Roger,

Ayoun el Atrous - Nioro - Diema is tarred all the way, and in very good condition. We did this on motorcycles in November last year.

The road from Kiffa to Ayoun is tarred in theory. They are redoing most of it, so you end up doing about 60km of dirt road as a diversion. Well, that was the situation back then, its probably changed a bit by now.

The rest of the way to Ayoun is back on tar, but in very bad shape, lots of pot-hole dodging. And by pot-holes, I mean craters.

A