May 13: Dakar - Zebrabar
I took back the road to Saint-Louis and stopped at Zebrabar camp 30 km south in front of “Langue de Barbarie”, a sand reef few hundred meters from the coast. There are several trails to reach the camp all sandy but the south one was deeper than other.
The place is a large camp with bungalows with or without bathroom and place for camping and overlanders, I was the only guest when I arrived so I took a bungalow without bathroom for 10.000 cfa, the bathrooms are clean, and the place is very pleasant to rest and relax during a trip, there’s a restaurant but it’s not cheap and not so good.
The main problem is that it really makes you want to bath but when I saw people throwing garbage and everything in the river upstream in Saint-Louis…
I stayed 3 days here because of heat wave in Nouakchott which was my next stop and it was a good thing, I could rest and go shopping at Saint-Louis with Maciej another biker from Poland with an Africa Twin 750 staying there too.











May 17: Zebrabar – Nouakchott
Maciej and I left Zebrabar to reach Nouakchott, the temperature seems to be reasonable, 38°C at departure and the same in Nouakchott, when we reached the Diama border it was already 40°C, we passed the border easily but had to make a new visa for Mauritania: 55€ plus Passavant and insurance.
Then we took the trail and the temperature raised quickly reaching 47°C with peaks at 48°C, I felt the heat but couldn’t believe the 47°C, Maciej had the same level on is thermometer, we rode like that until 50kms of Nouakchott where it starts to cool down, 37°C felt fresh! We both felt better not to be alone in this extreme condition, you really wonder what would happen if you have a problem on the road by this temperature.
We found the Hotel La Palma with the help of people in the street, with AC but not really friendly, I was too tired to look for something else, we even shared the king size bed of the last room.

May 18: Nouakchott – Atar
Maciej took the north road back to Morocco and I was heading to Atar, a mountain region north-east of Nouakchott.
The exit of the city was difficult, the road was closed on two kms for works but no indication of the detour, you have to follow other vehicles in the sandy little streets.
The first part of the road is quite boring , but then I got stopped by my friends of GGSR cops, telling me I was speeding and was caught by speed trap! Bullshit but after 15mins talking in the middle of nowhere by 42°C and no shade I gave up and paid.
Then I stopped in Akjout to get fuel and food but there’s only gasoil in the stations, only diesel vehicles here!… I’ve been told I could find some black market, I had to ask the custom officer at the entry of the city who has the only UL fueled car.
He took me to the black market seller and even bargain the price for me, surrealist situation, I thought I had to pay for that but he clearly didn’t want anything and even told me to find him on my way back few days later to refuel…
After Akjout the road starts to be beautiful with little rocky mountains then you climb on the Atar plateau and the landscape is amazing, it looks like sci-fi and so immense.
But no way to take pictures, my smartphone says it's to hot to work!
I stopped at Imini camping, a courtyard with few rooms where you can camp, could be fine but totally run down and dirty . Once again too tired to look for something else.
The city is has no interest and the touristic season will not start, it’s too late it’s getting too hot.
I came there to see the region and reach Chinguetti 80kms from there, a little desert city with famous ancient libraries.
I asked several person if the trail to Chinguetti is ok for my heavy bike with such tires, they told me it would be fine, “no soft sand just tôle ondulée!” …







May 19: Atar - almost Chinguetti – Atar
The beginning of the trail is ok but not really funny, a mix of tôle ondulée and gravel but the landscapes are really beautiful, then came a portion of tarmac so I thought it’s going to be easy… But quickly trail came back changing all the time, still tôle ondulée but now with ruts of gravel or sand, some portions are ok but I’m really struggling to stay on wheels and it’s already 40°C, I only see Toyota pick-up trucks passing at 60/70kmh the speed you need to drive to pass over, but I can’t with my bike, weight and tires. The gravel ruts become deeper and deeper and at 10km from Chinguetti it turns to 10cms sand with ruts. After 2h30 I realized I’m not going to make it and decided to turn around back to Atar. I arrived exhausted and completely dry at Atar, it’s going to be 45°C the next days, I will leave early tomorrow to go back to Nouakchott.





















May 20: Atar - Nouakchott
The first part of the road is beautiful and look different with the morning light.
I stopped in Akjout to refuel with my black market seller, he wants more money than 2 days before, I told him I’m going to get the custom officer for the deal, the price suddenly drop to what I paid last time.
Of course I get stopped by the same cop I met two days before, he even remember my name, and after saying that I was doing fine this day, no speeding etc, he starts to touch my tank bag saying “Cadeau” (present)! I smile and say “ impossible” then he starts to open zips to look what inside, I stop smiling , say “It’s a long way to Nouakchott, bye-bye” and start off…
In Atar I stopped at the Auberge Triskell in a wood shack on the roof with shared bathroom 600 mru
A nice place with a restaurant (not cheap but good) you can park inside.
I stay one day in Nouackchott where the temperature is much lower.