Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Insurance
Insurance is compulsory in most West African countries. Given the large number of minor accidents, not to mention ma-
jor ones, fully comprehensive insurance is strongly advised, both for your own and any rental vehicle. Always check
with your insurer whether you're covered for the countries you intend to visit and whether third-party cover is included.
Car-hire companies customarily supply insurance, but check the cover and conditions carefully.
Make certain that you're covered for off-piste travel, as well as travel between countries (if you're planning cross-
border excursions). A locally acquired motorcycle licence is not valid under some policies.
In the event of an accident, make sure you submit the accident report as soon as possible to the insurance company or,
if hiring, the car-hire company.
Road Rules
Traffic drives on the right throughout West Africa (as in continental Europe and the USA), even in countries that have a
British colonial heritage (such as The Gambia).
ROAD SAFETY
Road safety is probably your biggest safety risk in West Africa. Bush taxi drivers, in particular, race along at hair-
raising speeds and overtake blind to reach their destination before another car can get in front of them in the
queue for the return journey. Drivers can be sleepy from a long day, and drink-driving is a problem. Travelling
early in the morning is one step you can take to cut the risk, as drivers are fresher and roads less travelled. Avoid
night travel at all costs. If you are in a vehicle and feel unsafe, and if it's a heavily travelled route, you can take
your chances and get out at a major station to switch to another car (though don't expect a refund, and the second
vehicle may not be much better). You can complain about dangerous driving, but this usually doesn't have any ef-
fect and, unless things are really out of control, you'll seldom get support from other passengers. Saying that
you're feeling sick seems to get better results. Drivers are often quite considerate to ill or infirm passengers and,
in any case, seem to care more about keeping vomit off their seats than about dying under the wheels of an on-
coming lorry. You might be able to rally other passengers to your side this way as well. Most locals take a stoic
approach to the situation, with many viewing accidents as a matter of the will of God or Allah. Drivers seem to
discredit the idea that accidents are in any way related to vehicle speed or condition, or to wild driving practices.
Hitching
As in any other part of the world, hitching or accepting lifts in West Africa is never entirely safe, and we don't recom-
mend it. Travellers who decide to hitch should understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk. If
you're planning to travel this way, take advice from other hitchers (locals or travellers) first. Hitching in pairs is obvi-
ously safer, while hitching through less-salubrious suburbs, especially at night, is asking for trouble. Throughout most of
the region, women should avoid hitching alone.
In many countries, as you venture further into rural areas, however, the frequency of buses or bush taxis drops, some-
times to nothing. Then the only way around is to ride on local trucks, as the locals do. A 'fare' is payable to the driver,
so in cases like this the line between hitching and public transport is blurred - but if it's the only way to get around, you
don't have a choice anyway. Usually you'll be riding on top of the cargo - it may be cotton or rice in sacks, which are
quite comfy, but it might be logs or oil drums, which aren't.
