Mauritanie/Mali/senegal rain season
 

hello
Our plan is to travel to mali this summer. We have 7 weeks so that is possible. But we have some experience with marokko, tunesie, libie, egypt, jordan, syria etc in summer. Never problems, but there it is always dry. so this year our uncertainty is the rain season. Who has experience with it. Is it really bad to travel in rain season? which problems do you run up against? Is there a lot closed?
I like to hear everything about your ideas or experiences. thanks in advance.

brend

Maybe there is somebody traveling to mali too this summer?

Maroc = tarmac
Western Route to NCK = all tarmac- you could come stuck if an oued floods- first time I went, traffic was backed up 20Kms for 2 weeks waiting for water levels to go down
Mauritania = all tarmac (only 1 road between NCK and Nema where it ends) - but road through villages are bust up tarmac and sand
Mali = new tarmac road to Bamako
Bamako to Douentza = tarmac
Douentza to edge of Niger (for ferry to Korioume) corrugations and sand piste
Korioume to Tombouctou = tarmac

Rains are torrential - very very heavy - locusts can also be a problem
Nights are very very hmid and sticky- you don't sleep so good
On the plus side- parts of desert land turn to green, cattle feed and crops grow fast so people are happier- and termites build those weird looking 'mushroom-shape' habitats

We came through Senegal, Gambia, guinea Sierra Leone last year in the rainy season and had very few problems, apart from getting wet obviously.
Check out the Fouta D,jalon mountains in Guinea.
the waterfalls are spectacular in the rainy season, but a very pretty cliff in the dry season,
which is why we did it, sometimes you will be stuck in a town for a couple of days but it mostly rained in the afternoons when we came through.
Enjoy your trip mate