Thanks Mark,

And just as I was beginning to convince myself it'd all be OK!!!

So over how long a stretch do you reckon I could get really bad patches - all the way through Cameroon/Gabon, and even DRC into Angola? Or is it really Lamberene to Brazzaville, or even just from Dolisie to Brazz? I'm thinking if it really is impossible solo I might have to hitch a ride rather than waiting for weeks?

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All depends on Mother Africa, eh? Sam nailed it -- if it doesn't rain for 36 hours or so, you're golden.

I didn't mean to suggest it's not possible solo -- it definitely is, but if it has been raining you might want to chill in a town and wait it out. No harm in that. Cheap accommodation food and abound and the locals are terrific you'd probably have a blast.

In Cameroon the Mamfe road is well populated and help will be about if things go south. In Gabon from Lambarene to the Congo border town of Ndende is paved and then graded piste and little sweat.

Road conditions are worse south of Ndende, but they improve after probably 70 km, when the road intersects with a logging road. From that point to Dolisie conditions are better and the road heavily trafficked by log trucks.

From Dolisie to Brazzaville (actually Kinkala) could be your toughest stretch, if muddy. Not many people out there, but a handful of towns (Madingo & Mindouli being the largest) will have everything you need. And smaller villages on the way too.

I wouldn't count on hitching a ride on any part of this, Cameroon to Congo if it's rainy and muddy -- the few trucks you encounter will be having a harder time than you!

From Brazzaville to Matadi is paved. To enter Angola, we deliberated between entry at Noqui or, farther east, Songololo. Songololo was said to be easier. We chose Noqui, it was a pretty technical track, rocky and hilly with the inevitable gullies. Thankfully it was dry. Zero traffic on that route, it's not passable by 2WD car, and not simple for a 4WD.

From Nzeto on the Angolan coast south everything was easy enough. Good luck & keep us posted ~~

Mark

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Hi Ian,

My new schedule says I should be in Congo Brazzaville early in May - with some luck in everything that comes before, of course :-). Let me know where I can check on your progress and perhaps we can meet. I did PM you earlier.

Safe riding!
Kobus

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Thanks Mark - going to take a look at your info with a map later.

Kobus - I've PM'd you my email - I'm sort of waiting to see how quickly I can get visas sorted, so not sure how quickly I could hit the road at moment. Basically a window in my workload has appeared, and I need to grab it! But have to be back in UK by Jun/Jul, so want to get going sooner the better. But my VERY VERY approx schedule at the moment suggests Brazz at end of April, so guess we're not far apart!

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Cool, Ian - I also replied to your e-mail address. I also have a good number of visas to get in place myself now - don't trust the visa service people, ask for proof along the way...

Good luck!
Kobus

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Congo Ninja rebel update?

I was at the Congo embassy in Abuja (had my visa within a hour!) and apparently the Chief of the Ninja’s has come out of the jungle and is now working with the government, the Ninja’s are not active in the region any more from late Dec09 he said. Hopefully this will make banditry less likely in the area but I’m unsure how quickly all the members will agree to stop making easy money… As someone else has wrote they are still about asking for money but it’s all manageable i reckon.

Hopefully I’ll on my way south from Nigeria next week going via Dolisie-Brazzaville, thanks for the route info everyone!!

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Thanks Duck,

Let us know how you get on!

BTW where did you get the DRC one (assuming that's where you're heading?) Or are you going to try Brazzaville? Again, please keep us informed, would be VERY helpful! As I understand it, you have to have your NEXT visa (e.g. Angola) before they'll let you have a DRC one in Brazz?

Good luck mate!

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Hi, Ian

I’m here in Yaounde (Cameroon) now and had my DRC 30day visa within the morning, 9.30am and had it 12.30am. I then bolted round to the Gabon embassy around the corner and had it in on the same day (Monday), they told me to come back this Thursday but someone who handed in their visa early on Monday morning was told to come back Wednesday (but all good to get them in the same week).

DRC opens 10am, cost was 60,000CFA with 10,000CFA for express service
Gabon opens 8.30am I think, 50,000CFA, no express service.

Get your visas where you can along the way and don’t wait till your last chance!! I’ve been caught out a couple of times.

Got my Angola in Abuja for 30USD, 5day transit. I had 3 visas in 4days in Abuja -Angola (3day), Congo (same day) and Cameroon (1day)

FYI, I also found the Gabon embassy in Abuja but don’t have the info here now but will put a post up for it, takes a week for 17000Nira, express (sit down before reading) 52,000Nira and takes a couple of days, needless to say I asked for my passport back!

Anybody got any route updates for Gabon to Dolisie to Brazzaville? weather reports?

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Thanks Duck, that's very useful to know!

Seems I'd got it about right, was planning on a visa-shopping-spree in Abuja (3) and Yaounde (2). Think I've also read that Gabon and Congo are possible at the point of entry? But guess like you say the sooner the better, long as your dates are reasonably fixed.

Not sure which way you've come, but did you get Nigeria in London?

Up-to-date updates very useful - please keep posting!

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Hi Ian, Got my Gabon visa yesterday, a day later than they said. I reckon get your Gabon visa here first then do express at DRC, heard Gabon can take longer. A overland truck done Gabon on Monday morning first thing and then DRC Wednesday then left Thursday, they were quicker that way.

Hahahaah, Nigeria visa. That was one that caught me out, thought I could get it in Togo but had to go across to Accra (Ghana) to get it, no problem and easy. You can get Nigeria visa in Bamako (Mali). Again I’d say get your visas before rather than waiting till last chance!

I’m leaving today for Gabon but will try to keep updating.

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Duck

Just been on a 450-mile round trip today to Nigeria and Niger embassies.

Nigeria (London) won't give me one as they say I must have visas for countries before AND after. Niger and Cameroon probably in my case. But I do have multi-entry Niger, so I could use Niger as "prior" and "onward" if necessary. But not time to waste 2 more days sitting in their embassy (off at weekend)!

So reckon I'll have to stop in Accra also as luckily I do have Ghana! Did they ask for onward proof? And Travellers' cheques (London said in excess of £300 worth for 7 days)? And was a LOI or hotel booking needed?

Grrrrrrrrrrr

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Hi Ian,
I got all my visas, except Algeria, without LOI from anywahere by submitting my itinerary and just saying that I can't book in advance or make any fixed arrangements, because the nature of a bike trip is that it's difficult to predict when you'll be where exactly. Could they be more lax with South Africans or at the embassies in South Africa?

Anyway - good luck - see you in Oran.

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Hi Ian

Not sure about your route but Bamako in Mali is a good option for Nigeria visa or Accra (Togo, Benin visa’s I got at relative borders), not sure what they require but I’m sure they don’t want visa prior and onward as others didn’t have this as me, Abuja and Yaounde are your visa pit stops on route!!!!

The main thing is don’t panic, I got all my visa’s on route so I’m sure you will, no worries matey and don’t waste your time trying to get them before you leave . I had NO visa’s when I left the UK, no LOI’s, no travellers cheques, no proof of cash(but others have been asked to show a statement, online one will do), no hotel bookings, pick a hotel from Lonely Planet. Also been using my forged insurance docs with no questions but get real ECOWAS insurance at Mauritania as Senegal police are a Bee’ach if you don’t have it (mine ran out after Senegal so doctored my Morocco green card and reprinted, looks real enough but I will get proper insurance for South Africa way).

Route was bla bla bla Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana (for Nigeria visa), Togo, Benin(near Ketou, 3rd border up from coast?), Nigeria(entered and left via southern regions without problems, the nail boards on the road are a sort of civil immigration check so don’t pay them, I ran all but one before I got stopped but I didn’t know they were civil immigration) , Cameroon(to Manfe), Gabon, Congo, DRC bla bla bla…

In Brazzaville now and spoke to a guy who is who is looking to get his DRC visa, could take a while from what I hear, then apply for Angola at the Matadi border. Hmmmm, why wait until get visa’s this far down?

If you’re planning on going to via Pointe-Noire then you’ll need a double entry 5day visa for Angola for Cabinda in/out (into DRC) then into the Angola heartland (that’s 5days for Cabinda then 5dayer for the heartland). When you fill in the Angola visa form write “double entry” somewhere beside the transit visa tick box at the top, was told I couldn’t get double by the lady but it came back with double entry visa, also told no tourism visa possible. Recently heard you MIGHT be able to get an extra 6days on the Transit visa at Caxito police station before Luanda.

Good luck and sleep easy…

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Update from Gabon to Brazzaville via Dolisie

After the crossing at Eboro into Gabon you’ll find good tar all the way to the equator signage, it will have you longing for a sports bike again! Soon after equator expect the smooth tar to break up. You can get fuel (Total) at Ndjole if you are heading back up the Franceville route (went to Lope on a decent piste, nice spot by the river but not much in the national park). South to border at Congo you’ll be back on tar again then off it onto some excellent wide piste, upper section is being tarred by the Chinese as we speak. No problems getting fuel riding south to Congo border, many fuel station to keep you topped up (lots Total’s so the chance of getting good synthetic based quality API oil for oil changes if you need one!). Last Gabon fuel station is about 40km from the border. After this station/village to piste could get soft when wet compared to previous piste but no heavy traffic to turn it into mud and it has recently been improved with deep water run off drainage to reduce possible water build up. Had a couple of days rain going south to the border, one afternoon thunder storm it went on so long that we turned back to a nearby hotel, another day the rains opened up we stayed put. When it rains it RAINS, factor in some time to let it dry out. All the piste here is the lovely red stuff (the red carpet), except that last 40km. The red stuff dry’s out fast and is firm offering lots more grip than the sandy coloured earth, plus it tends to ungulate smother I reckon.

To the Congo border you’ll be on a sweat single track with a bit of grass growing in the middle, it’s a quite crossing so hassle free and happy officials. On the Congo side the route is not as well maintained (I’m only comparing it to previous route and not condemning it), soft and could get a little muddy in wet season or with lots of rain but only for 15km and gets better again another 10km down the route. Then it’s a fantastic fast single track piste, it will widen out around Kibangou for the logging lorries and the inevitable corrugations south to Dolisie. Just before hitting Dolisie you’ll be on a couple of short sections of powdery sand, don’t bother deflating as they not that long. 52km/h moving average from border to Dolisie.

Dolisie to Kinkala there is many fuel stations, just fill up if in doubt (more Total’s so again the chance to quality engine oil for changes here in Congo).

The piste is………interesting! We had a dry time but there was still wet muddy holes to go through and a downed river bridge, I must say these where not serious so don’t panic! Meeting some wet patches on this route is a fact of life I reckon but I’m glad it was a piste ridden outside of the wet season (golden!), there was 2WD cars on the route. Moving average was 35km/h from Dolisie to Brazzaville (managed to get from Kinbangou to Mouati in one day 343km). The route to Brazzaville was rough with all kinds of piste, hard/soft/gullies everywhere/mud/water/dust (some tarred sections to tease you!) and you’ll constantly be looking ahead for the best path ahead, best done when dry so might be best to wait if it rains but nothing is impossible. You could ride it solo no worries when we did but might be nice to have friends if it turns out wet when you push through. Meet a bunch of lorries towards the end of the route which is a little more sandy. The route will keep you on your toes right to the very end! About 10km from Brazzaville the smooth tarmac ends and it will be rough and sandy with much traffic, the sand isn’t that bad or deep.

The small rainy season should have started by now the locals say but the weather is not normal, usually March to May and dry June/July. The weather can change a lot in a couple of hundred kms.

Did not meet any Ninja check points on the route either and a policeman said the Ninja chief is working with the government, that confirms what I heard at the Congo embassy when getting my visa.

The Dolisie-Brezzaville route was one of the best routes I done travelling down West Africa and it is what adventuring riding is all about!!!

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Great update Duck, sure appreciate it. Really useful information.