Mali, Mauri, Burkina Infomation
 

Hello hello,

Back in 2006/2007 I overlanded around West Africa a bit in an old 2cv, and had a jolly nice time of it.

Later on this year I'm likely to find myself in Morocco with friends and a car nobody wants to take back to the UK. My immediate thought was that I could run down to Mali or Burkina and sell it off.

A little bit of research on here has shown, however, that today's West Africa is somewhat different to the one I remember of 6 or 7 years ago.

The forum archives appear to show that the Road of Hope in Mauri is now considered dangerous and best avoided, and that people heading towards Mali take the south road via Kadei instead.

The archives also appear to indicate that Mali itself is a hassle by any route as much of that top left corner of the country is considered unsafe, that one ends up paying to have a solider in the car, and so on.

Have a summarised correctly?

I've also found a few posts from a few years ago saying that Mali imposed all sorts of crazy customs rules on cars (bonds paid at one border and released at that other) that were driving everyone nuts. Later posts appear to show these have been abandoned, but I can't actually find notice that this is the case. Any word?

Anyway, although I would have loved to have toured the area and revisited some happy memories of old, the principle aim is to get rid of this car. I'm not intending to make a profit, I just don't want it any more, and it would be nice to cover some of the costs of getting it to wherever it gets to. The car is a Pug 306 Diesel LHD.

With this in mind, may I ask what you would do? Try to sell in:
1. Nouadhibou/No-mans-land? I guessing this will fetch the worst price, but that's fine because I won't have had to drive very far. If it earns a few hundred quid that pays for the diesel down and the boat to Morocco, so happy days.
2. Nouakchott? People certainly tried to by my car last time I was there. Does that still happen? Do all the new checkpoints I've read about make that tricky?
3. Go for Bamako? Is the faff of personal guards and potential jihad worth it?
4. Burkina? If one has to pay for escorts right the way across Mali (as some posts seem to suggest) is it worth it to get down to Ouaga and sell there vs selling in Mauri?

I must stress that I'm not trying to turn a profit, I just fancy as much of a road-trip as I can justify on the value of the car at it's destination :)

Many, many thanks for taking the time to read this post, and for dispensing whatever wisdom you may be about to dispense. If any of my questions have already been answered of late on here, please do feel free to curtly push me in that direction.

Cheers,
Matt

The Mali situation is not that bad that it sounds like, as far you stay outside of the nord-east.

I try to maintain a list of all travellers on a transafrica over the west route, who write a blog or have a website:

Trans-Africa over the west: A list of blogging travellers from 2011 upwards...

There you will find recent travel experiences about mali.

About selling your vehicle - I cant help.

Surfy

Selling a car in Mauri will be a problem as they stamp your passport with the cars details. When you go to leave they will get you. I had mine sold there for charity and the local Round Table gave me a letter all stamped up to ensure i wouldn't have a problem. The customs guys had a good look at this.

Mali has a computerised system now that will register your laisser passer. Going the road of hope will cost your 60 euro for an escort to Bamako and be sure to keep your receipt that your get from the embassy when you pay for your visa, it's the latest scam, and they will ask for it at the border. That being said, last time I still saw some car (and bus) sellers driving down, so it's still possible (if you know how).

There are several border crossings between Mauri & Mali, where the computerised system doesn't exist and where they charge you only 5.000 or 10.000 fcfa (depending which one you choose) for a "laissez-passer" to enter Mali.

But those border crossings would be offroad. Which could add to the adventure.

Which are the passable border crossings Mauri-Mali?
Selibaby-Melgue
Kankossa-? (I went straight to Kayes)
Ayoun el Atrous - Nioro
haven't tried further east - is there a goudron to Nara?

You can sell at the Mauri border, or in Nouakchott if you are willing to pay a little bribe to mr customs man.

no tarmac to Nara, nor after Nara
they are building a tarmac road between Nema and Amourj, and between Kiffa and Kankossa
it may take a few years more to complete :)

Hello hello,

Thanks everyone for taking the time time reply with your thoughts. I'm setting off to Dover and beyond this Monday!

Regarding selling in Mauri, I had my car stamped into my passport last time down (2006) but there were plenty of sellers and buyers around.

Hello Burden, this is very interesting indeed. Do you know if the Selibaby-Melgue crossing still of the old-fashioned un-computerised sort? Does anyone have any opinions on the safety of this little corner of Mali lately?

Always looking for an excuse for a bit of off-road!

Much obliged once again,
Matt

Melgue doesn't have electrickity, and certainly no computers.
Safety is no problem whatsoever. Lovely drive through baobab forests and quaint villages.
There is a military post in Melgue where they sometimes demand you take an escort.
On the Mauri side there is now both customs and gendarmes, so you can do all formalities here. Mali side, only customs, you get the laisser-passer and insurance if you need it, in Kayes.

Melgue is presently super un-computerised :), event though of course there are computers in Melgue and quite soon G3-internet connection too.
In my experience the Mali gendarmes always insists on escorting you (since the day the french guy got kidnapped in Diema). It is not much, if negotiated properly - a per diem in Mali is 4.000 fcfa per day, you get two gendarmes so it makes 8.000, roughly 12.5 euros. They might want you to pay they return too, but then insist on not paying full per diems, as the trip only takes 2 - 4 hours. The more you keep to the left, the nicer the landscape and the easier the piste which is easy anyway, only quite dusty sometimes.
There is another option - skipping Melgue and the gendarmes issue: from Selibaby to Baediam and on to Aourour and then right to Kayes.
This year has seen some extraordinary rainfall in the region: we had to wait 3 full days end of july for the border "river" (usually not more than a trickle) to subside, and even then it was solid 60 cm of water. Lesson learned - the said river is drainage for the entire Kiffa basin. When it rains there it will take 48 hours before the river swells, even if there's been no rain in the immediate vicinity.
However, by now the rains should be practically over.
Voila, enjoy

Baediam is north of Melgue. Last trip with the new Mauri border post (gendarmes and customs) in Melgue, they wouldn't let us do the formalities in Selibaby and asked us to go to Melgue.

When was your last trip? On my last trip end of july, we did customs formalities in Selibaby (with the usual attempt to squeeze 10 euros out of us for leaving the country :). The douanes guy in Melgue on the other hand didn't seem to be very interested in work.
In any case Baediam - Aourou is a legit and very possible option ... in my experience at least.

Last trip was in January. Gendarmes asked us to go to Melgue, and they called the border post to let them know we were coming.
Once out of Selibaby, there is otherwise a multitude of tracks going to Mali. I would like to take some time going south another trip, closer to river Senegal.

Gendarmes? So you didn't even go to Selibaby douane?

I went there, but like the gendarmes they told me to go straight to Melgue.
Not what I wanted, since this is in interesting piece of land to discover, many remote toucoleur and bambara villages all the way to Kayes, and I would like to feel free to roam.

Btw, just heard they had the first case of ebola in Mali in Kayes.

Priffe and Burden, lots of very useful information contained within this chat. Thanks a lot.

I fancy that if I do end up going as far as Mali I shall be taking this route this time. If I may, I have a few questions about things you've mentioned:

1) From Kayes what's the preferred route down to Bamako at the moment. I note other people are wary of the Diema region.

2) When an escort was proscribed from the border, how far did you have to take it?

3) Any recommended navigational tools for the pistey bits? Or is it a case of following the biggest track and asking in the villages?

Many thanks, from Cordoba this time,
Matt

If you have the time, taking the road along the river Senegal to Bafoulabé and then continue along the Bafing to Kita and then Bamako is much more amusing then the RN1 over Diema.

yeah, and it seem Mauri closed it's borders with Mali due to that

Closed due to what sorry? Is this Ebola? Do you know if it's shut both ways?

ye, due to ebola case in Kayes ... however seems the border is open again

Hi again,

Thanks again for all the wealth of info so far. Any chance anyone has an update on the Mauri/Mali border?

Also, while I'm asking, last time I checked Mauri was doing visa-on-arrival at the border with Morocco. Is this known to be the case currently? (I should have thought to double-check this before getting to Dakhla!)

Thanks again,
Matt

Hello hello,

For the sake of other traveller's wondering the same question I asked in my last post on this thread, the Mauritanian border is issuing visas. The only option appearing to be 30 days for 50 euros.

The car importation procedure appears to be going through a curious patch, and currently only 15 days is on offer, despite the 30 day visa.

Of course, 15 days of insurance can't be bought, only 10 or 20 :)

Appologies for spelling, can't figure how to set the computer here to English.

Fwiw, I heard yesterday from Selibabi that the border is closed for people travelling north. Going south is ok.

visa:
30 days 50 euros
365 days 125 euros
another option which slips my memory in between
these are the prices for whities, for toher people it's half of that beer
laissez-passer for ther car: ususally you only get 7 or 10 days on the border
but then you can prolong it up to 3 months in Nouakchott or other cities like Atar, etc...

insurance: well, hehehe, it's more like Monty Python or buy one much cheaper in Bou Lanouar, some 60 k's due west

My name is James, Portuguese,

I go to Dakar with a group of Portugal, and then I was thinking to go to Mali and Burkina Faso,

Aduanes the borders between Mauritania and Mali are open?

Mali to Burkina Faso are open?

I am very grateful if you help me ...

Hi Tiago,

when are you heading down?
I'm leaving Portugal in early January heading Mauri - Senegal - Mali - Burkina.

From what I hear borders are opened and no problem...but things can change quickly...there's been a new outbreak of ebola in Mali!

But better to hear from somebody on the ground.

Cheers,
RN

German car sellers use the route from Kiffa ( Mau) to Kayes (Ma)because there is only a police control on that border. No stamps in your passport, no laissez passez either. From Kayes they take the route to Bafoulabé (ferry and it's man powered, so it will take you more than 1 hour, if you're lucky:) ), than to Manantali and than Bamako. After Manantali it is about 100 km piste! Piste will take about 3 1/2 hrs.

Good Night Friend ...

I leave for Portugal on 26 December with a group and we go to dakar, dakar in the regressor must have a border or Rosso Diama with this group and hence I am thinking then to Mali and Burkina ...

My car Land Rover 300Tdi

My email sent by MP

If you want to join us we were satisfied ...

What nationality are you?

My email tiagofernande@gmail.com

I talking portugues and I'm a Portugues boy

hug

Yep, I wondered if the insurance was even needed in Mauri, so I only bought the shortest available, to see if I'd get asked for it, and of course about two dozen checkpoints later I have not been.

Everyone at the border was claiming that the old laissez-passer has very recently been made unavailable, and the customs house was full of very frustrated polish car exporters, pan-african traders, and one nutty old german with a truck full of medicine (apparently), all who where expecting to get a laissez-passer.

The only papers avaiable were some kind of transit document (15 days, I got) and took about about an hour and a half to produce once you set the wheels in motion.

Thanks again everyone here. Still weighing up my Mali options.

on the coast through Mauritania from Nouadhibou to Senegal
 

Hi guys,
wishing to drive from Nouad. to Senegal very beginning 2015. anybody can help with recent news about safety in driving a car straight from north to south on the coast? got some info but very difficult to understand how it really is.
many thanks to anyone that may help!
:)

Western Sahara - Mauri - Senegal and return
 

Just back from a run down to Senegal/Gambia along the coast road in my own on a bike. No security issues, lots of police checks, used about 60 -70 fiches. The garage in Mauri, between the 2 cities, had petrol on the way down, had none on the way back.*

The borders on the way down were the major issue, mainly Rosso, but at the Western Sahara/Mauri border you have to be careful the Mauri Customs do not sadle you with a guide if they find out you are just going directly to Rosso.*


If you want more details have a read of:-


Basingstoke to Dakar * * * * * * *

Western Sahara - Mauri - Senegal and return
 

Just back from a run down to Senegal/Gambia along the coast road in my own on a bike. No security issues, lots of police checks, used about 60 -70 fiches. The garage in Mauri, between the 2 cities, had petrol on the way down, had none on the way back.*

The borders on the way down were the major issue, mainly Rosso, but at the Western Sahara/Mauri border you have to be careful the Mauri Customs do not sadle you with a guide if they find out you are just going directly to Rosso.*


If you want more details have a read of:-


Basingstoke to Dakar * * * * * * *

thank you very much Jim Lad, how courageous were you riding all by bike..! thanks also for the suggestion of the site, very useful info! :-)

Update Mali - Mau border: no escort from Bamako to Gogui Be sure to unsubscribe your vehicle/ laissez passez in Nioro at Customs- office; on the border they don't have a PC connected to the National system!
On the Mau- side: Ebola-check. Digital Fever check.

Marocco: once they found out that you have a Mali- visa inyour passport there is a severe Ebola-procedure. Took us more than 3 hours. Maroccan officials are obsessed by the Ebola-risk

Mali and Burkina Faso are fine, stick to the main routes, they are both great countries...



Gary
www.longbikeride.co.uk

Before the new year eve, I spoke and wished all the best with friend of mine, Baba from Atar. Maybe someone knows him from Atar or from auberge Menata in Nouakchott. He mentioned to me that the general situation in Mauritania and the Western Sahel is catastrophic. There are no tourists and consequently no earnings. People survives with the help of one to another and occasionally government financial help. The area around the Chinguetti and Ouadana is safe, but the influence of neighboring Mali, AQIM is taking its toll.

I wish to all travelers as many memorable and safe kilometers in 2015. Thomas

Picture of Baba:
http://shrani.si/f/2u/Wj/1nD3sM7I/babaatar.jpg