After a journey across the Sahara I arrive at my main destination of this trip: SENEGAL!
Fantastic what a journey, a great adventure. It has become a long blog, enjoy reading!
Mauritania-Senegal border costs
The official currency in Senegal is the CFA franc and the rate is 1000 CFA = €1.52 and €1 = 656 CFA.
Costs at the border are:
- Cash €10,00 bridge
- Cash €1,50 Diama parking
- Cash €20,00 West Africa car insurance for one month
- Cash €250,00 car document for Senegal
For Senegal a Carnet de Passage is useful, according to European countries not necessary, but without it I can’t enter the country. I have read that at the border in Diama a car document, a kind of Carnet de Passage which is also used for Dakar rallies, can be made for 10 days. The costs are €250 cash, so bring enough cash euros! Within 10 days you have to renew this document in a city and that costs about €10.
Mauritania-Senegal border crossing
I drive over the yellow bridge to Senegal, a young policeman is relaxing on the floor when I arrive. After 5 or 10 minutes he gets up and asks for my passport. A local wants my attention and then my phone number. I ignore him but the policeman sends him away and I can sit in the police room. Okay that is handy but also a bit strange … I can see exactly what the police computer system looks like, interesting!
He asks questions via Google translate that may be important, but soon aren’t, like are you married? I stand up and he shows one more text on his phone, “you are very beautiful!” I actually want to ignore it but I have to laugh anyway. This handsome young policeman looks at me proudly and hands me my passport back stamped.
Next counter CAR. Waiting for the official car document of €250.00 takes hours. The document is made in the city of Saint-Louis and brought to the border. It is already dark and I decide to spend the night here. At 8 pm the car document arrives and I sit outside in the dark on a stool to arrange the border papers. I have a Senegalese fixer, because I don’t mind giving him the money. He borrows my glasses because he doesn’t have any himself.
First impression Senegal
In the city of Saint-Louis I can withdraw money from an ATM, also buy fresh bread and drinking water. I still use groceries from Morocco and am glad I bought a supply, because there are not many large supermarkets on the way.
Parc Nacional de la Langue de Barbarie
Then on to Parc de La Langue de Barbarie. We find a nice spot by the sea or actually more of a lagoon. The beach is idyllic! The sound of the birds, the local fishing boats and the perfect sandy beach.
The house dogs on the campsite are quite territorial and Leo even gets bitten! Camping Zebrabar is perhaps not recommended if you have a dog with you.
Capital Dakar
First to the city of Thies there is an Auchan supermarket and orange shop for my sim card. Wow that is a big city! Too much going on to be able to film while driving. Mopeds, people everywhere, packed vans, horse and carriage, sand, dust, clouds of exhaust fumes, market right along the road and enormous high speed bumps, for me the highest ever!
On the way I have to stop for police, 1st stop the document for the car, 2nd stop my driver’s license and 3rd stop a ‘friendship’ request. I say no, smile with my hand on my heart and drive away waving. On to Dakar over the toll road, a relaxed ride. Isn’t it fantastic that I am suddenly in Dakar! Leo and I walk in a suburb and enjoy the street life.
Lac Rose
I drive the road to Lac Rose via Google maps. There are two options and I take the shortest one. OMG that isn’t a good idea! A sand path of about 10 km through villages and narrow ‘streets’ sometimes also soft sand. Whaah I had decided not to do this anymore, keep going and follow tire tracks I say to myself. When I arrive sweaty at the asphalt road, I get respect from the locals. Two men give me the thumbs up, well done with my Citroën jumper and 2-wheel drive.
The campsite at Lac Rose is amazing! Swimming pool, sunbeds and also a luxurious shower and toilet. Cold water but that is completely fine with this tropical weather. The pink lake is not pink at all?! That’s funny, I drove here over all those sandy roads and then I just find a nice lake!
En route
Rufisque city is nearby and I drive the camper into the city looking for an ATM, oh what a challenge! Busy, very busy and then the asphalt suddenly stops no no I don’t want sand roads anymore, haha and it gets worse! A viaduct that I can’t get under and have to reverse 500 meters in this chaos. Bizarre and I just did it! Centimeter work because everyone wants to drive through and not reverse. I did get some help from locals who directed the traffic for me, great! Out of the city again without cash…
In the meantime I have been on the road for two hours while my final destination was only 1.5 hours away. Where does the time go? I never make the planned time of Google maps here, in Senegal I always add 1 or 2 hours.
I decide to continue driving via the toll road to an eco-lodge. On the way I see cars with goats on the roof.
Eco Lodge Dalaal Diam
Dalaal Diam is an eco lodge where you can stay overnight with your camper. You park next to the baobab tree, a truly stunning spot! Nice walk along the river in Sindia and then drink a baobab juice on the terrace behind the mosquito netting. Perfect!
Bounjour! A fresh baguette from the nearby village is brought to my camper. I film Leo, the sunrise and the sound of the birds. Paradise here! Special birds are looking for food under the baobab tree. Yesterday I even saw a monkey!
Water is scarce in many places in Senegal and so are washing machines. I bring a big shopper full of laundry to the reception and on the moped it is taken to the village, washed, dried and picked up again €4.50. The bottle of detergent I had given, I don’t get back 🙂
National Park Saloum Delta
Today is not a busy day, just ‘quickly’ withdrawing money and filling up with diesel. Drove for over two hours and tried 5 ATMs. The ATM at bank 6 works, hallelujah! I can buy diesel and we drive a bit further south.
To a lovely spot in Park Saloum Delta where I also meet Marloes and Tom from NL again. Relaxing day today because this afternoon we have booked a boat trip to the Saloum Delta. First we can eat a bite of the spicy fish lunch. Then we are picked up with the oldest rickety still driving car I have ever seen. Haha over those high speed bumps and everything goes well, I love it!
In a long motorboat we go to see the mangrove. The skipper gets a kind of oysters/mussels from the saltwater mangrove roots. Then our Senegalese rasta singer sings songs for us, cool! Short walk on the shell beach to an extremely large Baobab tree where you can stand in.
The skipper has lit the small BBQ and we are served fresh mussels from the BBQ, with a little lemon, delicious!
Then we sail past the many birds that spend the night here. They sit close to each other so they can protect each other. In the dark without lights on the boat and without life jackets we sail back. There are not so many rules here 🙂 this boat trip is recommended!
To Gambia and back!
A whole welcoming committee of men and boys at the border crossing. The boys ask for money, food and clothing, the poverty is really awful. The men want to marry me,but I am mainly busy with the papers for the border crossing. This crossing in Gambia is exceptionally easy! Passport check, car papers check, no Carnet de Passage and no extra costs.
Then I almost have a collision with a moped and a little later almost with a car. ATMs in Barra and Essau don’t work, no money and that’s a bummer because then I can’t buy a sim card either. Again men walk after me, children run across the street, they want money.
First to the campsite, then I can make a new plan from there. Gosh, even more hassle because the campsite no longer exists. Can’t google anything else now, hahah what a day. The only option is to take the boat in Barra and I really don’t want to do that, wait another 3 or 4 hours and look for a campsite in the dark. Suddenly I think, you know what? I’m going to turn around and do something fun, I don’t enjoy this at all. So said and done, I cross the border back to Senegal.
If you are planning to drive to Gambia?
Prepare your trip well in advance.
Make sure you have enough cash and exchange it at the border.
Take the boat in Barra, you have to wait a while,
but it seems to be a nice chaotic spectacle.
The return trip
We start the return journey and enjoy a few more days of colorful Senegal. Lots of walking, spotting wild animals and relaxing! Our favorite is the walk at the river in Sindia, Eco lodge Dalaal Diam.
We enjoyed the adventure in Senegal and especially the driving is one big spectacle! The border crossing in Diama goes very smooth, stamp passport, hand in papers and done!
We continue our journey via Mauritania to Morocco, will you travel with us?
