Hello,

I am planning to ride from Ghana to the UK, leaving late Feb. My original research led me to believe the route was (relatively) safe, albeit with some areas best avoided. However, the more people I tell my plan to, the more horror stories I hear and the more people tell me not to do it / that I have a death wish.

With that in mind, I was hoping to canvas opinions/experience/thoughts about how safe this route is and what I can do to stay safe. I’m particularly interested to hear from people who have recently travelled in the countries I plan to visit.

My route was going to be; Ghana > Cote d’Ivoire (avoiding the South West corner) > Liberia > Sierra Leone > Guinea (avoiding the Mamou to Nzerekore road and surrounding area) > Guinea Bissau > The Gambia (assuming the current problems do not escalate) > Senegal (avoiding the bit between Guinea Bissau and The Gambia) > Mauritania (along the coast road only) > Morocco.

However, following so many negative stories about Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea Bissau, I’m not sure whether it would be better to blast through Mali (which isn’t exactly safe either) to avoid these places?

Any help/stories/thoughts welcome.

I’ve lived in Ghana for 1 year, so I’m somewhat skeptical of horror stories about Africa. Particularly from people who have never travelled in the region. However, I obviously don’t want to take unnecessary risks/would like to stay alive.

Also, if anyone has any hints/tips on travelling safely, it would be great. I know not to travel at night, stay in secure locations in particularly dodgy areas (Mauritania) and keep people up to date on where I am. However, any more ideas would be great.

Thanks