Over the last month I've spoken to dozens of travellers who have had problems crossing into Senegal via Rosso with vehicles.

It appears that officials on both sides of the border are colluding with local touts in order to extort money from vehicle owners.

Typical scams include vehicle documents being 'lost' after officials hand them over to touts on the RIM side, and obligatory cleaning or even car parking charges on the Senegalese side. All manner of tricks are being used, including physical intimidation, and the motorists are typically paying E120 in bribes to get across.

Matters were not helped when a group from the Plymouth-Dakar Rally recently had to resort to ramming the gates on the Senegalse side, (though personally I take my hat off to them).

If you are travelling this way you are strongly advised to take the dam crossing at Diama - just before you get in to Rosso, and about 100m before the road turns to the right next to a petrol station, there is a dirt road on the right which is easy to follow (west), and leads to the piste to Diama without going in to town - you basically follow the dyke all the way, no guide necessary.

Try to avoid going as far as the petrol station as once there the hassle is unbelievable, and the misinformation, even from uniformed police, is outrageous (we were barred from taking the direct route through town to the piste and forced onto the ferry road by gendarmes).

You will likely hear all manner of bollocks about the piste being blocked, flooded, closed or whatever - this can all be ignored, as can any advice about changing currency (you will need Ougs to exit anyway), and insurance is available in a safer environment in Diama once you get over the border.

Perhaps this thread should be brought to the attention of the UK Foreign Office in order that they might raise the matter with the relavent Ambassadors in London - clearly what is happening here is of no advatage to anybody expect a few corrupt officials and the touts

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Peter Strong
www.iricon.com/camel
A tour of Land Rover Garages in Africa