Rory - you paid 20,000CFA to get your bike in at Elubo - Noe border (the main road from Western Region)??? This is TOTALLY illegal, you should never have parted with that money, if you still have any copies of documents from that crossing I would love to have a scan. I'm currently chasing up the CI Custom's authorities about this and more evidence would be wonderful!!!
Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire
Crossing: Elubu to Ehania
Visa: €58 for 90 days from Accra – takes 24 hours
TIP: XOF20k (£27) at the border
Insurance: ECOWAS Brown Card
Carnet Needed: No
Notes: This is the main crossing between Ghana and CDI so plan for some time and a lot of bureaucracy.
On the Ghanaian side (maybe as a result of living in Ghana and owning Ghanaian bikes), the officials were uninterested.
On the Ivorian side the process was thorough. We had to go through the police, customs and immigration and all had multiple forms to complete, that required speaking to multiple people. However, everyone was friendly (not always helpful) and the process seemed legit. You will need to pay XOF20k for a TIP – we were not 100% sure it was OK but the price was on the form and we got a receipt. FYI – your bike may be searched and it will be a lot easier if you can speak French.
Roads in Ghana to the border are fine. In CDI the road is being rebuilt so we were on mud for 20(ish) miles. However, it shouldn’t take too long to finish building and then the road all the way to Abidjan will be paved.
Roads in CDI are good in the South and up to Yamoussoukro. However, in the West, they turn to mud/dirt. Checkpoints are more frequent in the trouble areas (North East and West). We were never asked for a bribe, just show your documents and you should be on your way.
|