Togo - West Africa - page 994

frequently a nightmare, requiring visits to several different offices where stamps must be obtained and mysterious fees
paid at every turn. You could consider using an official handling agent or an unofficial 'fixer' to take your vehicle
through all this.
From Chad
Between Cameroon and Chad, the main border crossing is between Maroua (Cameroon) and Kousséri, although the ac-
tual border is at Nguelé. Corrupt officials abound here. For more adventure, try the crossings further south to the towns
of Bongor or Léré; the former requires a pirogue (traditional canoe) across the Logone River.
For hard-core travellers, a more arduous (and adventurous) route into West Africa from Chad runs around the top of
what's left of Lake Chad between Nguigmi in Niger and the Chadian capital N'Djaména.
From the North - Crossing the Sahara
With rebellion and banditry plaguing northern Mali and northern Niger at the time of writing, most trans-Saharan routes
have fallen quiet. Apart from entering Mauritania via Morocco and Western Sahara, we are unable to recommend any of
the other routes across the Sahara into West Africa; we have covered these routes below in case the situation changes in
the next few years. There is no public transport along any of the routes covered here.
Whichever route you take, you'll need to get a thorough update on the security situation before setting off. Anybody
planning to travel in the Sahara should check out the excellent website put together by Chris Scott ( www.sahara-over-
land.com ) ; its forum is particularly useful on which routes are open. Be sure to bring sufficient food, water and warm
clothes for the journey.
WESTERN SAHARA ROUTE
About 500km south of Agadir you enter the disputed territory of Western Sahara, where the main road continues along
the coast to Dakhla, from where it's another 425km to Nouâdhibou in Mauritania. The road is now entirely sealed from
Dakhla to Nouakchott, except for the 3km no man's land that separates the two border crossings. The border area is
littered with landmines, so don't stray from the road.
A grand taxi (shared taxi) from Dakhla to the Mauritanian border costs Dh250 to Dh400, although make sure that you
ask the driver to ferry you across no man's land to the Mauritanian border crossing - otherwise, it's a hot, 3km walk
along a road lined with minefields unless you can hitch with lurking moneychangers (for a fee). From the Mauritanian
border post to Nouâdhibou costs UM1800 in a grand taxi . Going the other way, there are taxis most days from Nouâd-
hibou to Dakhla (UM11,500, eight hours).
If you're hitching, Hôtel Sahara in Dakhla is where most of the overlanders stay and is a good place to find other trav-
ellers to team up with or to look for a lift. There's a thriving trade in secondhand cars being driven from Europe to sell
in West Africa and plenty of vacationing French travellers in campervans; remember that sharing costs is expected.
If you're driving your own car, fill your tank up in Western Sahara (the last petrol station is 80km before the border)
as petrol is much cheaper here than in Mauritania.
Moneychangers will flag you down as you cross no man's land; their rates for ouguiya are poor. At the Mauritanian
border post, you can buy a Mauritanian visa (€20), while those with their own vehicles will need to buy a temporary im-
port form ( engagement sur honneur; €10) and Mauritanian insurance (around €30 for two weeks). Expect searches for
alcohol by Mauritanian customs. After Mauritanian border formalities it's approximately 45km further to Nouâdhibou.
In whichever direction you travel, expect to take a minimum of eight hours between Dakhla and Nouâdhibou, includ-
ing two hours completing border formalities.
ROUTE DU HOGGAR
Although only for hard-core Saharan travellers in these troubled times, the Route du Hoggar, through Algeria and Niger,
remains open provided you stick to the main highway and don't stray into the Aïr Mountains. The border crossing is
between Assamakka (Niger) and In Guezzem (Algeria); make sure you have your visa and other paperwork in order in