Confused about Diama
 

Hi,

Anybody know what is the actual procedure for Diama?

I have read a directive from the Senegalese Authority in French and it looks like cars aged 8 yrs and older cannot enter Senegalese soil anymore at all?

Like there's no customs that accompany you untill southbound border
In 2013 I still got a passavant for my overaged Freelander, now I wonder if I should buy a car from 2007 or younger.

Thank you in advance

You can slip in but they will ask for money, prolly around 200 euros to let you in.
Two douanes brothers running this scheme, I wonder how long they have been posted at Diama?
I had to go to Dakar and needed five days - they said Dakar was TOTALEMENT IMPOSSIBLE and maximum three days transit. 250 euros later I had five days and Dakar was suddenly not a problem.
I reckon Rosso is worse.
Next time, if I have an old car and no carnet I would go over Mali to Senegal - only Rosso and Diama you find these 'problems' from what I hear

Hi priffe,

Thank you for answering. Still I want to know if it is now prohibited by the law.

The document I am referring to is overhere down on the page:

From Europe to West-Africa overland Guide Part 1

One simply can not take the guess driving up to Diama (often with a single entry visa from Mauretania) only to put destiny in the hands of two brothers.

So I want to know if by law, you can still get that passavant and for how much. In 2013 I have paid 150 euro's and I would think that is more than enough. It's possibly better to stay away from that crooked place if you don't drive a young car.

Cheers

I crossed Mali/Senegal border four months ago (Kidira crossing) with a 13 year old motorcycle. The age of the motorcycle was never mentioned. No carnet, and even my insurance was expired. I believe it cost me 5 euros for 3 month motorcycle permit, with receipt.

For whatever reason, the Mauritania/Senegal borders are rife with corruption. I'm sure they are just reaching for whatever obscure law they can to get money out of land crossers.

Consider that a 1 month visa for Mali is $33usd, and can be had in Noakchott in under two hours. It may make financial sense to see a bit of Mali (Sindou peaks were beautiful) before heading to Senegal.

Well it is a long drive over Mali and with a car the extra fuel cost would be more than I paid the guys at Diama, + visa + it could take a week. I did cross at Diama only because I had to go to Dakar.
If there is a law, who knows and does it really make a difference in Africa?
I have heard speculations as to why Senegal let (only) the northern border posts be run by thugs. Some say it is because they want to give the French a hard time.
I have checked most of the Senegal river all the way up to Kayes now, to see if there is per chance a pirogue that could take the car, but found nothing. So unless you go over Mali, Rosso and Diama are yhour options for entering Senegal.
This is the passavant I got for 250 euros in Diama. No receipt. Note that my 1989 Landcruiser suddenly became a 2010. :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-g...520Senegal.jpg
No escort, no questions, no problems driving with this paper and exiting at Moussala six days later.

Diama
 

Interesting theory.

Yes I too had the passavant last time without escorte. The teams at Diama rotate every now and then to fight corruption!!!???:D:clap::taz::blushing:

So you cannot rely on your last experience and your last luck.
Also everything more than 150 euro, I consider a ripoff and now you get the extra costs of a visa on top. Another 50 euro. Now that I am rambling: Mauretanian site, Police want 10 euro, douanes want 10 euro, since 2013 a third office called gendarmerie also want 10 euro. Then the dam, 10 euro again. Then Senegalese police, try for 10 euro that I always refuse. Then the passavant 150 euro and the visa 50 euro. I always pass the park in the night and so pay nothing.

I've put this question in voyageforum in my best French as well and although it's been read more than 100 something times, no single respond.

I still want to know what is possible by law. The last time I brought the amount to pay down to 150 instead of the 400 they dared to ask. It has cost me 4 days though.

Cheers

There you go. I didn't have four days. And how much is your time worth?

As for the law, when you are in an african situation, what the law book says is not necessarily relevant to the ensuing negotiation. You will pay, and if you're in a hurry you will pay more.
I too would like to find out why they let the two border posts be run by thugs.

Tomorrow I want to discuss some more but I just read a story from Dutch people who payed 700 euro to pass Rosso!

That is truth unless you have a backup number to call. I mean a high placed customs officer in Dakar. I don't want to abuse that number, only when absolutely necessary. And when I call in front of the Diama customs, I want to know sure the Senegalese law is on my side. Yes I camped 4 days because I had time and cannot stand being ripped of. Of course not everybody is in the position to have that time.

What I also want to know is what to pay the customs when leaving Mauretania. Last time I passed, they had put up yet another office again calling it 'gendarmerie'. That made three of them and all want 10 euro!
What is your experience with them?

Cheers

Yep three of them and all wanted 10 euros which they got. At least two receipts were given.
Hope you find something out, best case we could arrive at Diama/Rosso armed with knowledge that could save us from being ripped off.

I am shocked, but not surprised at all of the above.

I crossed Diama in 2010 and it cost me 50 euros. He made it clear when i argued about it (Yep, should have been free then) that he was in charge and i was not getting in unless i paid him.

I'm dreading going down there again (which i am early next year) after reading all this....and the Dutch you mention..700 euros!!!! You have got to be kidding!!

If they are getting this kind of cash, then they will be expecting it all the time from the rest of us.

Being posted at Rosso/Diama must be very attractive for a Senegalese douanier.
They must be making 10 times what those posted on other borders are.
Worth paying a good share of the income to someone higher up.
One friend is a douanier in Burkina; they get shifted ever three years or so, to keep corruption low.

I went through last year, look in my ride tale as I wrote the whole thing up. I was on a motorbike and had a carnet so different to your situation but it may help in some way.

We are on our return leg of our journey to Gambia in a 35 year old Mecedes 407D without a carnet. We have crossed through both borders, Diama and Rosso.

Outward leg through Diama:Border crossing taken due to horror stories about Rosso! Told that we would have wait for the chief to decide if we could have a passavant. Waited about an hour for him to arrive. There was a Swiss couple in front of us, who had a newer landrover and with a carnet. They paid about 8 euros for a passavant for three days- no escort. The chief made it clear that he would make an exception for us as the law states that vehicles cannot be older than 8 years. He explains it will cost 100 euros and begins to fill the passavant out. Our vehicle is really slow so we are desperate to get more than three days as it would mean continuous driving! We explain that we want to visit Touba (an extremely religious site) and make general conversation about it, the football, etc etc..(basically anything we can think off to make him more favourable to us!) He then says he can allow us 5 days.... We decide to chance it and ask if he can lower the price aswell as the previous pair only paid 8 euros. Ah, but you see they have a carnet, he says....and then halves the price to 50 euros! Considering that the price appears to have levelled off at about 250 we almost snatch it out of his hand.

Return leg through Farrafenni Gambia/Senegal border:No mention of any law whatsoever. No payment. Ten days passavant issued!

Return leg, Diama border
Hahaha, plain sailing we thought.....Go to get our passports stamped out at Senegalese side. Was told he wouldn't until we checked we could cross into Mauritania with our vehicle. Had to walk through to the Mauritanian side, unstamped and without our vehicle. Police told us that everything was in order (we had Maurianian visa) but the douanes said that they could not allow our vehicle in at this border and we had to go to Rosso! New rules from the chief of police 5 months ago. We pleaded etc etc...but were forced to walk back across the border and drive to the dreaded border. No escape from Rosso if you want to return with your vehicle.

Return leg-Rosso border
Believe all you have read about this border crossing-it is horrendous! Apart from the usual lies, extortion and 24 hours within its walls, this is what we needed to finally be free of that place!
We had to get a "transitor" issued which is the paper needed to temporarily import a foreign vehicle and is the same price/piece of paper as was issued at the Morrocan/Mauritanian border. This is issued at the douane office about 5 minute walk OUTSIDE the border gates into Mauritania. There you need to see the chief in his office to get the all clear to then get a transitor to input the details into a computer for the papers to be issued. This price can vary but we paid 20 000 oogs. About the same as the northern border. After that you need to go back to the douanes office inside the gates with this, pay more money to get another piece of paper which is stapled to the transitor paper. This will free your vehicle! Total cost about £150 to get our vehicle and ourselves into Mauritania.

Whilst we were really pleased to have such a relatively cheap and easy experience at Diama, Rosso was horrible at every turn. It turned out to be very expensive to return through Mauritania, especially since the visas have increased to 120 euro each! Ours were bought in Gambia. Cost plus visas about £300. This is a lot of money considering we were just driving through the country. It appears impossible to avoid the corruption at Rosso for anyone doing a round trip with a vehicle but the fees are definately negotiable at Diama and, with a carnet, are practically free.

Thank you for this elaborate 'witness account'. This confirmation I was hoping for and now decided to leave for The Gambia with a car, aged over 8 years. Thank you very much and have a safe trip back home