Senegal-Mali via Kenieba
 

Hi,
Is there anyone who knows if it is possible/secure to cross from Senegal to Mali via the Kenieba border crossing (south of Kidira-Diboli). I will be travelling from Guinea-Bissau to Bamako in the next couple of weeks.
Regards,

Haven't done it, yet - but plan to, shortly. Last trip to Bamako along the Bafing river I noticed the road Kenieba to Manantali was under construction and there were people coming from Kenieba.
The border crossing should be a quiet affair.
Need to keep an eye on the ebola situation, Guinea is not far away.
Lycka till och berätta hur det gick!

Ok, thanks for the info.
I'll let you know how it goes.
The ebola-situation seems to be confined to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and I do not plan to enter these countries.
Ha det bra,

Back at the end of 2010 we rode Saraya - Keniebe - Koundian - Kita. We got to the border (river) and had to ride back to Saraya to get our exit paperwork done. There was a bridge being built over the river (with Japanese support?) but it was not open yet. We had to get paddled across in canoes.


The bridge looked fairly complete back then so I'd be surprised if it is not open now.


As for security, we had no problems at all and loved the area. Very remote. But things may have changed in the intervening years.

Today you can inform yourself pretty well.

Andrew did an amazing job for the documentation of his journey. You can choose between Dashcam Videos and Popcorn - or an detailed travelogue about the Keniaba border

Dashcam Video
Dash cam video of Mora (Senegal) to Kita (Mali) | Andrew's Amazing Journey

Travelogue
Days 77-81 (M’Bour, Senegal – Bamako, Mali) | Andrew's Amazing Journey

I like his way of writing and diary-style :thumbup1:

Did watch his progress- till my own transafrica trip did start...

Surfy

Hi,

I have just completed the trip from Kedougou (Senegal) to Bamako (Mali) via Kenieba, Koundian, Manantali, Kita.
There is fortunately no direct road being constructed along the route between Kenieba and Manantali. On the contrary, what once appeared to be a road between Kenieba and Koundian is now no more than a small track mostly trafficked by locals on motorbikes.

The border crossing at Kenieba was quick and without hassle. The bridge is open and both border posts are on either side of the bridge. No paperwork was done in Saraya.

Especially the part of the route between Kenieba and Koundian was absolutely fantastic, most of the time on a small single-track trail passing through small villages and through a fabulous landscape. The trail was very small but mostly good with a few tricky parts. The only really difficult stage was just before the village of Kassama where the trail ascended a rock face. Here the trail was covered in big rocks for about a kilometer.

A more detailed description plus some photos can be found here:

Untitled Document

Sorry Vdoo I have just seen the thread. I did this route late last year. It is a wonderful route as long as the weather isn't too bad. It is believe or not a national route! Lots of beautiful forest and wonderful people. The rock face you talk of provides some amazing views back over the forest from the top.

For those who are thinking of trying it stay at Cool Camp in Manantali. Casper is a great host and tell him John the Englishman on the KTM said Hi.

Enjoy your travels, Mali is a beautiful country.

Good on you Anders - great report on a little used route
I did Kenieba to Kedougou in the early 90s on a the back of a local's 125.
Doesn't look like it's changed much at all.
Back then it was known as one of the many smuggling trails in that corner of Mali. A lot of Malian gold and diamonds from further south slipped out into Senegal.

Thank you Chris,

I heard counterfeit money is crossing the border these days so you are probably right that nothing has changed. But I guess they have to pay for the gold and the diamonds with something.

It was a truly fantastic route apart from the kilometer or so with big rocks. If I would have known beforehand I had probably chosen a different route but that’s the beauty of not knowing everything in advance, not asking too many questions. Sometimes you have to discover for yourself.


zedsdead,

Can’t believe this is a national route. It is just so small. But there was evidence that there has been some kind of a road previously. Lots of beautiful forest and lots of very nice people, for sure.

Anyone done this lately on 4 wheels? Its probably not going to fit into my schedule anyway, but this is the sort of route that appeals to my irrational side...78 Series Landcruiser camper...solo...thoughts?

Just reporting back in that this route is passable still on 4 wheels. It's a lot of fun...maybe too much fun! It's hard, slow going in places (hot, dry season) with sections full of washed out gulleys. Locals drop their passengers to walk in the rocky descents/ascents...look of fear and concentration on the face of riders :) As mentioned, it's narrow and there are bits where you're pushing between bushes, but on the whole, whilst it's obvious that only bikes use this, the gaps between trees are wide enough for a landcruiser. Only thing, the unofficial new bypass routes where the original route has been washed into big rocky steps are bike only...lots of clearance needed underneath! Imagine can be impassable when wet.