Togo - West Africa - page 995

advance. If you're entering Niger here, you'll need a licensed desert guide and feuille de route (official itinerary). From
Assamakka to Agadez, you must travel as part of an infrequent military convoy. If you are entering Algeria here, you'll
need to be met by an official guide on the Algerian side of the border.
The Route du Hoggar is sealed, except for the 600km section between Tamanrasset ('Tam') and Arlit, although the
road is in poor condition on many sections. Unless you have your own vehicle, you'll need to hitch a ride in trucks
between Tamanrasset and Agadez. Very few travellers head south, but even fewer make the journey in reverse, due in
large part to the difficulty of getting an Algerian visa in Niger.
OTHER ROUTES
The Route du Tanezrouft - which runs through Algeria and Mali, via Adrar and the border at Bordj-Mokhtar, ending in
Gao - has always been one of the most romantic (for its sheer remoteness) and most dangerous trans-Saharan routes. Al-
though it's technically easier than the Route du Hoggar, with a sand section more than 1300km long, northern Mali is
currently a no-go area, the domain of a shadowy crowd of bandits, rebels and Islamic militants. In short, it has become
one of the Sahara's most dangerous corners.
The other trans-Saharan route into West Africa - from Libya into northeastern Niger , via Bilma - was not an option
at the time of writing. The Libya-Niger border has been closed to independent travellers for years.
From Central Africa
There are two main crossing points between Cameroon and the Central African Republic, but roads that are dire at the
best of times are catastrophic in the rainy season. The standard route is via Garoua-Boulaï, which straddles the border.
Buses and trucks go to Bangui, taking two days with an overnight in Bouar. An equally rough alternative is to go to Ba-
touri further south and cross via Kenzou to Berbérati.
The overland route to Congo is an epic journey traversing long, rutted tracks (which are probably impassable in the
rainy season) through dense rainforest. The route goes via Yokadouma, Moloundou and on to the border crossing at
Sokambo on the Ngoko River. After crossing the river, there's onward transport to Pokola, where you must register with
the Congolese police, and Brazzaville.
The main border crossings into Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are a few kilometres from each other, accessible from
the Cameroonian town of Amban. In Amban the road splits, the easterly route heading for Bitam and Libreville (Gabon)
and the westerly route heading for Ebebiyin and Bata (Equatorial Guinea). There's also a border crossing into Equatorial
Guinea on the coast near Campo but it's frequently closed and should not be relied on.
From Algeria
Although there are frequent promises that it will reopen, the Morocco-Algeria border has been closed since 1994 and is
likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.
Sea
Ferries run to Morocco from mainland Spain. Most services are run by the Spanish national ferry company, Acciona
Trasmediterránea ( 902 454645; www.trasmediterranea.es ) . You can take vehicles on most routes.
A useful website for comparing routes and finding links to the relevant ferry companies is www.ferrylines.com .
Popular routes include:
» Algeciras to Tangier (1½ hours, up to eight daily). Buses from several Moroccan cities converge on Tangier to make
the ferry crossing to Algeciras, then fan out to the main Spanish centres, and vice versa
» Barcelona to Tangier (24 to 35 hours, weekly)