Thanks for the update Craig... good to have current info from people actually on the road now!

I assume you didn't use your carnet when you returned to Senegal from your Mali trip?

We are hoping to cross back into Senegal in about a week at Maka Goui slightly further east from where you crossed today so will post again with the latest situation there.

For general info:
At Zebrabar we met a group of 6 people of different nationalities travelling in 3 vehicles together who were told that because their vehicles were older than 5 years they needed an army convoy to get them to St Louis and they paid 75 Euros between them! They crossed at Diama only 2 days after us (about 15 November). None of them had carnets so they all bought laissez passers at the correct rate of 2,500 CFA each.

Entering the Gambia we used our carnet and were not charged anything for any of the crossing. The Belgiums who crossed at the same time as us did not have a carnet and bought a laissez passer for their 20 year old car. The customs guy asked if they were selling the car and then went on to tell them how easy it was to sell vehicles in the Gambia and what to do!! All very friendly!

Hope this is helpful.
Kate

p.s. Does anyone actually believe anything they read on Wikipedia?? I find it to be totally misleading and blatantly wrong on facts time and time again... after all it's "the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit"!!