Op Zephyr
 

The charity that I volunteer for National Police Aid Charity is going to convoy 25 second hand ambulances from around Europe to Banjul in The Gambia with drivers and motorbike outriders from the UK and Europe next March 2022.

The NPAC is working with the International Police Association to get this organised and raise funding through sponsorship for purchasing the ambiances and travel costs.

My area of responsibility is route planning which is fairly well advanced except for up to date info on fuel stations and campsite/accommodation en route.
We intend to muster at Algeciras in mid March and travel in groups of 6 or 7 ambulances with a couple of outriders each from Tangier keeping to the coastal roads after Morocco.
Research tells that diesel should not be a problem but petrol maybe? Each group will keep together and overnight as far down route as sensible ( camping , B&B or sleeping in vehicles )
The beginning and end details are coming along well but any up to date information on fuel and campsites would be welcome.
you can follow us on twitter: OpZephyr Instagram: The_Long_Patrol
and https://www.npac.org.uk and on facebook.com National-Police-Aid-Convoys-76520172571

Passenger ferries between Spain and Morocco haven't been running for the last 18 months or so due to political differences. There's currently no sign of resumption and your trip is only four months away.

The ferries ARE still running for freight and I suggest your organisation makes high-level pleading for a special case. Possibly start by talking to FRS, https://www.frs.es/sobre-nosotros to find out who you really need to talk to. There is precedent for this—George Galloway managed to get the Morocco-Algeria border opened for a Palestine relief convoy—but you need to be talking at a high level.

The other problem is the Morocco-Mauritania border is only currently open for nationals of Morocco and Mauritania, so again you will have to get a special exemption for this.

Fuel shouldn't be a problem provided you keep fairly well topped up. Once you get below Tan Tan in Morocco the price of fuel takes a nose dive due to subsidies. I haven't done the route recently but in Western Sahara you should find fuel at Tarfaya, Laayoune, Boujdour, Dakhla turnoff, and then Bir Gandouz. The latter is normally the kicking off point for crossing into Mauritania some 80km further south, with Hotel Barbas and another hotel.

Others may be able to suggest camping spots, there's certainly lots of opportunity for wild camping but you do need to keep to well-defined tracks if you venture off the asphalt due to land mines.

I believe there's a fuel station just before the Mauritanian border and if you refuel here that leaves about 450km to Nouakchott. In between are two fuel stations I remember, one is at about N21° 16.597' W16° 31.695', the other at about N18° 53' 05.9" W16° 09' 48.5"

The Mauritania/Senegal border crossing at Rosso used to be problematic with corruption. There's an alternate route you could consider but I'm not sure of the state of the road/track. This is to come off the N2 at approximately N16° 47.375' W16° 05.938' and head south west to Keur-Macene then follow the Senegal river to the Diama crossing into Senegal.

There's other members on here who have done this route more recently who might be able to help.

I guess things have changed regarding importing charity vehicles into The Gambia. Are they happy to take them now? I thought they'd stopped accepting vehicles - something to do with with banger rallies 'donating (dumping) their cars there - but its been a few years since I was last down there so I'm not aware of how things are at the moment.

Route south: some more info though the photos are from ten years ago. Oued Chbeka is 14km south of El Ouatia (aka Tan Tan Plage). Camping Le Bedouin is just north of Laayoune at N27.4651045 W13.0457515

I last rode the Atlantic Route to the Mauritanian border on the day it closed in March 2020 (and inland to the 26th parallel the year before).
Details on fuel and all the rest here:
https://sahara-overland.com/2020/04/...antic-highway/
I seem to recall updating the iOverlander app too, which is probably good for campsites and lodgings.
There are also two overlanding Facebook groups for this region which keep abreast of things, but no tourist has been right through to Senegal since early March 2020.
To clarify about landmines in WS: the main risk is south of Dakhla Junction – a section which can be covered in a day.

If the Straits ferries are still not running by next spring, your group from around Europe can go from Sete or Marseille (or Genoa) anytime – assuming the Morocco-RIM border is passable.

The Overlanding West Africa and Morocco Group on Facebook has about 8 member vehicles camped out at Guergarrat border post trying to get across and some more in Dakhla, the Budapest - Bamako rally guys have been speaking to the authorities in Rabat.

No one is making any progress and I suspect Morocco doesn't see enough reason for opening the border for a small number of tourist's at the moment.

we also have members further south trying to get north but no progess with that either.

Unfortunately, its impossible to predict at the moment when things may change, could be next week, next month or next year

If you had written "the ONLY risk..." then that might be clarification, but to say "main risk" doesn't help at all, especially when Tony Johnson found a land mine way to the north, see https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...and-mine-91585

I would stick with my original suggestion—if looking for a wild camping spot off tarmac, only go in existing vehicle tracks.

The news (yet to confirmed) is that the border between Western Sahara and Mauritania opened for tourists yesterday morning.

I don't know whether visas are obtainable at the border or have to be organised in advance.

The group camped at the border crossed last night with exceptional permission from the authorities.

Today le360.ma reports that the border is now open for all in both directions.

Visas are available at the border

Recent reports from the region that the authorities have virtually stopped all wild camping along the coast south of Tarfaya.

Discussion on the mine risk south of an east/west line through Tantan is probably best left for the mine thread but generally the south of Dakhla or east towards the berm the risk increases. If your sticking to the main road you'll be fine.