Approximate itinerary: please note precise routes, stops, timings and dates are fluid and flexible. This is
intended to be a draft, to give a general idea only, and itinerary can be altered at any time en route by
mutual agreement, or by force of circumstance (unplanned stop owing to vehicle problem, etc). Any
comments or suggestions for additions, alterations, etc, very welcome from anyone who’s coming along.
Jan 3
Leave London (pm) for Dover/Newhaven, catching ferry to Calais or Dieppe.
Jan 4
(very early morning, if necessary) – pick up at Paris airport (Orly / CDG)
(late evening/night, if necessary) – pick up at Madrid airport.
Jan 5
(Mid-morning) arrive Costa del Sol, southern Spain (Malaga/Estepona). Staying
overnight at campsite on the beach (pool, bar, etc) – time to shower, rest, relax
and have a few drinks on the beach after the long 24-28 hour drive across
Europe.
Jan 6
Drive to Algeciras for ferry across to Africa (Ceuta), then driving up into the Rif
mountain town of Chefchaouen, famous for its scenery, laid-back atmosphere,
traditional architecture and hashish. 2 - 3 nights here at Hotel Ibn Battuta in the
heart of the Old Town.
Jan 8
Chefchaouen – Rabat (300km, 5 hrs). Rabat, on the west coast, via the
spectacular ancient Roman city of Volubilis. We need to stop in Rabat in order
to pick up Mauritanian visas (EUR 30 each) but the city itself has plenty to see –
ancient castle, souqs, great seafront.
Jan 10
Rabat – Marrakech (350km, 4 hrs). Marrakech’s stunning central square, the
Djemaa el-Fnaa (3rd largest square in the world), comes to life every night with
snake-charmers, musicians, storytellers, acrobats, bonfires, food-stalls, watersellers, witch-doctors and odd wandering lunatics. The Grand Bazaar, facing the
square, covers 3 square km and caters for every need you can imagine, and
quite a few you can’t. We’ll stay at the Hotel Ali just off the square, with great
rooftop views over one of the greatest and most magical cities in the world.
Jan 11
(if necessary: pick ups at Marrakech airport – please note you’d need to arrange
your own Mauritanian visa independently in this case)
Jan 12
(possible, optional) – day-trip: drive out to the spectacular waterfalls of the
Cascades D’Ouzoud.
Jan 13
Marrakech – Imlil (80km, 2 hrs). Drive up into the High Atlas to the beautiful
mountain village of Imlil, located at the foot of Jebel Toubkal, the highest
mountain in N Africa at 4,167m (13,500 ft). Imlil is a tranquil Berber village
situated in a forest of walnut trees amidst a spectacular bowl of the highest
peaks of the Atlas. Could be cold up here!
Jan 14
Imlil – Agadir (200km, 4 hrs). Cross the Tizi-n-Test, Morocco’s most spectacular
mountain pass, as we scale the Atlas at their highest point, then come down to
the edge of the Sahara before reaching Agadir, Morocco’s premier (and most
liberal) beach resort city on the Atlantic coast. We’ll camp here in the
overlanders campsite for a couple of nights.
Jan 16
Agadir – Tiznit (100km, 2 hrs). Tiznit is a traditional Berber town in the Anti-Atlas
mountains, famous for its local silver and jewellery. Old walled town, traditional
souq, off-the-tourist-track, and a pleasant overnight stop.
Jan 17
Tiznit – Tan-Tan Plage (300km, 5hrs). From Tiznit we come down out of the AntiAtlas, the last of Morocco’s 4 great mountain ranges, and into the Sahara
proper. We cross into Western Sahara, the former Spanish colony now under
Moroccan military administration, and camp out on the beach just south of
TanTan Plage.
Jan 18
TanTan-Plage to La’ayoune (250km, 4 hrs). Drive along the spectacular
moonscape of the Saharan coast to reach La’ayoune, capital of Western Sahara.
This coastline features huge, sheer cliffs as the Sahara drops into the Atlantic,
and mist-shrouded shipwrecks dotted along the beaches. There isn’t a huge
amount to see or do in La’ayoune – though you can get a beer at the hotel, and
the atmosphere of this desert city is faintly compelling.
Jan 19
La’ayoune – Cap Boujdour (150km, 2 hrs). From La’ayoune we’ll drive on down
the coast a little towards Cap Boujdour, famous throughout the ancient and
medieval sailing era as the ‘point of no return’ – the edge of the known
navigable world. We’ll camp out for the night by one of the huge shipwrecks
which line this section of wild desert coastline.
Jan 20
Boujdour – Dakhla (400km, 4 hrs). More desert moonscape on the endless road
down to Dakhla, the last major town in Western Sahara, situated on the end of a
40-km-long spit which sticks out into the Atlantic. We’ll stay a Camping
Moussafir, a favourite haunt of trans-Saharan overlanders, situated on the
beach towards the top end of the peninsula.
Jan 21
Dakhla – Fort Guergerat (Mauritania border) (300km, 4 hrs). Driving down
towards the border with Mauritania, we’ll stop and camp shortly before the
border crossing at Fort Guergerat. It isn’t recommended to stop on the
Nouadbihou – Nouakchott highway once across into Mauritania, and border
formalities here can take a while. Nor is driving in Mauritania at night a good
idea, owing to security concerns (though the coast road is well-policed and
considered safe).
Jan 22
Fort Guergerat – Nouakchott (450km, 8hrs inc. border crossing). We’ll therefore
aim to reach the border crossing as early as possible in the morning, checking
out of Morocco and then driving across the 8km-wide no-man’s-land minefield
which separates Western Sahara from Mauritania. This isn’t actually quite as
dangerous as it sounds, provided you keep to the marked tracks through the
sand. Once across into Mauritania the new desert highway is good going (albeit
with plenty of security checkpoints) all the way into Nouakchott.
We’ll likely spend 3 days in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital. It’s very much
a desert city: dusty, hot and filling up with sand. PizzaLina is a good hangout
after the desert crossing (cold beer and good pizzas) – and it’s also a good place
for picking up visas for Senegal and Gambia, should anyone need them
(American passport holders need visas for Gambia, for example, and Russians
for Senegal). The family run hotel/auberge here is nice, also – pleasant roof
terrace and garden, and good city-centre location.
Jan 25
Nouakchott – St. Louis (250km, 6-8 hrs inc. border crossing). From here the
coast road runs south towards the Senegalese border crossing at Diama – the
road is excellent save for the last 60km of piste. The crossing runs across the top
of the dam over the Senegal river and formalities can take a couple of hours.
St. Louis is one of the great cities of Africa – former French colonial capital,
situated on three islands connected to the mainland by old iron bridges. A
regular haunt of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the city features a laid back
atmosphere, crumbling French colonial facades, little underground jazz-bars and
an awesome Vietnamese restaurant. We’ll stay at Camping L’Ocean, on the
south side of the city: situated on a beautiful white sandy beach, with choice of
tents or traditional bungalows for accommodation, and a lively bar.
Jan 27
St. Louis – Dakar (200km, 5 hrs). The drive down to Dakar is the first real sight of
sub-Saharan Africa: we come out of the desert into a landscape of Baobab trees
and villages of traditional conical huts in the savannah. Dakar itself pulsates with
energy, with a vibrant club and music scene, busy markets, and the fascinating
Ile de Goree just off the coast of Africa’s westernmost point: a 18th-19th century
slaving station now turned into a living ‘museum’ and memorial to the slave
trade.
Jan 29
Dakar – Kaolack (150km, 5 hrs). A bad, potholed piste runs south towards
Gambia. We’ll likely stay overnight at the Catholic mission in the provincial town
of Kaolack, which has dormitory beds available for travellers.
Jan 30
Kaolack – Banjul (150km, 5 hrs). From here to the Gambian border takes
another 3-4 hours on bad roads through quintesssential African savannah
scenery. Gambia, a narrow strip of a country winding along the Gambia river,
originally founded as a British trading outpost in a sea of French colonial
domination, is a unique and friendly country, famous for its glorious beaches
and friendly people. Banjul itself is a low-rise city with an almost rural feel to it,
which has, nevertheless, a range of fascinating cultural attractions (bars, clubs,
beaches) to explore. It’s also an ideal place to hang out while arranging visas for
the Guineas, for anyone coming further along the route.
If anyone wants specific info on hotel / campsite costs at each individual stop, let me know and I’ll send
you an approximate breakdown.