Morocco to South Africa via Gabon
 

I will be travelling by motorbike leaving early November 2009 from the UK . Planning for Morocco-Sengal-Burkina Faso-Niger-Cameroon-Gabon. Hoping to make Gabon for Christmas 2009. Then work down through the Congos & Angola to South Africa in the New Year. Looking for a travelling partner(s) for some of the more challenging sections.:thumbup1:

To SA via Gabon - later?
 

Hi Travis, could you postpone your trip and start at the end of Jan 2010? I'll be riding from the Netherlands to Cape Town and part of our route is the same. If it's at all possible for you to start later we could meet in Burkina or Ghana and travel together until we get to northern Angola - then I head for Zanzibar.

You can have look at One ball One continent - but it will be pointless if your start date is fixed. I was going to start on 1 Nov but the blog will show why that's not possible anymore...:(

PM me if you want! Or let me know if you know of anyone else doing something similar early next year.

Kobus

Morroco to South Africa
 

I would like to travel with you but I am already committed to being in Gabon for New Years. I would still like to join up with you possibly when I am coming back up from South Africa. I would be more than happy to give you the latest road reports for the region. I have been hearing that Angola is expecting long delays issuing visas from all locations. I was planning on applying for the Angolan visa while in Gabon visiting friends for a few weeks.
Cheers Rick

Hi fellow travelers,

looks like I'll be following in your tracks. I am doing a Germany - Cape Town down the West Coast but starting in March and arriving in September.

Kobus, I've been reading your blog. Hope your back is better now and won't make any trouble on the trip.

Looking forward to both of your reports and experiences.

Julian

Well guys,

We'll be somewhere between you all. :thumbup1:

We'll be heading down the West coast - Morocco, Muari, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, BF, Benin, Togo, Ghana - between January and March 2010.

Safe travels and we might meet you somewhere on route!

Mike & Linda

Europe to Cape Town
 

Hi All,
It sounds like a lot of us will be doing some route or other through West Africa - have fun! It would be great to bump into some of you along the way.

Julian, thanks for the concern - my back is not giving me any hassles and I do not have to wear the brace anymore (it was annoying!!!). Tomorrow I'll start Pilates class to get it back into shape, but I'll have to wait until Dec before I can start getting my right arm supple and strong.

I'll follow the Sahara and Sub-Saharan Africa forums until I head out and check in wherever I can, so keep posting and we may be able to arrange a meeting.

Safe(r) riding!
Kobus

Hi everyone,

We are doing the same route as posted above, we head to ghana tomorow for a bit of a break. Then on to Cape Town. so if there is anyone that is about to head in to nigeria in about a month let us know and maybe we can joint up.

cheers
Xander and MRs.X

Hey guys,

Angola is hosting some international Football Championships in a couple of months.

Logic suggests that they will slacken their visa requirements soon. Perhaps Google CAN soccer and see... CAN 2010 Site Oficial

Safe Ride !!!!
 

Wish you memorable adventure, hope the 640 ADV will do well :scooter: !!
Nice meeting you at dirtbike show, Travis… keep in touch and give us some pics and updates from Morocco :clap:

Hi Travis

Get your VISA for Mauritian in Rabat before travelling down through Morocco at the border!!!!!!!!! :eek3:

We are stranded for 6days waiting for a guy to come back with ours. We are in Ad Dakhla about 400km from the border, through last police check point about 6km from town in the walled camp site with clean rooms also on the left just beyond that check point by the road (just look for a 640 parked inside). I have just posted about the Mauritian thingy.

There are two of us riding down to South Africa along a very similar route to you, if you are around it would be great to meet (and I know where to get cold beers in this dry town! :clap:)

Have a safe one!!! :mchappy:
Duck

Do I detect that someone is trying to avoid going to Nigeria? Hoping to find a way in at Lake Chad? We were of the same mind in 2008 on the same route but really its ok. We came in from the North, via Kano, and headed south to do the "Ekok-Mamfe muddyroad extravaganza* " into Cameroon. Lovely. They're really perfectly nice in Nigeria so don't worry about it.

Morocco (road)-Sengal (road)-Burkina Faso (road)- Niger (road)-Cameroon (road*)-Gabon (road), then the roads get more interesting....

If you can go to Nigeria, I would highly recommend getting your Angolan visa in Abuja.

I did loads and loads and loads of research on this subject before we came down (we travelled the west coast Oct 08 - April 09) and I can tell you that it is not an easy thing to get hold of, and most people's experience is that the only place to get it is Abuja. I did a big post on the requirements in a thread entitled "DRC" quite a while ago - http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...380#post224383

You can get the Angolan visa in Matadi, DRC, but often the DRC won't let you in if you don't have visas arranged for onward travel.

Many other people hadn't got theirs in Abuja and struggled afterwards - The Angolan visa remains the major sticking point on the west coast route down.

Mmmmm, that may be overstating. Is anyone aware of travelers who could not get into DRC because of lack of visas (or other evidence) of onward travel ... stonewalled so badly they flew over DRC instead? I'm not ...

That said, it's a good idea to have evidence of onward travel, visas or otherwise, when attempting to enter DRC. Expect to be asked for it. In our case in February 09, entering DRC at Kinshasa, a letter of invitation from an outfit in Angola sufficed. A fake letter would have done as well.

So yeah, securing an Angola visa in Abuja is a good idea. The crazy Angolans could stop issuing visas at Matadi tomorrow. Get it when and where you can. But if you don't, just have some evidence of onward travel when entering DRC and you should be fine.

All the reasearch I did suggested otherwise. I'm sure that you could wing it on the DRC border, perhaps with a fake letter of invitation, but if you can go through Abuja and get your visa there, it's both easy and you have all your ducks in a row for when you do eventually get to the DRC border.

Some examples:
The big problem is DRC and Angola. The DRC embassy in Brazzaville will give you a visa very easily, but it is of no use, because the DRC authorities on the ferry from Brazzaville to Kinshasa won't let you in unless you have a visa for either Zambia or Angola. It is no use saying you don't need a visa for Zambia - they need to see a visa in your passport.
from here: Wendy and Rob go travelling: Info on visas for Angola, DRC, Congo, Gabon

I work for Oasis Overland and we do a south bound trip twice a year through Angola,over the last 4 years i think i must have been to every Angolan embassy in africa trying to get visas !!!
We are now getting double entry transit visas in Abuja Nigeria,(Our friends on a trip at the moment just got them there 1 week ago) all other embasys are hopeless,you can get them in Matadi DRC,BUT the DRC imagration wont let you enter at Kinshasa without a letter from an Angolan embassy stating you are going there to get a visa,this letter is next to imposable to get...
from here: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...lan-visa-43436

All that said, the same thread on the HUBB has this - which seams like a decent way to get around the problem:
The visa costs $100 in Abuja and $30 in Matadi. If you want to get it in Matadi then you can get a letter from the Zambian embassy in Brazza saying you can get a Zambian visa on the border. Use that to get into the DRC, then head for Matadi to get your Angolan visa.

Gabon..
 

Hi,

Im going to be in Gabon for Xmas and New Year too, im leaving in a couple of weeks for there, so any ideas whereabouts you will be?

Mandi.

Agreed, it's a good idea to get the Angola visa in Abuja if you can, but people shouldn't be thinking it's an absolute necessity to enter DRC. And agreed too, the Angola visa is one of the bigger headaches of the west side...

Most interesting Steve. Will keep the tip about the Zambian letter in mind.

Does anyone think, a plane ticket from South Africa onwards, dated around 6 six weeks in the future, would suffice to get a visa in Matadi?
There's always talk about letters of invitation but a ready plane ticket should be ample proof I don't intend to become an illegal immigrant and live off the Anglan welfare system ;-)

Julian

I seem to remember someone mentioning that it worked for them... although I can't be sure. To be honest I wouldn't rely only on the flight. To you and me, yes - proof of onward travel... to some lame-ass border official, who knows? Probably a good idea to visit the Zambian embassy too.

Looks like the Pool region, between Point Noire and Brazzaville is not getting any safer:

Reuters AlertNet - Congo Republic's Pool region plagued by attacks (15 Oct 2009)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LF672090.htm

Going Franceville, Gabon -> Akou/Ndongo, Congo Brazza -> Brazzaville -> Kinshasa -> Matadi seems the most sensible option.

See Steve's post: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...953#post229446

I know that Rick is in between Barcelona and Valencia today on his way to Morocco.

This post was a bit premature... carry on reading further down! :)

specfically here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...953#post231671

www.overafrica.org
www.overlandcamperforsale.com

on the way to Gabon via Morocco
 

Mandi,

Stuck in Malaga with Carnet issues and blown fork seals. The Fork seals are the easy part. the Carnet from Canada is the nightmare part. The cost just went through the roof. Working on an alternate means to acquire a carnet.

When I get to gabon, I will be staying near the Louis Quarter with friends. If you are looking for a nice clean place that is inexpensive, try the Lotus Bleu. It near the top of the hill (Mont Sante) immediately behind the Presidential building. I am not sure if they have secure parking yet. I can get you their contact information if you want. There are some other hotels with beach front but as of last christmas they were just starting renovations and nothing happens fast in Gabon.

South Africa via Gabon Update
 

Mandi and others on west coast trail of Africa. I think the gods are starting to smile on me. I should have my carnet from Canada in hand & ready to leave Malaga on Saturday 28 November. Need to stop in Rabat, Monday, for visas (Mauritania & possibly Gabon).
:thumbup1:
Four weeks to get to Gabon. Hopefully it will not be too rushed.

We should have go our Angolan visa in Abuja but instead we didnt want to wait the extra day and sweated it when we got to DRC. They asked us for our Angolan visa in Kinshasa and the only evidence we had for onward travel was a letter from our government internal affairs that had Angola and our names written on it and that seemed to be sufice, so I would if I were to do it again make a letter up with you name and a bogus company on it. We ended up getting our visa from Angolan Embassy in Kinshasa for US$30 and it took 4 hours to issue.

angolan visa
 

I will make a pit stop for a visa in Abuja. Just in case the Angolan embassy/consulate is closed for the holidays by the time I get to Gabon. Not even sure if it still open but my Gabonese friends seem to think it is still there in Libreville.

Rick
Southbound KTM 640
Morocco - Gabon - South Africa

Yaounde for gabonese visa
 

The maps and the improvements to to other roads in Nigeria lead to to elect to take the land crossing by Calabar after getting a visa there to continue to Cameroon. Beautiful countryside but damn terrible roads. 3 days to cover 400 KM. Heads up on Gabonese visas in Yaounde. it takes 3 working days. Drop off your passport with 50,000CFA in the morning and you should be able to pick it up late afternoon 2 days later. no letter of invitation or confirmed hotel reservations required. Had friends prepare some just in case. And there seems to be no wayh to speed up the process.

Hi Rick

That's good going, looks like you should meet your Christmas target meet up with your friends.

Apart from the damaged crash bars, has the bike performed OK ?


Martin

Hi Travis,
I am thinking of riding from Johannesburg to London and am looking for people to do the trip with. It would be great if we could link up for your return trip, especially with all the experience you would have about crossing the various countries. Hilton

TravisRTW is returning to England
 

Due to a Spanish KTM mechanic not following the published proceedures in the Repair Manual, my 640 has to be shipped back to England as the engine needs to be pulled apart to repair blown seals. :censored: Just waiting for the motorbike to ship from Libreville to London.

I was looking forward to meeting up with everyone over the course of travelling around Africa. :(

Cheers,

TravisRTW
Rick Travis

i am sorry to hear it Travis