Rosso bridge (Mauritania/Senegal border)
 

A Chinese company won the €87 million contract for the construction of a bridge over the River Senegal connecting Mauritania and Senegal at Rosso. Construction was supposed to start a year ago and be completed by 2023 but the launch ceremony has only just been held, presumably due to pandemic delays.

As well as saving considerable amounts of time waiting for the ferry, the bridge is intended to allow far higher volumes of traffic. The real problem with the crossing, however, is due to officials, mainly on the Mauritanian side, fleecing travellers, many of whom choose to cross instead at Diama.

Humm..... expect fleecing on an industrial scale once it is built doh

I think the bride will reduce the amount of corruption on the border. It's just harder to come up with fake fees, since it's a bridge and not a boat.

So this is mostly very good news!

Does it make any difference if your exiting or entering Mauritania when it comes to corruption/scams (sounds worse than Senegal from what I Have read)

I would like to try both Diama and Rosso when going south or coming back north.

I would say do Diama southbound which is supposedly easier in that there is a bridge.
Then once you have a feel for Senegal and know what to expect from RIM, come back on the Rosso ferry. I do wonder if its notoriety has become exaggerated over the years - at worst they overcharge you.
If you are an experienced overlander (or even a French speaker) you ought to be able to handle it. And if it's as terrible as they say, nip of back to Diama.

If there was no choice – like Wadi Halfa in the old days – travellers would just suck it up.

Zargane's dodgy deals are still the same at Rosso and there doesn't seem to be any chance of a change based on recent reports

That is actually my idea. Once I know more about Mauritania and Senegal and their border, maybe give it a shot if I feel in the mood for rock&roll. I have travelled a bit and dealt with long borders with CPD and corrupt police, but totally new to this region (and older too!). I hope the 12 years in a French speaking country pay off I go to Rosso,, :mchappy:

May sound naive, but visiting Lac Rose, or stay at Zebra Bar, or cross at Rosso may have a meaning, as places you have heard of and may want to experience, as for a young backpacker in Asia stay in Thamel St in Kathmandu or Kao San Rd in BKK.

Zargane is a place or person? (Customs official? Fixer?)

He's the fixer/problem at Rosso

Is there any way to bypass that guy or is he collecting the money for the officials?

I have never used a fixer and have been extremely reluctant to pay any unclear fees. Spent very long hours on borders for not paying them and required signed and stamped bills for any payments that I would “later confirm with my Embassy” mainly to annoy the corrupt guy (I was more stubborn when younger, and it can be nerve-cracking for both sides).

Apologies if I am polluting the thread :oops2:

As I understand it, they are all in it together.

There is some recent reports in the facebook overlanding groups