Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Do I need a carnet thingy?

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Do I need a carnet thingy?

Hello. I am travelling from UK to Timbuctu, in 7 weeks time. have only just decided to do trip, so not much time to plan. Please could someone tell me, is a 'Carnet de Passage' required for Morroc, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia. I did a similar trip in a car in 2003, and got away without having to produce one.

carnet de passage

mrdexplorer,
A couple of days ago I replied on another thread regarding carnets :

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sophie-Bart

carnet de passage
mikerixom,

I'm sure you'll need a carnet in more countries you'll pass (a doc. showing where carnets 'officially' are required).

In the Netherlands this carnet was issued by the ANWB (the dutch AA), but since september 2005 this 'service' is now done by it's german sister-organisation ADAC. So you're not obliged to get it in the country where your vehicle is registered.
The pages concerning the carnet are in English, Français and offcouse german, lots of information/fees etc.

For more info/questions you can mail to: carnetdepassages -at- adac -dot- de (in english, france or german).

Maybe the spanish RACE does the same but my spanish isn't good enough.

It's not exactly what you asked but it gives an idea about requirement, fees etc.

For the trip you planned only Senegal can give you trouble, depending on from which direction you come, if you're traveling by bike or car and your 'skills' ( the so-called '5 year rule' for cars).
If you drive in a righthanded car (?), rumours are you will get trouble entering the Gambia (though I don't think a carnet will ease this issue).
Search the hubb for more and uptodate info on both this issues.

regards

>>If you drive in a righthanded car (?), rumours are you will get trouble entering >>the Gambia (though I don't think a carnet will ease this issue).

If you drive a righthand driving car , odds are that you won't enter Gambia at all. They are getting serious about this. And no , a carnet won't ease things in Gambia .

Other than that , you can drive all the way down to SouthAfrica . I think there's a little hassle in Namibia , but once you enter , then you are free to roam all south Africa (kinda like European union or so).

The carnet map has a few mistakes on it . Ghana won't let you in without a carnet , (ITs listed as "carnet accepted" instead of "carnet required" ). Guinea Ecuatorial also is getting funny with carnets now and odds are that they will ask you for one.

I am doing the same route (west coast , bike currently in Nyamey) and I am not carriying a Carnet . However , I got an African -registered- motorbike and this helps a lot in the borders

Have fun
Javier

earlier this year my wife and I travelled the route you are planning , we took a land-rover and 2 bikes ( the landy was for the Plymouth Banjul Challenge). We had Carnets for the bikes , and to be quite honest we did not need them at all.

We met up with load of overlanders in Senegal and Gambia who had travelled without Carnets and had no more trouble than the usual paperwork grief you get at african borders.

Next time we will not be bothering with Carnets.

Yes, you will have trouble at the Senegal border, they don't officially allow vehicles over 5years old at all... and Gambia don't officially allow right hand drive vehicles. Being prepared and taking your time explaining that you are travelling overland and not staying in the country seems to be the key.

You should get a 'Laissez Passer' , particularly in Senegal, this will allow you to avoid too much grief at checkpoints throughout the countryside.

Ray

Thanks for the advice. I did the very first Plymouth to Dakar challenge, in 2002/03. like you, we got away with not having a 'carnet', just wondered if the situation had changed.

Hi Ray, thanks for the info. Yes I did the first P to D challenge, was certainly fun. Whats one of those laissez passers thingies, then??