Hey,

We did a big write up about our experiences on border crossings in West Africa on our website.

We are a couple travelling both on a Honda CRF 250L, we will go all around the world and left our home countries (Holland and Turkey) in July 2016. At the moment of writing we passed the West coast of Africa and are now in the Southern part of the continent working our way up North towards Egypt.

We ride more then 30.000 km on Africa right now and passed 23 countries.

We also writing about how to get the visa's for all countries.

Also we have a lot of info about what to do and all our other experiences. We hope this information can help all of you!

Morocco

We entered Morocco with the ferry from Barcelona at Tangier Med. We arrived around 7 pm, you need to get your passport stamped at the ferry (this is for all ferries also from Gibraltar). When you leave the boat they check your passports and let you go to customs, this is where it all starts. When you arrive there it’s pretty crazy and crowded, there are some fixers walking around well willing to help you, but you can do this easily on your own.

Import vehicle – The papers are all writing in French, if you don’t know what it says just asked some other people traveling or officials what you need to fill in. They will help you so you don’t need to pay the fixers! You import your vehicle with a form you need to fill in, they sign and stamp it you need to keep this paper with you till you leave the country.

Passport – Like I said before you get your passport stamped at the ferry during the trip from Spain. After the importation of your vehicle they send you to a small office to fill in your details in the computer , after that your free to go!

Vehicle insurance – You need a green card insurance, we both had that from Europe. Nobody ever asked about our insurance papers, hers where expired when we left the country for a few days . But never any problems.

Bribery – No Money or gifts where asked, if you use the fixers they will ask you around 5 euro. Like I said you can do this easy without.

Leaving Morocco

This goes really smooth, they help you where you need to go, no Money or gifts asked.

Mauritania

We entered Mauritania at the coast line near Nouadhibou (I think this is the only border crossing you can take) You ride about 2 km through no-mansland this is a very bad road fort he last kilometre to get to the Mauritania border. after all stories we got a bit scared and used a fixer here. There is 1 guy well known for motorcyclists called Cheick, unfortunately he wasn’t there when we arrived. There showed a small guy called …. up and he seemed trustable, we agreed to pay 10 dollar for him, 17 dollar for 20 days insurance and 10 dollar custom fee for the motorcycle. The visa price is 55 euro’s and he would help us as well to get that fast. Unfortunately there was a whole rally there as well, about 50 Mercedes from Germany, they needed visas as well..

Passport – First you need the visa, make sure you have Euro’s with you for this or they give you a extremely bad exchange rate. The price is 55 euro, you need to go to s small office they take a photo and print your visa, only thing is they need internet for this and they don’t have that all time. It took us about 6 hours to get it, we heard stories people stayed 3 nights at the border to get there visa. Just before the last rope blocking the road they will scan your visa and your free to go.

Import vehicle – Our fixer did this for us, but I’m sure you can do this easily yourself! You need to have your motorcycle papers fill in a form they sign and stamp it, you pay 10 euro and that’s it.

Vehicle insurance – This is basically why we got our fixer, this supposed to be very hard to get and they work with the fixers. The solution is to get it in Nouadhibou. It’s nearby the camping Chez Ali des Levriers, we paid 17 dollar for 20 days at the border but here it will be cheaper. Nobody ever asked about our insurance in Mauritania

Bribery – We had our deal with the fixer at least we thought we had, after finishing all but he took us to a little cafe and said we needed to pay 200 dollars instead of the 80 dollars we agreed on before. Of course we where not willing to pay, here we ended in a long long long discussion, he showed his temperament and everything, luckily we met Cheick (the motorcycle fixer) before and he gave us his phone number, so we called him as he told us don’t pay more then this price. He argued with our fixer as well and agreed on the phone with him but turning his face to us he was going back to the 200 dollars. Again a long ‘fight’ followed, we had a big crowd around us who eventually all agreed with us (this was nice to see)! When darkness fall down she finally convinced him that we where right and he was wrong, he got his 80 dollars and we finally left the border. Be aware about this guy and don’t trust him!! Also this border crossing is doable without a fixer!

Leaving Mauritania

We left Mauritania from the Diama border, this is a small border near the coastline and is not that corrupt yet.. Don’t go to Rosso! First of all the road to the Diama border is fine to ride, you leave the highway Keur Machene where the road even gets much better. After Keur Machene it becomes a dirt-road but this is a good one and especially in the dry-season easy to ride.

Export vehicle – We entered the office and know they would ask for 10 euro’s each to sign our papers, of course we refused to pay this and we have been talking for about 30 to 40 minutes before he signed our papers for free and let us go.

Passport – They would do the same and try to ask for 10 euro each as well to sign, maybe he seen already we are not willing to pay, he signed our passports and give them to us and then softly asked for 10 euro each, we laugh at him and said no and left the office.

Bribery – Like I just said they will ask for 10 euro everywhere, just refuse play the game with them, don’t leave the office and keep talking. He has 2 books, one with all people who passed and 1 with all people who paid.. Ask to see the book and show him not everyone is paying this helps you as well. If you do pay because you have Money enough or you are in a rush please think about other travellers who don’t have the money to pay this bribes because their life get’s more hard like this. – The only thing what seems to be legit is the community fee of 500 um you need to pay at the border, the guy gives you a receipt.

Senegal

You pass a bridge from Mauritania what costs 4.000 cfa (6,50 euro), you need to pay this in cfa or he will charge you 10 euro each! After that he opens the gate for you.

Passport – You hand over your passport, they give you a visa (stamp) upon arrival, no money or gift asked here.

Import vehicle – You get a Pass Avant at the other side of the Street this costs 2.500 cfa (4 euro). You get 48 hours to extend this in Dakar (of you go on Fridays you get 96 hours).

Vehicle insurance – Don’t buy this at the border!! It’s fake! Where can you get ECOWAS?

Bribery – Here we only got asked 10 euro fort he Pass Avant by one of the guys, don’t pay him just pay the guy at the desk the 2.500 cfa and you have no problems. And just don’t buy the insurance!!

Leaving Senegal

We left Senegal to The Gambia, we used the border crossing nearby Barra, no bribes asked and we got our smoothly.

The Gambia

We entered The Gambia at the Barra border.

Passport – All pretty smooth we got our visas and passport at the border for free, no money or gifts where asked.

Import vehicle – We used our Carnet the Passage (see our blog about that).

They told us they would do in Dabbis, but that’s wrong. You need to go to

Leaving The Gambia

We left The Gambia from the border near Soma

Passport – easy and smooth they stamp you out in the last village before the border.

Export vehicle – We used our Carnet the Passage (see our blog about that).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked.

Senegal (Casamance) – We entered from Soma and left from Zigounchor both really easy no money or gifts asked for.

Guinea Bissau

We entered Guinea Bissau from Zigounchor.

Passport – All really easy and smooth they stamp it fast.

Import vehicle – We used our Carnet the Passage (see our blog about that).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked

Leaving Guinea Bissau

We left Guinea Bissau on a really small border not used a lot by overlanders from Contabane.

Passport – Our passport got stamped out easy

Export vehicle – We used our Carnet the Passage (see our blog about that).

Bribery – They asked what I have for them when we got write out of the country I told him a handshake, shake his hand and we both smiled and we where free to go.

Guinea Conakry

We used a really small border to enter Guinea from Contabane to Dabbis.

Passport – This was a problem, when we arrived at the border they told us they will stamp it in the next (bigger) village. Unfortunately they didn’t. They told us to go to Boke, the next city at the end of the road. We didn’t push anything and trusted them, our mistake! Push more at the first border crossing they need to stamp you in the country. Eventually we got into Boke riding around trying to find customs, this took a while but here are the GPS coordinates 10.930486, -14.291541 if you end up here as well to get your stamp in your passport. The chief here needed to call the minister of tourism who needed to give him permission to stamp us in the country. This all took a long time, we stayed a couple of hours waiting and waiting. The chief then wanted 100.000 GNF (10 euro) when he had the permission to stamp our passports as always we refused to pay and eventually he didn’t ask about it anymore. When we got our passports stamped and went back to our motorcycles his right hand came to us and asked us for a little money because he needed to use his mobile phone all the time, this time I gave him a little money because it is true he put in a lot of afford for us and made some phone calls, I gave him 10.000 GNF (1 euro).

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – The chief asked us in Boke 100.000 GNF we refused and got away with it, only paid 10.000 GNF for his phone costs and because he put a lot of afford into it.

Leaving Guinea

We left Guinea from the Kouremale border to Mali.

Passport – We got our passports stamped out easy nothing asked for.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – They only asked a gift when exporting the vehicle, I offered him a handshake and he excepted it.

Mali

We entered Mali from the Kouremale border.

Passport – We arrived at the border 3 days before our visa started, a bit tricky of course but we where ready to enter, I don’t think anyone ever looked at our visas as they where signed extremely fast. She went to the office, gave the passports to a woman and she went in front of all the people waiting and stamped our passports.

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Mali

We left Mali from the Sikasso border.

Passport – We got our passport stamped out easy nothing asked for

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Burkina Faso

We entered Burkina Faso from Sikasso (Mali).

Passport – They asked a lot of questions, just to have a conversation but stamped the passports easy

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Burkina Faso

We left Burkina Faso from the Bitou border.

Passport – Got stamped out easy nothing asked for

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this). I needed to explain the guy what he needed to do for several times, he probably still doesn’t know but he stamped the Carnet the Passage so I was satisfied.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Togo

We entered Togo at the Dapaong border.

Passport – We got our visa here at the border (see our blog about that).

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this). I needed to walk into a office and ask for it to stamp it, they don’t really care about it.

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Togo

We left Togo at the coastline at the Grand Popo border

Passport – Our passports got stamped easy, nothing asked for.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Benin

We entered Benin at the Grand Popo border.

Passport – Our passports got stamped easy, nothing asked for.

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Benin

We left Benin through a small border near Idi Iroko.

Passport – Our passports got stamped easy, nothing asked for.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Nigeria

We entered Nigeria through a small border at Idi Iroko. The main border is down the coastline but this is pretty corrupt one so we decided to make a few extra kilometers and cross more easy.

Passport – This took a long, long time but eventually our passports got stamped easy and nothing was asked for. We spent around 3 hours at the border talking to everyone and showing our documents

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Nigeria

We left Nigeria through the border nearby Calabar called Ekok to Cameroon. This is a small border you pass over the river by bridge, it´s pretty crowded around and the bridge is not very wide. If you include the sidewalk 2 cars just fit.

Passport – This took a long time, she went in with both our passports. The guy asked a lot of questions where we have been what we have been doing. After half an hour he asked her to leave and wanted me to come in, same questions asked and he wanted a form from the border where we entered. I never received something there so I had no idea what he was talking about, he understood this and stamped my passport and send me out to send her back in again. He stamped her passport as well and we where passing through.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Cameroon

We entered Cameroon from the border in Ekok.

Passport – In this border you pass several checkpoints who all take long time they write down all your information by hand, the first checkpoint did this even twice. No passport stamped yet. Next checkpoint writing everything again and the passports got stamped. You will have 2 more checkpoints where they write down the same information.

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Cameroon

We left Cameroon at the border Minkoko, everything is straightforward and there are not a lot of people around.

Passport – They like to write down everything 3 times or so we got used to this, it takes time but everything goes very friendly.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Gabon

We entered Gabon from the border in Mikoko. A border not used by a lot of people.

Passport – In this border you pass several checkpoints what all take a long time they write down all your information by hand. They love the paperwork, the first one called his boss told our story and write a letter that we needed to give to the immigration office in Bitam. Here they wanted copies from everything, our Passport, Gabon visa, Cameroon visa and exit stamp from Cameroon. Of course there was a copy shop at the other side of the street what asked a fortune for a copy 100 cfa each. If you walk 100 meters to the right they do copies for 25 cfa.

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Gabon

We left Gabon from the border in N´dende, this is one of the few borders to the Republic Congo. It´s a 280 km long dirt road what is not recommended to ride after a lot of rain as it will be pretty muddy, we where lucky it was dry a few days before we got here.

Passport – You need to stamp your passport in the last city N´dende, the office opens at 8 in the morning. From here it´s approximately 50 km´s to the Congo border. You will stop before exiting Gabon again on the road to write down all your information and they will stamp your Carnet here as well.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Congo (Brazzaville)

We entered the Republic Congo from the border in N´dende – Dolisie. A long dirt road needs to be passed for this. The total distance is 280 km and it´s not recommended doing this after a lot of rain and especially not on a rainy day.

Passport – You come to a little place with 4 offices what is the border, again they all love to write down your information so it takes some time. They know what they are doing so it all goes pretty smooth, they ask your route through the country and stamp the passports.

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – ECOWAS insurance valid here.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Congo (Brazzaville)

We left the Republic Congo from the border to Cabinda, there is only 1 border here. It´s pretty crowded but all goes pretty fast.

Passport – Passport is stamped easily, just the writing information takes a bit of time.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Angola (Cabinda)

We entered the Cabinda from the border in 36 km down from Point Noire. It´s pretty crowded but all straight forward and they have real official offices and clothes.

Passport – You enter the first building and need to fill in a form for both about your personal details and where you will stay before they stamp your passport. All people are very helpful and will help you with the translation, all is in Portuguese. Also you need a photo copy from your passport and your Angola visa.

Import Vehicle – Since a long time we are not able to use our Carnet de Passage, Angola is not part of it and they know about this. They will stamp it if you want but still you need to buy temporary importation. The price for motorcycles is 3.166 Kwanza. You can exchange at the border but in Cabinda you will get a better rate, at the moment the black market rates are 2,5 times as much as what the bank will give you for your dollars or euro´s. My advice will be to exchange 20 or 30 dollars at the border and then in Cabinda for a better rate. The importation of the vehicle is 30 days valid.

Vehicle insurance – This is the first country the ECOWAS insurance is not valid anymore. The vehicle importation is directly an insurance as well so you we didn´t buy a new one.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Angola (Cabinda)

We left the Cabinda the border south at Tchinganga.

Passport – Passport is stamped easily, takes a bit of time as you go to multiple offices.

Export Vehicle – They took a look at our importation papers and it was all ok.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Congo (Kinshasa) DRC

We entered the Democratic Republic Congo from Cabinda to Moanda. The road in DRC are not as bad as you expect, a lot of people told us we needed to go from the Luwozi border crossing. For that border you need to ride a long trail what is all mud. Instead taking this border (you need a multiple entrée visa for Angola to take this border). The road from the border to Moanda is a bit sandy but not too bad to ride, distance is about 30 km. From Moanda you head towards Boma this is a good dirt road with a distance about 100 km. After Boma you will find a good tar road!

Passport – It´s a little bit chaotic but all works fine, it´s easy if you have a copy from your passport and visa makes it a little bit more fast. They will take a photo from you as well and ask where you going to.

Import Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Vehicle insurance – We didn´t buy any insurance for DRC.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for at the border. About 10 km from the border is the first road tax barricade you will find. Just say you are not willing to pay and they will let you pass, at least they did for us as with a motorcycle this is easier. You can avoid this road tax point pretty easy as well like other people with a 4×4 did. Just go to the coast straight after the border to Moanda, it´s a small detour. You will find one more on the road where they let you pass easier.

Leaving Congo (Kinshasa) DRC

We left the DRC from the border at Songolo. This is a really crowded border but the people are very friendly and willing to help you, the officials wearing clothes to recognize them. First you need to pass a road tax office again, this might be a hard one especially for the 4×4´s. If you have a motorcycle just tell them motorcycles don´t pay and wait till a local motorcycle passes, he will open the gate with a smile.

Passport – Passport is stamped easily, they take you in a nice office with AC.

Export Vehicle – We used our Carnet de Passage (see our blog about this).

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for at the border itself.

Angola

We entered Angola from the border at Songolo, this is a big border crossing and very crowded but has all official offices so you know where you need to go.

Passport – You enter the first building and need to fill in a form for both about your personal details and where you will stay before they stamp your passport. Also you need a photocopy from your passport and your Angola visa.

Import Vehicle – See Angola (Cabinda) part for this. They want to see the paper again and will stamp it again so you have the 30 days again same is for your visa if you have multiple entrée.

Vehicle insurance – This is the first country the ECOWAS insurance is not valid anymore. The vehicle importation is directly an insurance as well so you we didn´t buy a new one.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for.

Leaving Angola

We left Angola to Namibia passing the border at Santa Clara, this is the main border between these countries. It’s not that crowded, there are a few guys hanging around who want to exchange money with you and give you advice where to go, all goes friendly we just said no to everything.

Passport – Passport is stamped after going through all your details and where you have been, and then they take a photo from you.

Export Vehicle – You need to show your importation papers, they keep one of them and off you go.

Bribery – No money or gifts where asked for at the border itself.

Of course this is all personal experience and as this is Africa things are different every day.

I hope to give you a little bit of a look into how things go.

If you want to read more check out our website OneroadOneworld I Two Motorcycle Riders on the road there is a lot of information to find as we are trying to write everything.

I will keep continuing doing this about all borders we cross in Africa and our next continents we will visit.

For personal questions please send us a message through Facebook.

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