route into Cameroon
 

Hello Stephen,

Thanks for the info!
I'm in Bissau at the moment, together with a friend driving south.
I know the rain is already present in Nigeria, could you give me some info Which border crossing you took to get into Cameroon?
Do you think this route is doable in the rainy season?

I took the Gembu (Nigeria) to Banyo (Cameroon) route on my motorcycle. This crossing is between Ekok and too far North, which are both unsafe regions right now. The Cameroon embassy asked which crossing and I would take and said to avoid Ekok.

I left Gembu and followed the GPS coordinates on iOverlander through the villages (Mayo Ndaga, Lubatari, Kan-Iyaka). The route was OK with a few small stretches that were slightly more tricky. It's achievable on a motorcycle and with 4x4. It's a beautiful route. The guys at the Nigerian border are super friendly!

A word of warning: Don't take the route from Mararaba to Gembu (via Baissa) unless you have a lot of experience. I'd say this route is for very advanced riders. I took the route and couldn't complete it. Locals rode my bike for me. A huge lesson for me. Instead, approach Gembu from Bali, which I hear is much better. Full story of my predicament on my blog.

Arriving at Cameroon, the Bounjoukoura village is where customs and immigration are located. The route from the border to Banyo was OK for me in the dry. There are some river crossings that could be more tricky in the wet. I don't think it would be extremely difficult, but just more challenging. I say doable!

Thanks Stephen for sharing information. :)

Btw: I enjoyed reading a bit of your blog. Unfortunatly I am not able to go to further pages due to a Error 404. Maybe its just me :D

@moosi O no! Thanks for letting me know about the 404. I've cleared the cache, which sometimes causes this. If you get any more problems then send me the URL, and I can investigate further. Thanks again!

Stephen,
Once again, thanks for all the info, this will help for sure.
Hope you have a safe travel down south!

Hi everyone

This might be a bit premature as I will not get to Africa until May 2020. I also don’t know if Brexit will effect things, I hope not. I am thinking of starting to apply for visas in mid January as I will be out of the country from mid December. As far as I can make out I might need a Nigerian, Ghanaian and Angolan visa before I leave the UK. Has anyone had experience of applying for these visas especially in relation to visa start date being post dated. Any information regarding timescale and issues involved would also be much appreciated.

Also has anyone had experience of taking a motorbike through Ghana. I’ve heard that it could be problematic getting across the boarder.

Thanks

Unfortunately almost all visa information has to come with a disclaimer that it may not apply either due to something having changed since the last traveller applied, or because of differences due to the nationality of the applicant, but I can tell you that for me (Australian passport) as of late 2018:

1. Nigeria - Apply in your country of residence and enter Nigeria within 3 months of the date of issue of the visa (or try via other more complicated methods which I did not need to rely on).
2. Ghana - Didn't go, sorry, but others may know.
3. Angola - apply for a dual-entry eVisa in advance online and have it issued on arrival at the northern border of Rep of Congo and Cabinda.

Nigeria accepts visa on arrival. I documented the process here. It's safer not to use third party companies when applying to avoid falling victim to forged documents.

Not visa related but useful: Ghana now requires a bond on vehicles without a carnet. The bond is then collected at the same border post when leaving, which makes overland travel through the country problematic. I found this info in the West Africa Travellers group, which was very helpful to me when I was in the area.

Angola visa on arrival at Cabinda worked great for me. The only issue was that DRC denied me entry even with a visa. This was about 6 months ago. There were lots of travellers who had the issue at that time. I don't know the latest info for this border now. It might be OK. Just a heads up, in case it's still a problem.

Sadly some Western African countries continue the policy of issuing visa's via consular locations ....What's been of great benefit to me is E-Visa's

Hi Cheecha

Which countries have you used E-Visas for

From what I've heard since the original post, the company Destinali should not be used. There have been problems at the border with the documents they issue.

West Africa visas blog 2019
 

I'm blogging about borders and visas as I go down to Côte d'Ivoire. May have some useful info on Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, perhaps Ghana...

https://visalog.blogspot.com/

Any update on this now? Anyone got a Nigeria visa in Cameron?

Regarding the last comment - I'm mailing my passports back home from Cape Town to get the visas done. In my case for DRC, Rep Congo, Gabon and Cameron.
I also found something in the forum saying a guy got a Nigeria visa in Brazzaville for 250$, but not sure how old that is.

Sorry for late reply just been busy working long hours for my next trip ...
Suggest you Google or look at this website link below ( I hold 3 passports so I'm lucky in certain aspects) this link relates to Australian passport holders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_r...alian_citizens
Certain details should be fine tuned as you can get a Kaza Visa to visit Zambia & Zimbabwe for the price of 1 visa payment ....or if visiting Rwanda/Uganda/Kenya there the East African Tourist visa which I had to purchase twice this year,only because I entered Northen Kivu state in DR Congo.....
Simple question to you is where do propose to go ?
hmmm I noticed Djibouti has E-Visa ,I got mine in Addas Adaba ......
Again apologies for late response..... ( small stupid statement sometimes the Yellow fever book is more important then your passport .....)

DRC visa - headed north from CT
 

Hi all,

Does anyone have any recent experience/info on successfully applying for a visa for DRC whilst on the road, headed northbound from South Africa/Zambia?

I’m a Brit, and aware of the existing guidance of applying in London. I’m riding from Cape Town to London, with a loop up to Uganda and then back down to Zambia and into DRC. So would prefer to get the visa on the road.

Alternatively is anyone aware of you being able to stipulate/request a later start date for the visa validity period?

Thanks,

Ed

Not knowing your exact entry point or exit point, then all I can say is that I entered this year for the inaugural re opening of the Virunga National Park this Feb 2019 .After my stay I ventured north to Butusande ( spelling) to then head into Uganda and head to Murchison Falls. All I will say its a slog in epic proportions ( state of road and getting transport to move ) and never reached my destination as UN troops basically refused me entry to head north -reason EBOLA & insurgency. In fact I was politely questioned if I was mad by an Uruguayan officer (I think ?)......
I did not enter DRC from the south ie heading to Lambuashi(spelling) but tried to take in Mozambique,Malawi,Burundi,Rwanda instead. So I entered the easy way through Goma . If you want to visit Virunga Park ( highly recommended but expensive) I would highly recommend you somebody to process your papers & DRC visa (entitles you to travel North & South Kivu in 14 days from memory)...... DRC is a confronting country in many ways....good luck

700$ Visa for Nigeria?
 

Hi,

I just heared from someone who paid 700$ for a Visa for Nigeria.
First time I‘m hearing such amounts.

Anyone who can confirm this?

Thanks,
David

Me also highly interested in any updates on that topic.
I recently heard about someone who said he paid 700$ - sounds a bit weird.

Only Online Payment is allowed:
https://portal.immigration.gov.ng/visa/freshVisa

You get also the price at the end.. Please give us a update about pricing!

I did pay between 120 and 300 USD, depending on duration an one/multiple entry - but that was 2012....

West Africa Route Visas
 

Hi Everyone

Has anyone got an update on the west African route visas. I am interested in the following;
• Guinea
• Cote d’Ivoire
• Ghana
• Togo
• Benin
• Nigeria
• Cameroon
• Gabon
• Republic of the Congo
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Angola

Where to get them on the way? Ones to get before I leave? Any tips?

Thanks

I haven't been there myself recently but researched it all last week for my book.

• Guinea - in Dakar or Bamako
• Cote d’Ivoire - initiate online, collect Dakar, Bamako, Conakry
• Ghana - can be tricky, better from home (CdP needed too)
or try Conakry, Monrovia, Abidjan (Ele Nest can help)
• Togo - 1 week VoA
• Benin - e visa
• Nigeria - get at home or try the 'Chinese letter' dodge (or try Freetown, Sierra Leone)
• Cameroon - Lagos, Abuja for overland or Calabar then ferry
• Gabon - various places from Yaounde back - waits can be long? So avoid it
• Rep Congo - various places from Yaounde back
• DRC - still turns back some on Af' consulate visas - so get at home or boat the bike to
Soyo and fly
• Angola - online double entry. Don't waste time with nearby consulates

Thanks Chris :thumbup1:

Hope to read more soon :thumbup1:

Thanks for sharing!

Surfy

West Africa route visa's
 

We are three British passport holders travelling To South Africa, currently in Nigeria, just to confirm we left the UK with our DRC, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana visa's in our passport, the rest we have collected on the way with no problem, except paying slightly more for one.

That said some of the visa's in the UK have been EXPENSIVE.

Just to correct one comment posted previously and not wishing to offend anyone, we entered Ghana with no carnet and no bond paid at the border. All very professional at both sides of the border, we entered Ghana from the Ivory Coast. The price we paid for 20 days temporary import was 10,000 CFA, it would have been less but we had no cedi to pay with.

The vehicles we are driving are 17 and 22 year old Landcruisers.

I hope this helps.

Would you mind saying at which border post you entered Ghana? This has often made a huge difference, since Ghanian border officials (and consulates) often seem to establish their own rules about all sorts of things.

Thanks.

Mark

Trying to get my 9ja visa from Britain and it is already proving quite difficult. I sent an email through a website which responded after 2days sending me 3 links. I used the 1st link to fill in the form. It had me attach photo, picture of passport, height, convictions etc. Second link was based on fees, which said i will have to pay £126...which is $164 US, in the end was charged 164 pounds, dont know how that happened. Through a website called innovative1. No confirmation of visa application or anything. 3rd link was the payment link. The email was sent from Nigerian Support Services or NIS.

I pray this was legit because I've seen that OIC is a completely other service used and i was not given an appointment or anything. Looking to go down to Fleet St tomorrow as it said it had sent the application over there directly.. Longest visa application ever. Nigeria FIX UP MAAAN

Sorry after 3 months travel in Western Africa I just got released from quarantine in Melbourne, Oz after scrambling out from Dakar on a repatriation flight to Europe ....do you still require me to answer this question ? In fact I assume you have already done your research .....

Adding into this discussion - but at a (slight) divergence:
Has anyone ever used the services of folks like passportvisasexpress.com or traveldocs.com ?


We (my wife & I) are US Citizens, and we found that some of the countries we want to travel through are extremely restrictive on WHERE we can obtain our visas.

For instance, Cameroon requires Visas in advance (No visa upon arrival), but for us - as US Citizens - the visas can only be obtained at their embassy in Washington, DC.

Everything we've been able to find says - Essentially - "Nope. Go back to your home country for the Visa"

We're NOT interested in flying to Washington, DC from Benin or Nigeria in order to sit with our thumbs up our bums waiting on visas - only to fly BACK to Africa to continue our travels.

So....to repeat the question: Has anyone ever used the services of folks like passportvisasexpress.com or traveldocs.com ?

Of course. I've used Traveldocs from time to time, and have been prepared to use them as backup at other times. Service has generally been exactly as they promise--varying greatly from one country to the next--although at significant cost. Most recently I used them to get me a new passport and then obtain a certain African visa from a country known for slow service, all on a very tight timeline due to approaching winter. I had my new passport with its new visa in hand within a week. I haven't ever had to send a passport home so that applications could be submitted in D.C., but I've met others from the US or Europe who've done similar.

There are an infinite number of intersecting variables, therefore no hard and fast rules. Furthermore, rules and on-the-ground practices change a lot, often without warning. Costs are significant: expedited services, courier fees, and the passport agencies themselves.

I'm always running into people who carry more than one passport so that they can continue with their travels while waiting for visas in the other. I'm honestly not sure how this really works in the situation you're describing, but it's worth checking into.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Another thing worth adding is that a visa can be valid for up to three months.
That is: once you have the visa you have say, 90 days to enter the country and start your typical 30-day transit.
Aggro like this is why this Western Route about all, is chiefly predicated on visa acquisition and duration, not the season or which place you like the sound of.
Most here manage to fit travels around these visa restrictions. Sending passports home to get visas is a last resort.

In the UK a second UK passport is not so hard to acquire, last time I tried.
The circumstances above are a good reason.
Don't know about other countries.
Dual nationality (another passport) is also allowed of course, but travelling with both passports is viewed poorly, if caught.

I have two passports but may need a third, when we are allowed to travel again. It's complicated.

In principle, the USA and Germany will issue even third passports if needed. In the UK, two is not a problem. A third one is also possible, but generally just a "restricted validity passport" (not too dissimilar to an emergency passport). The proof required to support the issuance of the passport is complicated and the situation has to be closer to the "exceptional" end of the spectrum rather merely for user "convenience".

" For instance, Cameroon requires Visas in advance (No visa upon arrival), but for us - as US Citizens - the visas can only be obtained at their embassy in Washington, DC."

Travelling north to south most people were getting their Cameroon visas in Nigeria back in the mid 2010's ( Lagos or Calabar consulates ).
I also got one at the consulate in Brazza once.
But yeah, rules are bound to change.

L.

Hoping for assistance..
From New Zealand. Planning one way trip London to Capetown by motorcycle about this time next year. Ie no Carnet.
I see it is suggested to get some visas before leaving. There are no embassies in Nz for difficult visas.
If I had to send my passport offshore a few times may run out of time to use given I have to procure bike etc as well.
I was thinking my only option is via west coast . Is that correct ?
This seems to be my biggest obstacle to overcome at this stage.
Thanks in advance

Currently it's only west side route due to Ethiopia. That may change by next year.
Visas have always been the main issue along the west side, forcing your pace and route. And if you cannot get visas in your home country - as some countries demand – I would first try UK embassies (assuming you start here) giving that reason. And if they still say no, then all you can do is from the adjacent country.
I would DHL your passport abroad as a last resort. Try getting a second NZ passport. I know UK did/does this with a good excuse - maybe NZ too.

thanks Chris

To enter Senegal with a motorcycle, you don´t need a Carnet de Passage. At the border you can get a passavant by 5.000 XOF, validity only 5 days. You must renewal in St Louis or Dakar for 15 days more, but it´s better to do it in Dakar , paying 2.500 XOF.
Only CPD is required for vehicles (cars) more than 8 years old.

Possibly handy visa map graphic forwarded by a mate but don't know exactly when from or who to credit.
Plus, according to this detailed 2023 HUBB report, you can miss out Gabon (Cam > Congo Brazza) and miss out DRC (ferry Cabinda > Soyo).

PS; good off-HUBB link to a current West Coast run by HUBBer chrisallsop.

https://overlandershandbook.files.wo...023/10/jgc.jpg