Looking for route info Kaedi, Mbout, Kayes. We are travelling with an old Renault Trafic 4x4 with good ground clearance. Is there a direct piste to Kankossa without having to go through Kouroudjeel?
Plan B would be from Mbout to Selibaby, but I have no idea how to get from Selibaby to Kayes.
I know Kiffa - Kayes road from 2 years ago in a LR 110.
Any info or gps waypoints would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Arthur

HI Arthur!

Check this out, and let me know if it's good for you. I can mail it to you in ozi format.

http://eszeleny.uw.hu/bamako2007/bamako2007utvonal.kmz

Ciao GPoki

Thanks GPoki

I can get the Waypoints from google earth thanks to your link, but can a regular 2 wheeler also take this route?
Any route description would be helpfull. We are going in Jannuary 08, so it should be dry at least.

Greetinf
Arthur

Selibaby to Kayes is easy enough. I did it with only a Kayes gps point from my gps. It's an ok route, I did it with a French guy in a long and old Renault van and he managed it ok (other than getting stuck crossing the river bed between Mori & Mali from some lazy driving). We just followed whatever track seemed to be correct and came out in the north of Kayes and just jumped on the tarmac to cross the bridge. We did it in 2 days.

You need to do customs and police stamps at Salibaby (They wanted 2 photographs which took some talking around as we didn't have them) and then Kayes. When you cross the border into Mali (at Beadiam maybe?), you are supposed to get a piece of paper from an army bloke saying you reported to him and he gave you permission to do your paperwork in Kayes (customs in Kayes will ask for 10,000 CFA unless you have a carnet and it takes some waiting to get around it) but he wanted 20 euro's for this, and he wouldn't have seen us if we hadn't tried to search him out so up to you on that. An hour of loud AC/DC outside his office seemed to help matters along.

Heading south through this route would be best as it's less sandy (just bumpy) whereas heading from the north through Kankossa etc is quite sandy (as you know).

Here are a few quick and dirty pictures of the piste - these are mainly on the Mori side - in the village on the border there was a great Mori guy who had been in France for years and he had setup a community house - we had a nice hot shower, food and some lounging around in comfy pillows talking - you need to have a French speaker ideally ;-)
Piste pictures - selibaby to kayes

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Kiwi, 7 years around Africa. Overlanding channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/roamingyak

as you see on our track we had to go back to mbout because some mechanical problems, and then just skipped the Kankossa route. Some fellows who did it reported quite bad, rocky piste. After Kankossa sandy.
Our way led via Selibaby to Kayes. Nice savanna and baobabs. We had an exellent bivouac there. No problem without 4x4. Only difficulty was the navigation: not easy to find the right piste. We didn't noticed when crossed the border, and got a stamp in Bamako only.

kepek3
from 37.jpg there are the pics from Mbout to Kayes

vids about the Kankossa version http://www.assi.sk/galeria/bamako2007film/2007jan26.wmv
http://www.assi.sk/galeria/bamako2007film/2007jan25.wmv

Adios: Geopoki

A few extra points:

- Get insurance for Mali in Nouakchott. Ask at Auberge Sahara and they will call the insurance guy. It's much cheaper there than in Mali, and as soon as you see a Malian policeman he will ask to see your insurance (ie: coming over the bridge in Kayes)
- You can do all of your paperwork in Bamako. Especially if going on the Kayes to Kita piste afterwards. But it's best to get a visa in Nouakchott, get this stamped in Kayes (police station, yellowish building opposite the the train station, free, ignore request for 2,000 odd cfa with a polite non merci) and then do the customs in Bamako. If anybody asks to see your customs document beforehand, just refuse (though in 3 months nobody ever asked to see mine). Though if you have a carnet do customs in Kayes.

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Kiwi, 7 years around Africa. Overlanding channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/roamingyak

Thanks for the infos, great photos and video. Must have been a nice trip. What happened to the truck in the video? Must have been a roll over. I hope nobody got hurt.

I didn`t know you could get Mali insurance in Nouakchott. Where is Auberge Sahara?
Is it a nice place to stay? I only know the rather expensive hotel El Amane and the two campgrounds and the one in town seems to be always full.
Mbout, Selibaby, Kayes it is then. Seems to be more fun than the tarmac all the way to Ayoun.

Kind regards
Arthur

The insurance covers you in many West African countries, not just Mali (but not Mauritania itself) so worth doing in Nouakchott. I bought 3 months worth - was it about 40 euros or pounds? I can't really remember. From memory it's about 60% of the price compared to buying it in Mali and helps avoid a 25 Euro (asking price) fine if a policemen gets you in Mali.

Auberge Sahara isn't a very good place to camp (Auberge Sahara Mauritanie Nouakchott google for waypoints) but it's on the edge of town on the road coming into Nouakchott so when you arrive in the late afternoon it's an easy place to crash rather than face driving around a strange city after a tiring day or three. A room isn't a bad idea perhaps - hot showers are the norm and good.

I would then move onto Auberge Menata - a bit more expensive (basically 5 euros per person for camping, compared to 3 at Sahara) but much nicer and run by a helpful French woman who speaks good English.

You can get a Mali visa on the same morning (drop off at 9am, pick up at 12) if your heading that way (2 months, 2 entries possible) but I quite like Noaukchott and think it's an interesting place to hang out in for a few days.

I was going to stick to the road going down the Senegal river but was warned (by policemen!) that the police along this route had quite a few roadblocks, could be difficult and there were plenty of mossies around so headed inland to Sellibaby etc

Hope that helps...

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Kiwi, 7 years around Africa. Overlanding channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/roamingyak

Thanks Darrin

You are very helpfull, Menata it is.

KR Arthur

Hi Arthur,


Just got back from Mauritania where I did the Kaedi-Mbout-Kankossa connection.
It is perfectaly doable but there are numerous oueds to cross along the way between Mbout and Kankossa. You can see the remains of the old bridges built by the french being washed out along the oueds! The bit between the pass of Soula and the pass of Soufa (Assaba massif) has to be done with low 4x4 because of the numerous rocks; in some points there is no piste, you just swing between the rocks to get on through. But it is a very scenic passage with baboons and patas monkeys along the way!
With care and no rush I think that the Renault will do it.
From the pass of Soufa, you just navigate to Kankossa; just keep a little bit to the right, as the pistes leaving to the north will lead to Kiffa directly.

Good luck,
José

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Desert Crocodiles of Mauritania: http://cibio.up.pt/crocodilos/en