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Tag: Senegal

Visa applications in West Africa

Visa applications in West Africa countries to road trip;

Most important thing in West Africa that You need to know which countries visa where you can easily apply and get it? I will try to write up all our visa application around Africa. I will split them up in 3 parts, West Africa, South Africa and East Africa.

I will write our experiences, this is on a Dutch and a Turkish passport. I will write down as well if I have the information about other countries passports.

Our countries we visit in West Africa will be Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea (Conakry), Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic Congo, Democratic Republic Congo and Angola.

Morocco

Visa on arrival and it’s free for both of us. Also free for other European passports, also for Australian passport it’s free.

Western Sahara

The visa for Morocco is valid here as the Western Sahara is under control by Morocco you won’t even pass a real border.

Mauritania

Visa on arrival, the price is 55 euro. Make sure you have euro’s, they will give you a really bad rate if you pay in dollars or dirham. We only had dollars and ended up paying 70 dollar each. If you don’t have euro’s make sure you exchange them somewhere in the Western Sahara

Senegal

Visa on arrival, the visa is free for most of the passports. It is free for the Dutch, Turkish, English and Australia.

The Gambia

Visa on arrival, the visa is free for a lot of passports. It is free for Dutch, Turkish and English.

Guinea Bissau

Visa apply in Ziguinchor at the Guinea Bissau embassy, it takes about 5 minutes to get it. He’s just writing it in front of you. The price is 20.000 cfa (30 euro) for a Dutch, Turkish and English passport.

Guinea (Conakry)

We got our visa in Dakar, apply at the Guinea embassy. Costs 50.000 cfa (76 euro) for a single entrée valid for 30 days. If you want 2 entrees the price is 80.000 cfa (122 euro) the visa is valid for 60 days. It takes 1 working day. You need to bring in copy of your passport, 2 passport photo’s. All goes very easy. Better to do! Get it in Bissau, the costs there are 30.000 cfa (46 euro) you also need copy of your passport and 2 passport photo’s. This is all for a Dutch, Turkish and English passport. I don’t know about the multiple entrée in Bissau.

Mali

We got our Mali visa in Nouackott (Mauritania). This goes a little bit strange but easy to apply, you need to give your border crossing for us this was Kouremale as we will enter from Guinea. A single entrée visa valid for 1 month costs 6.500 um (17 euro), your entrée date needs to start within 1 month from the date you apply, otherwise you get a double entrée and visa that’s 2 months valid. The price will then be 10.000 um (26 euro). You need 2 passport photo’s and a copy of your passport. If you apply in the morning you can pick it up in the afternoon.

Burkina Faso

We got ours in Bamako (Mali). Easy to apply, costs 24.000 cfa (36 euro) for a single entrée visa that is valid for 90 days. You need 2 passport photo’s, copy passport and a copy of your vehicle papers. Apply in the morning pick up in the afternoon. This is for all passports
Better to do! (see VTE Visa).

Togo

Visa on arrival, costs 10.000 cfa (15 euro). Valid for 7 days, easy to extend it in Lome for 2.000 cfa (3 euro). This is for all passports

Better to do! (see VTE Visa).

Benin

We got our visa in Bamako (Mali). The lady there is not very friendly, you need 2 passport photo’s, copy from the first page of your passport, copy of your passpot, copy from vehicle papers and a copy of a reservation from a hotel in Benin. Costs of the visa is 12.200 cfa (18.5 euro), it takes 2 working days to get it. This is for all passports

Better to do! (see VTE Visa).

Nigeria

We got ours in Bamako (Mali). Easy to apply, costs are various. Dutch, Australian and German passport 60.000 cfa (92 euro), Turkish passport 65.000 cfa (99 euro) and English passport 90.000 cfa (137 euro). You need 2 passport photo’s, copy of your passport and a copy from your vehicle papers. First you pay 20.000 cfa (included the price I write above) to their bank account at the bank next door. This is one of the only places to get the visa for Nigeria.

Cameroon

We got ours in Calabar (Nigeria). Easy to apply takes about 45 minutes to get it. The price is 51.000 cfa (78 euro).

Gabon

We got ours in Lome (Togo). They wanted a lot of paperwork, luckily we knew everything we needed to take with us. The costs are 50.000 cfa (76 euro) for all passports. You need 2 passport photo’s, copy of your passport, copy yellow fever, copy carnet de passage, hotel reservation, copy of a credit card, copy of motorcycle papers If you have them all ready it only takes 10 minutes. Pick-up is the next day after 3 pm.

Congo (Brazzaville)

We got ours in Lome (Togo). First of all this was just in a flat building, it looked nothing like a embassy, but other overlanders got it here as well and entered Congo, so it must be ok. The price is the highest one we paid so far 90.000 cfa (137 euro) each. You need copies of 3 other West African visas and 2 passport photo’s. Visa is done in 20 minutes.

Congo (Kinshasa, DRC)

We got ours in Cotonou (Benin). Nice embassy, nice and helpful people here. The price is 50.000 cfa (76 euro) for all passports. You need 2 passport photo’s and they make the copies from your passport. It takes about 1,5 hours to get your visa ready.

Angola

We got ours in Point Noire (Congo Brazzaville). This is one of the hardest visa’s to get in West Africa. You can apply for the visa on Tuesday and Thursday between 9 and 11 am. You need to put 2000 cfa on their bank account before applying the visa at the Bank of Congo. We had a invitation letter from a friend of us who lives in Angola, copy passport, copy Congo visa, copy DRC visa, 2 passport photo’s and a big smile on our face when we applied. The woman working there only wants to speak French, not even Portuguese what they speak in Angola and she’s not helpful at all. We got a paper to fill in what only is in Portuguese, luckily there is a guard around who do helps people with their application form so we filled it all in and went to the woman at the desk, handover all papers and she straight away gave the invitation letter back, she didn’t want to have it! Instead we needed a letter why we wanted a visa for Angola in Portuguese, off course she pointed us out to where we can get it, it just costs another 2000 cfa extra per person. We got the letter and handed over all papers again and it looked she was satisfied. Now we needed to wait for a phone call, next day we got one around 2 pm. They only speak French again and the only thing I understood is they wanted a reservation, this must be a hotel reservation we thought. We made a quick booking online and printed it at a shop and run to the embassy to hand it over, they accepted and told us to wait for a phone call again. The next day we received the phone call at 2:30 pm, we run to the bank to make the deposit of 75.000 cfa each took the receipt and run to the embassy, we arrived at 3:05 and got send away, tomorrow we open again. When walking away they shout at us to come back and did give us the visa. What a relief! We had a multiple entrée visa in 48 hours.

What about border crossing and bribe in Western Africa?

We made a short video for our Africa journey, roads, life… We hope that you like to watch :

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FS

April 15, 2017
Senegal and Casamance Region

We went St. Louis first and stayed Zebra bar for stay a couple of days. We went to old colonial area which is pretty nice to see.

St Louis old city center

After that we ride to Lake Rose. But we couldn’t lucky to see the lake color is rose. We arrived there in the night and live noon. The color comes with reflection from salt and sun. So good time is afternoon.

Lake Rose, Senegal

Next stop was Dakar. We went there to apply some visas, shopping and see the city. The traffic is crazy in the week time but highway is good option to enter the city. First we wanted to walk around but after a while we couldn’t. It was so hot, asphalt was burning, we were feeling easily from our feet. 🙁 You can use taxi there but need to barging. We tried some local minibus which can chance their road easily and can say this is last stop. Some local markets are really nice. But the city didn’t so special for us. Goree island one of the most attraction for tourist in Dakar. We went there asw ell to see island and museum.

Goree Island, Dakar, Senegal

We were planning to travel all Casamance regions in Senegal in the beginning but everything can change last minute on the road. We went to south/west of Casamance.

We ride motorcycle Ziguinchor to Nikine. Went to some little villages and stayed in Elinkine Camp, Elinkine.

People are so curios and friendly on the region. When you stop to take a photo or break time. They can stop next to us and talk. Or ask about something wrong on our motorcycle or with us.

Bouyouye :

We like the little village, Bouyouye. They were surprise when we arrived to the village. They asked us ‘ what are we doing here? The road doesn’t going anywhere.’ We told them just we ride here to see village. After a little talk they said welcome and we can enter the village.

They have max.30 houses in the village and most of them family. They are living between huge trees. We saw some traditional houses. Tried to talk local people. We shared our cookies with kids and played with them. Kids didn’t see tourist around. Maybe one house has a television. So, in the beginning they didn’t want to get closed to us. You need to be patience and show how much you are friendly. It could help for me but not for Ferry. When they looked his eyes they could scare, maybe because of colorful eyes. Who is living in the village they were so friendly people.

Elinkine :

Elinkine is one of the best places in Casamance region to stay. Where the camp is like a paradise. You can go to boat trip to see crocodile and beautiful landscape.

Casamance Region, Senegal

It is a small village. If you are walking around everyday and staying long they know you after two days later. Kids have been learning English in the school and so curios to talk with you. We were helping them to improve their English a little how much we know.

2-3 days later, I told with kids and I wanted to go to the school for see and learn something more about education. When I went to school first we found to English teacher to communicate because I cant speak French. He was in the lesson. We told a little with him and kids in the lesson. After that, we went to the school manager for permission to enter all lessons. I went math class. They learn different way than us how we learn math.

The weather is so hot. Therefore, They go to school in the morning until 11-12 pm. After that go back 4pm. They have standard uniform. Classrooms are sandy and they don’t have a real sit. Maybe they don’t have money to buy uniform, notebooks…etc. They want to go to school and learn which is really perfect.

Sunset in Elinkine

April 1, 2017
Border Crossing and Bribery for Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea

If you have a plan Western Africa trip you should check all border crossing and bribes in West Africa; Morocco to Mauritania and other countries until Namibia.

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 .

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 .

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

*** You can watch our Guinea motorcycle trip adventure.

”Travel Guinea Conakry is trouble in protests time also no safe. Is true? :”

FS

March 26, 2017