Hi Im Fred and new here. Me and a friend are planning to drive from a'dam to Mali next month.
We are planning to leave the car in Mali so i think that it means that I can't get a carnet de passage from the ADAC. Now i've read something about an escort on the border of Mauri and Senegal (Rosso) , where you have to pay 200 euro for a escort to the other side of the country. Does that mean that you can do this without any kind of carnet de passage and what about carnet de passages for Mauritanië and Mali??

Avoid Rosso at all costs! This is a border which is full of hassle and 'fees'.

Senegal insist on the carnet. I read about people getting these three day passes, but from what I've seen down there, it is not always straightforward and I've never tried to get one. I met a German guy at the Senegal border at Diama two years ago who had been held there for more than a day because he didn't have a carnet and customs didn't want to issue a three day pass.

Anyway, if you're going to Mali, why go to Senegal? Go east at Nouakchott and drive to Mali via Kiffa and Ayoun on generally good roads.

Mauritania used to do local temporary carnets at the north road border for about 10 euro (motorcycle). A month ago, they demanded a proper carnet from me, which I had. So I don't know if the local arrangement is still available.

Likewise, last month, when I left Senegal, the Mali customs at Diboli asked for my Carnet, though I hear that it is not necessary to have one.

My feeling is that if you avoid Senegal, you should be able to make it to Mali without a Carnet, but as I always travel with one (it makes life generally easier at borders), I'm not the best person to comment on this.

Craig

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Hey Craig thanks for your reply. We chose to take the route to Mali through Senegal because we've read some "scary" stories about the route Nouackchott - Ayoun (Belgian family murdered on the side of the road). Also our goverment advices, on their internet site you should not take that route. Surely we're interested in stories from people who have actually been there. Maybe it is safe...? And do you know anything about that escort?

It would not be wise of me to say that you'll have no problems, but security has stepped up on that road. I have friends who recently went down to Mali via Kiffa and Ayoun who reported that safety wasn't an issue, but many more police and army checkpoints led to some low level hassle and bureaucracy. Overall, they had a good trip though.

We should hope that the killings before Christmas were one-off for that area. If media reports are to be believed from the region, it seems that the killers were caught.

There's been a lot said about terror groups, but while in Senegal recently, I heard that the killers may well have been drug smugglers who were disturbed by the people who were killed. This theory may be supported by the fact that the killers escaped south to Senegal and then onto Bissau, which is seeing a rising tide of cocaine trade at the moment. If they were Islamic terrorists from the north, one would expect them to try and melt back into bandit country in the very far North and east of Mauri on the border of /northern Mali/Algeria. But this is just a personal theory, I'm not an authority on these matters.

My journeys take me down to Senegal, Mali from the west, south to Bissau etc, so I've not travelled the east road from Nouakchott, though I hear that it's an excellent route.

As always, if you do go, keep an eye on news reports and gather intellegence as you travel. Be prepared to change plans. The chances of problems are low, I would travel it myself - but it would be irresponsible to say that any route is completely safe. Conditions change all the time.

If you do go to Senegal, a carnet will probably be required, unless you have some good luck and obtain the 3 day pass. Also, the route to Mali via Senegal is to drive to Rosso, turn right just after the second petrol station, where a soldier sits on the corner, then ride 110km down the piste to Diama Dam, where the Senegal border is relaxed and almost hassle free. Then take the north road on the Senegal River route from there and drive down to Kidira, where there's an easy crossing into Mali, no hassle and there should be no fees. (well, none if you have a carnet anyway)

However, if you sell your vehicle, you may be restricted to the Mauri eastern route to get to Mali. If so, you may find it useful to travel with others who are going that way.

Regards

Craig

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Hey Craig

Thanks for your reply, its really nice that people help you out on the internet gathering information. Its definitely my plan to sell the car there. Problably Mali or if this doesnt work little bit further up, maybe Burkina Faso. But it will be a problem if you have a Laisser Passe stamp in your passport when leaving the country. Do you know anything about what the deal is on the border of Mali, do you get a stamp there? Or Burkina Faso. With other words, whats de best place to sell your car without getting problems? I also want to ask you the following questions...

- Its cost us 40 euro extra a visa when you arrange it here in the Netherlands. What do you think? Is it easy to get one on the border (visa for Mauri and Mali)

- How many km is it to Bamako, roundabout?

- What does fuel costs in West-Afrika?

Hi,

Mauritanian visa is not so easily available these days it seems. We had to get our last ones from the French Consulate in London. They could only give us an air entry visa, but this didn't cause a problem when we entered Mauri by road.

However, if you think you can make it through in three days, you can get a three day transit visa on the border for 10 Euro. You can get it extended in Nouakchott.

I hear that it is possible to get the Mali visa on the border, but I hear reports that this can involve some hassle for some people. I got my last one in Brussels. An easy process and about 20-25 Euro.

I used my Carnet for Mali, so I don't know what you do without one. Hopefully someone can answer this; I don't believe that a Carnet is necessary for Mali

Regarding fuel costs, Chris Scott has a thread running on this at the moment on HU. To be honest I don't remember how much I paid for petrol in Kayes. We were only in Mali for a few days on our last trip.

How many KMs to Bamako? To be honest I don't know how many if you use the Eastern route through Mauri via Ayoun. We went to Mali via Senegal.

Regards

Craig

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