Mauritania Travel Forum

Has anyone travelled recently Marocco - Western Sahara - Mauritania overland?

would like to know more about...

thanks,
Bo!

Yes, we did it last year. Travel photos at:
http://usuarios.lycos.es/olpemo/

If you need any information or recomendation, just ask.

Regards

Aitor
http://w3.to/travellers

As far as I know Western Sahara is a quite dangerous area, considering the recounts of several Moroccan
natives. Not many people go there and Laayoune is
seen as a dangerou city.
I wonder how well you did making that tour?
I would be interested in seeing Mauritania one day.

Mauritania in one day? For me is a nonsense, in one day you have no time to do anything.

About security, Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco, being there I don't consider that it is a dangerous country, absolutely.

Regards,

Aitor

hello there, i made western sahara mauritania overlanding a few times already.

western sahara is safe, no need for worries, laayoune dangerous? humm, doesnt seem like and i dont believe it is, actually because of one of the biggest military centres of all western sahara you'll feel pretty safe on the streests and all.
there are civil off limits zones in western sahara from where you can reach if entering from northern mauritania from bir moghrein. youll have to be escorted back north to laayoune with army veicule free of charge. military men in the separation wall after the border with mauritania and the mines are quite nice and enjoy to receive tourists.

mauritania is a strong country as lack of resources and money make peoples heart a bit more cold than the normal but youll find out nice people of course. if someone agrees to help you in enchange of some money please write it down and make him sign!

the asfalt high way from nouadhibou to NKT will open in december 2004 (lets see about it).

visas for mauritania can be bought on the border after bir guendouz for 50 euros. old cars can pass but you have to sign a paper which you have to keep to prevent veicule importation. they will also write it down on your passport.
cars plus then 4 years old dont come in senegal without carnet de passage, if you dont have it you dont pas (unless you pay police escort until gambia or mali and pay 300 euros for each car) in mali you also need carnet de passage, to gambia ytou dont need but they will ask for it on the border. the law doesnt exists so with a bit of persistence and the normal car fee you can pass to the gambia.

about the Plymouth-Dakar rally , i saw you guys passing me south when going up from NKT on the beach highway!! also met some people in Dakhla.

cheers to you!

you have many pics (close to 300) of my last overlanding trip on west africa, morocco, moroccan western sahara, mauritania senegal and gambia on this page:

http://www.goevora.net/files/ev-tb2004/novo/ev_tb_04_fotos.html

by the way I think Western Sahara is better like it is. Morocco is taking good care of it.
MOROCCAN WESTERN SAHARA sounds great to me.

While travelling in the desert i found it to be terribly hot and humid,my sight got dissillussioned by seeing a mirage,(not the aircraft type) beautiful water woman and cool palms,so i hurried my camel in the direction of the mirage ,but by doing so the camel collapsed and i had to walk further,luckily for me there was another caravan that i met up with who gave me a lift to my destination.

also about the overland trip, diesel and gasolina are half the price in western sahara, army gasoline type very powerful.

hi was it your article and adventures in the tnt i read about re the dakar rally!! anyway is it defintely okay to just have an ordinary car or is it best to have a wheel drive?- to do mauritania through to mali? and back to morocco.

Its not defintely okay to go africa after western sahara without a 4WD car. gets better in senegal but the huge hiles on the asfalt are quite dangerous. Gambia almost dont have asfalt, and a part from southern west mauritania the rest of the country is only comunicable by desert tracks and sand tracks, very hard to do with a small city car. Ive done it thought, lots of problems yes many...

check the website
www.goevora.net

cheers

Look at my mauritania VT page. Bye

Does anyone know if it's possible to sell a car in Gambia? I have a renault 5 i want to drive from holland and sell there, hopefully it'll cover the costs of the flicht back...

you need carnet de passage for cars more than 4 years to enter senegal.
you can enter senegal without carnet paying +-400 euros for police escort with the border to gambia. in the border with gambia you will problably have the same problem.
the new NDB NKT highway in Mauritania is now built and no need to head to desert asphalt all the way! good luck!
check my africa page...