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4 Sep 2014
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Iceland
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yes the plan was january, but the news is not getting any better, and im not realy expecting the camerron border to open soon...ok there is always ways across, but i cant realy sent a truck down with 3 pax and a 50/50 chance of not making it...especaly as boko haram have taken over a lot of the villages and towns near the camroon north south road ( but on the nigerian side of the border)which was our emergancy detour route.
it was a big disappointment, but our company is just to young to send the truck down losing money....and then giving a half refund in nigeria or whatever, my creditcard does not have a high enouth limit to pay everyone off....it was better to cancel now and try again for next year ( at least sky news will be tired of the story then)
but thats the way the cookie crumbles, i was all go, until DRC announced 31 dead,
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5 Sep 2014
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: London and all over West Africa
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Sad news Gazza sorry to hear that. We're in the same boat as you know, and most other overland operators have decided to cancel the upcoming season.
It feels awful to do this at a time when these countries need the support, but the logistics have become so risky there's a huge potential for things to go tits up. Just hoping the powers that be get on top of this outbreak soon and it stops spreading.
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7 Sep 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by schenkel
Are you going on the 70 km Ekok-Mamfe piste?
If you are and it is the rainy season....then....forget Ebola and prepare for battle  |
Haha yeah I think that's been the case in the past but have heard from a few people including another overlander coming the other way that it's now tarmac.
Reading the original blog about the Cameroon crossing it seems like they were only letting people with residency in, and even then they quarantined 60 of them for 2 weeks.
Are you guys at all familiar with shipping options to bypass Nigeria?
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8 Sep 2014
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Francisco, CA
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what to do?
My fiancee and I have been planning an african overland trip for the last year. Leaving from Ireland Nov.2 in a 2001 Land Cruiser fully fitted. We are getting married in Mauritania Nov.15. From there, our plan was to down to Sierra Leone to do some volunteer work for a NGO we are involved with, then make our way back up to Senegal and ship the Land Cruiser back to UK from Dakar and fly home. Obviously, ebola has impacted our plans, not to mention the lives and livelihoods most of West Africa.
We have a lot of money and energy invested, including non-refundable airfares, so are trying figure out alternatives.
One thought was to travel through Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo, then ship Land Cruiser back from Pointe Noir or Luanda. This looks possible, except now for the border issue at Cameroon. Can anyone confirm that it is not possible for a tourist to cross? Seems like the only other alternative would be to spend time in Ghana, Togo, Benin, and ship back from Tema, hoping that ebola does not close any of those borders.
Any ideas? I guess we could try for the above and if we can't get through, then back to Tema or Lagos to ship back.
Regards, Rick.
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8 Sep 2014
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Hmm, seems all plans going from north to south are mostly on hold.....I've been planning quite a while and our tour would have started mid of octobre...
Reading all information, we have decided doing north of africa is adventure, but ebola, closed border of cameroun with nigeria, and local panic situation, this is to much to make this an adventure with fun...
Allthough our original route would never bring us in Ebola countries...but we had to cross Nigeria (comming from mali, burkino and benin) and get into cameroun....and this situation is not likely to change in the very near future.
So last week, we have decided to ship our bikes form europe to Cape town, and do a round trip taking us to namibia, botswana, zimbabwe, zambia, malawi, tanzania en return via mozambique and south africa....
We were able to take this decision as we had no visas yet so our options were still open.....I regret I will miss the north but there is simply no "easy" way around giving the current situation.
keeping in mind it can still become worse as more countries close borders....I don't want to be stuck in Benin.
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9 Sep 2014
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Watch this thread at the german wüstenschiff forum (probably use google translate):
http://www.wuestenschiff.de/phpbb/we...ch-t51686.html
There overlander report their current experiences about bordercrossings of
Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire.
Where they have to wash once their hands at the border and once they meter the body temperature, or have to fill a form.
One of them too write an blog: jealousyreloaded.bplaced.net
I guess that it is more relaxed, if you are there, as here if you watch the news and some forums...
If you are too afraid, the east route over egypt seems to be easy again: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...719#post478612 - a new ferry line is up 
Surfy
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4 Nov 2014
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Cameroon reopens border with Ebola-free Nigeria | STANDARD-TRIBUNE
Looks like after a very tedious wait, the border is open again.
I'm heading back this week to continue with my car from calabar. Lost my copilot so if anyone is also doing the route and you're keen to convoy for a bit please let me know.
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4 Nov 2014
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Cameroon reopens border with Ebola-free Nigeria | STANDARD-TRIBUNE
Looks like after a very tedious wait, the border is open again.
I'm heading back this week to continue with my car from calabar. Lost my copilot so if anyone is also doing the route and you're keen to convoy for a bit please let me know.
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13 Nov 2014
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Correction. Border not open. There are rumours and articles flying around saying all sorts of stuff but I'm in Ikom- land borders are not open. All air borders are open, and maritime cargo is open but nothing else. Some bikers have sent their motos and flown separately from Benin successfully however.
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13 Nov 2014
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Bugger! 
What alternative are you going for?
Do you happen to know how (plane/ship) the bikers sent their bikes and from where-to!
Cheers and best of luck getting through,
Safe travels,
RN
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13 Nov 2014
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I think they sent the moto from calabar to limbe, then took a bus to Cotonou where they flew to Douala and went on to meet the bikes.
I am going to wait for either the land border to open or the limbe car and passenger ferry to start operating. It seems every couple of weeks there's some progress with the borders so fingers crossed. Don't really have a choice because I don't want to send my car unaccompanied on the ferry.
Are you planning a trip soon?
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13 Nov 2014
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By the way it's no longer necessary to fly all the way from Benin- flights from Lagos are apparently operating.
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13 Nov 2014
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Cheers Roach,
thanks for the "intel"!
I'll be heading your way...on my way to SA, leaving Portugal in January, riding a Yamaha XT600E.
Yeah I know plenty of time before I get there but no harm in checking out the alternatives...or I'm I getting a bit paranoid!  
The border closing I think was more political than ebola and they can't keep the border closed forever cos it effects Cameroon's economics, so sometime soon it should open!
Hang in there!
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18 Nov 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rndef
Cheers Roach,
thanks for the "intel"!
I'll be heading your way...on my way to SA, leaving Portugal in January, riding a Yamaha XT600E.
Yeah I know plenty of time before I get there but no harm in checking out the alternatives...or I'm I getting a bit paranoid!
The border closing I think was more political than ebola and they can't keep the border closed forever cos it effects Cameroon's economics, so sometime soon it should open!
Hang in there! |
Just been checking out African Border monitor looks like the border has opened.
Africa Border Monitor
Roach, I will be hanging out in Morocco now till mid January. So we might run into each other?
Patrick
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18 Nov 2014
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Hey guys,
don't rely too much on African Border Monitor.
Their source is the Standard Tribune Cameroon reopens border with Ebola-free Nigeria | STANDARD-TRIBUNE which apparently seems to be wrong, according to people on the ground.
I haven't in fact heard from any other source that the border has re-opend but please correct me if am wrong - and I certainly hope that I am!
Cheers,
RN
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