Lake Chad Area
 

Hi
Anyone know about the road/trach conditions around lake chad entering from niger and exiting into cameroon?

Any info is helpful

Becky

lake tchad track
 

Hi
We took this road last december. From Niger to Tchad. With a 4x4 (HJ61) it's not a problem. There's a bit of navigation but with a GPs, it's easy. Some part are quite sandy but no dunes to cross. Maybe the main problem is about security. We live in Tchad and maybe you ear what appen last april. Now, it's okay but situation can change very quickly. Police and custom are not particulary friendly....and N'djamena is not a place to spend many times!!!!! I can give you more détails if you need.
Cheers
Olivier (who speak french better, sorry!!!)

Niger to Chad
 

Thanks for the information oliver.

We will crossing on a motorcycle - just how deep does the sand get? And how many days from Niger border to Cameroon border ( N'Jamena)?

Any problems with the people? You said they could be unfriendly at times

We will have to stay a few nights in N'Djamena as we need visa for Cameroon - advice on where to stay?

Thanks

Becky

gps coordinate from niger to NDJ
 

Hi Becky
When did you plane to go? It's bloody hot down there at this time and if it rain , the road can be realy bad!
We bought diesel in Zinder where you can find official fuel but after you'll find only fuel from Nigeria (cheaper but not better!!) From Zinder to Diffa, the road was good except few part with many potholes and from Diffa to nguigmi, there'is only huge potholes witch make you driving beside the road. In Nguigmi we sleep at the police. Carry enough water with you. there's few villages but maybe you will not stop there if it's possible.
We start early in a morning from Nguigmi, cross the border between niger and Tchad, drive a full day, sleep on night in the bush(hide beside a trees far from the road) and we arrived in Ndjamena in the evening. We took 2 days. It's writting more in a Sahara overland but they made a new dirt road who save you many times.
The main sandy part are betwen nguigmi and the border. many 2 wheel drive a coming from benin to NDJ so if it's possible with a 2 wheel drive it must be possible by motobike. If you not drive in a main track, it should be okay.

The only problems that we had during the journey was at the police check point of Masakori where the police ask for money and begin very very nasty when we try to talk.... finally we spend few CFA and 2 old newspapers (maybe 2000.-). We didn't have a carnet de passage so we didn't need to drive to bol where we hear that people was a bit crasy. Finally the trip was more quiet that we expect at the begining. In N'djamena the best place to sleep is at the catholique mission Kabalaye where the sisters can be very helpfull if you need something. And dont'walk at night or in a evening in town, even near where you sleep. Always carry your passport with you....but nothing really different than in other african big town.

i'll give you few GPs coordinate from Nguigmi to NDJ

1: N 14°15.200 E 013°07.900
2: N 14°17.100 E 013°10.060
3: N 14°20.100 E 013°16.220
4: N 14°24.750 E 013°28.350
5: N 14°24.830 E 013°36.810
6: N 14°23.130 E 013°41.160
7: N 14°14.690 E 013°52.960
8: N 14°14.350 E 013°55.158
9: N 14°08.182 E 014°03.900
10: N 14°08.000 E 014°04.350
11: N 14°03.280 E 014°04.350
12: N 14°02.220 E 014°11.170
13: N 13°52.200 E 014°15.760
14: N 13°52.100 E 014°16.090
15: N 13°41.540 E 014°30.983
16: N 13°33.600 E 014°41.400
17: N 13°27.425 E 014°42.985
18: N 13°29.200 E 015°02.950
19: N 13°37.870 E 015°21.930
20: N 13°00.400 E 015°44.600
21: N 12°28.900 E 015°26.300

Cheers
Olivier

Through Maiduguri
 

The easiest and safest way to go from Niger to Cameroon is probably to take the road from Zinder to Diffa, then head south and cross into Nigeria, follow one of the sandy pistes that slalom between the acacia trees for 40-60km (it's fairly easy but watch out the thorns: stay in the tracks), then take the asphalt to Maiduguri, continue on the asphalt in the south-west direction into the small border town of Banki (Nigeria side) / Limani (Cameroon side).

We somehow managed to do the entire road Diffa to Banki/Limani (360km) in just one day on motorcycle, including 2 border crossings, a flat tire and a couple of police road blocks ("So, what do you have for me?").

The story of that very long day by Merritt: http://www.photobiker.com/continents...x.html?lang=en
An anecdote about the Banki border crossing is hidden in: http://www.photobiker.com/continents...x.html?lang=en


Pierre (& Merritt too)
http://www.photobiker.com

BMC, I am not sure if this is timely yet, but should you still needed it, there is quite a good bit of info on this piste on www.mosquitto.org. The site itself is in Portuguese, but it has a translation function (by Altavista) on its home page (I tryed the English one and it was not too bad.) And in any case, the navigation to find the posting is extremely straight forward: On the Main Menu (home page, upper left hand side) click on Tracks and Roadbooks, then click on Ndjamena, Chad to Nguigmi, Niger. The posting itself is originally in English, so you should have no probs with it. One last bit of info on this: The Baga Sola to Massakori Road has deteriorated significantly since Encana stopped its oil exploration work around the lake.

On the Maiduguri into Cameroon option, I very strongly, repeat, very strongly recommend that it be avoided at all cost. Earlier this month, while travelling from Maiduguri to Kano with my son, we were held up and robbed at gun point app. 100 km west of Maiduguri. It was not a pretty thing: lots of lead flying all over, one of my front tires blown up, the glass on the windows on my side broken up with the butt of a AK-47. I honestly felt that I had came upon the end of my road!! Eventually I took advantage of some confusion caused by a Mercedes that came into the scene from behind me to run away. I found out afterwards that this type of incidents are not at all rare on this road.

Jorge Serpa
Ndjamena, Chad

Chad-Cameroon, Nigeria-Cameroon
 

I was in the area about nine months. I went Maiduguri into Cameroon, and found the border a breeze (a caveat though - I was on public transport). Really sorry to hear the previous poster's story. The Banki border is a scruffy village, quite hard to find an actual demarcated border, but people will guide you. Lots of moneychangers everywhere - useful to note they have West African CFA as well as Central African CFA, plus Naira.

Beware the Kouserri border between Cameroon/Chad: the Chadian officials really have their hands out for money. Everyone gets tapped for money, locals an foreigners alike, and 'problems' with your paperwork are easily discovered. And sometimes easily resolved! Lots of police checkpoints on the Cameroon side, but no hassles. Maroua is a really nice place to chill when you get there - Relais Ferngo is good, clean, cheap with plenty of parking space.

Hi JSerpa,

What a terrible situation you encountered, I am glad you and your son have survived it. We are planning going into Cameroon travelling from Diffa (Niger) to Maiduguri to Banki/Limani border. This route is not near the point you encountered these bandits (which must be near Potiskum). Any ideas about the safety on this route? I hoped that this route would be relatively safe as it is so far into the North-East.
You encountered these bandits on a primary, paved road - is it not?
Maybe it would be safer for us to travel a bit more eastward, from Diffa to Monguno(bordering lake Chad) to Dikwa to Waza (taking more unpaved roads)?

Many regards,
Martin

AmsterdamMaroua, I really do not know what to advise you! I was also under the impression that this road was far enough north as to be free of problems! My problem was with a group of armed people led by a guy in full regular police uniform. I have been told (after the my case, of course!) that this type of incident is not at all rare on this road. The police patrol behind let's the one up front know that you are coming and they set up the road block just for your, normally right after a curve and in a place where the road is surrounded by some bushes and trees. Apparently, under normal circunstances, they take your money and belongings and you are back on the road soon thereafter. What was strange on my incident was the amount of firing that took place and the nervousness of the guys. To go from Diffa to Maiduguri, you must be in a motorcycle. I do not know a thing about the routes that you mentioned. I do not know if further North and East (as in closer to the lake) is any better. What I can tell you is that from the border in Banki all the way to Maiduguri, the road was packed with police and border control patrols, sometimes less than 5 km apart from each other. Unfortunately, after my incident, I was left with the impression that they were part of the problem, not of the solution!!!! Let me know if I can be of any help to you from here in Ndja. And do keep me posted of whatever happens.

Jorge Serpa
Ndjamena, Chad

Hi Jorge,

Thank you for your reply. What do you mean by "To go from Diffa to Maiduguri, you must be in a motorcycle." ?

Brgrds,

Martin

Diffa sits in a river (the name of which I do not know but it runs from West to East, to Lake Chad, and it separates Niger from Nigeria.) There is no bridge to cross it and, to the best of my knowledge, the small boats that go from one side to the other can only handle motorcycles. Rgds,

Jorge Serpa
Ndjamena, Chad

Lake Chad area Niger kidnapping
 

A kidnapping seems to have occured in the Lake Chad area in Niger:



Italian tourists missing in Niger

Niger's army is still searching for two Italian tourists, who have been missing since their party was ambushed and robbed by bandits earlier this week

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5280960.stm

When were you there last? When we crossed the border 3 years ago, there was a bridge - a small one, but rather new, in concrete, and large enough for a car.

Pierre (& Merritt too)
http://www.photobiker.com

I was last there about 3 or 4 months ago, but I have to admit that I did not look for a bridge as I did not even know that one could exist!!! I will look for it on my next time there (in 2 months time, I hope!)

Jorge Serpa
Ndjamena, Chad