France-Benin Trip via Senegal

Hello fellow travelers, I've made the France-Benin trip several times via the Mali "Route de l'Espoir," and the last journey was pretty tense—2013, 🥵‍🔥 military convoys and all the chaos in Mali from the border to Bamako. 😅 So, I’m planning to take the route again but this time via Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, with a good old J9 (the mayor’s vehicles I used to travel in… 😎. Though the Mercedes 308 wasn’t bad either). Has anyone done this recently? A friend of mine did it 4 years ago, but things can change pretty quickly. If you’d like to share your latest experiences, I’m all ears! 😊 Have a great weekend! 👋

Many overlanders take this route, and in fact, a lot of them are setting off right now (personally, I haven’t done the route recently, but I follow and chat with plenty of travelers making their way down to South Africa). To reach Central and Southern Africa, the route options are quite limited due to the situation in Mali and Burkina Faso. I don’t see any major issues with doing this trip in a J9 (though you might want to check the vehicle paperwork, as it can be a bit old...). Currently, there are no security problems. Getting visas can be a bit tricky sometimes—it’s best to do your research ahead of time, as more and more countries require an e-visa application in advance.

As for the condition of the most direct roads, they’re generally good in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Ghana (with a few rough patches in the west). In Guinea, some sections are damaged, but if you take it slow, you can make it from Senegal to Côte d’Ivoire. Anyway, with all the potholes, there’s no other way to drive 🙂. Just so you know, some of the worst sections are currently being repaired.

If you need any other info, don’t hesitate!

Thanks for the info... Yeah, e-visas are becoming more common. Which group are you following if you're currently making the trip?

Hi Patrick,

I saw your message and an older one from 2018 about the Dakar–Cotonou route.

I’ve been wondering—I’m currently in South Africa, having ridden through the Middle East and West Africa by motorcycle. A big (too big!) 1200 GSA.

I’m now thinking of heading to Dakar but avoiding the rough tracks. I’m considering shipping my bike to Ghana to skip some of the countries north of Angola, as it seems pretty complicated.

I’d love any recent info on the Accra/Dakar route.

Thanks again.

Damien

From what I know: Accra to Abidjan: nothing special. Everything is paved, and it’s smooth sailing mostly along the coast.

Abidjan to NZérékoré: enter Guinea via Man and Danané on the Ivorian side, then Nzoo and Lola on the Guinean side. On the Guinean side, there are a few unpaved sections, but overall, the road is decent.

NZérékoré to Dakar: head north to reach the Senegalese border near Koundara, via Kissidougou, Faranah, Mamou, and Labé. On this route, you’ll find a mix of really good roads and rough patches (especially lots of potholes that force you to slow down often—*very* often), particularly between Faranah and Mamou, then between Mamou and Labé. But road renovation work is underway on these stretches... Once you’re in Senegal, no issues. The road is good all the way to Dakar via Tambacounda.

Small clarification: between Accra and Abidjan, there’s a stretch of about 65 km around Takoradi that’s pretty rough with lots of potholes—but some of them are *big* potholes 😉🙂

Hi there, Thanks so much for all this really detailed info. Hope to meet you someday. Damien

hi,

my info’s a bit dated, but for Ghana, you needed (or used to need?) a CPD. We got through without one but with a facilitator, a little money to pay them, and a lot of patience

Hello!! What’s a CPD, anyway?

CDP (Carnet de Passage en Douane) international—it’s an English-speaking country, so it’s a bit stricter and more organized than the neighbors, but it’s been a while since I’ve been down there.