Author: Founder of the Office Plankton project and the tireless traveler Makarov Pavel
This is a trip by car from Moscow to Banzhul (Gambia) in the style of non-stop. In 3 weeks we managed to drive 15 countries, overcoming a distance of about 13 thousand kilometers long. We visited 20 cities, conquered the highest mountain of West Africa – Tubkal, rolled on a snowboard on the sands of the sugar desert and saw many attractions.
Preparation for the trip
Preparations for a trip to Africa from Moscow began six months before the start. An approximate travel route was developed: Russia – Latvia – Lithuania – Poland – Czech Republic – Germany – Austria – Italy – France – Spain
– Morocco – Western sugar – Mauritania – Senegal – Gambia. For 3 weeks we visited all countries, mastered the most interesting places, looked at the sights, rolled on snowboards (on the sand of the sugars and snowy alp),
They also felt the atmosphere of real Black Africa. Initially, the trip was planned through Mali, but taking into account the civil war, it was not possible to get a visa there.
Visas and vaccinations
The visas necessary to overcome this route is a Schengen visa, a visa of Senegal and Mauritania. Visas of Senegal and Mauritania receive at the embassy in Moscow. Given the fact that black Africa is a nursery of many diseases, it is advisable to get vaccinations from yellow fever, ideally from hepatitis.
Drive
From Moscow to Lithuania, we reached the train, because there were already waiting for us cars purchased and prepared for the trip.
We overcome all of Europe in 4 days – 3 days on the road and one day for car repair. Roads of Europe are high -speed with a limit of about 130 km/h, safe and wide. Algambra-an architectural-park ensemble-an object number one among the sights of UNESCO in Spain-this is a place on the path of a route, which is definitely worth a look.
Morocco is the first African country on our way. Islam, the hospitable and contradictory Arab world. Morocco is a country of contrasts, because on the one hand European traditions get along in it, and on the other, this is the Islamic world with all its severity. The first city in Morocco is Shefshauen, an atmospheric city of blue. Fes was not particularly interesting. A monotonous city consisting of 14 medin (centers). Rabat pleased with his modernity and delicious food. In Marrakesh, they visited a skin farm – a spectacle is not for the faint of heart; There are no official excursions there, but you can find a guide nearby, who will spend 1-2 dollars per person throughout the production and talk about a long history of skin production, decoration and painting. There is a terrible smell that even mint leaves do not interrupt. Casablanca (White City) differs from other Moroccan cities in silence and dimension.
In a tight trip schedule, we managed to conquer the top of Tubkal (the mountain network of the lower atlas),
Having passed about 30 kilometers with a height of 2500 m-after a sleepless night, this peak became truly difficult. Usually 2 days are allocated to this peak, but we spent 19 hours of climb and descent on it. And on the way to Western sugar, one of the most beautiful beaches of the world was visited – Legzira.
In the way, jeeps and trucks that are equipped for an autonomous journey through the Sahara desert begin to meet more and more often. The drivers of these cars always have the latest information regarding the further route along Africa.
Mauritania is one of the poorest countries in Africa and was considered by us as a transit country. Even in large cities of Mauritania, there are full of garbage and slums. Of particular interest is the border of Western Sahara and Mauritania. The border strip – several kilometers of continuous minefields through which looping stony pies (highways) are laid.
Senegal travel was not the most pleasant for us, because after the whole day of a demonstration boycott before the checkpoint on the border, our cars did not want to let into the country because of their age (it was more than 6 years of cars),
Although in Senegal on the roads you meet mostly broken caruts. As a result, an employee officer was planted in a car for a bribe to us in a car, who accompanied us to the border with Gambia. Therefore, the sights could not be seen, and the conflicts with the officer were regular and sometimes tough throughout the route along Senegal.
Having entered Gambia, we ended up in real Africa, isolated from other northern countries of the mainland, due to the fact that it was an English colony, unlike previous countries, which were previously French colonies. Gambia is perhaps the most exotic and unusual country on our journey. In it you can find beaches from coal-black to snow-white flowers, pine groves and real jungle, lonely standing baobabs-a tropical paradise in its classical performance. This country is one of the centers of female sex tourism, because it is there that you can find strange couples-elderly European bells and young Africans.
Here we quickly managed to sell cars on local auto markets, having helped out for them, about twice as much from the purchase cost. The first part of our crew ended the trip and flew to Moscow, and the remaining travelers continued to master Black Africa, delving into Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Guinea-Bisau.
The necessary equipment on the road to a person
Backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, rugs, food reserves, car straps, burners, clothes, photographic equipment, laptops, navigator, walkie -talkies, terrain maps (paper and electronic), guide to Europe and Africa.
How to buy a car for SMS
When planning a trip, we finally dwelled on two options. The first – we equip the car in Moscow and starts on it to Africa. The second – we buy a car in Europe. The first option was soldered due to the high cost of cars in good condition, capable of driving about 13 thousand kilometers without breakdowns along roads of varying degrees of complexity – high -speed highway, off -road and sandy desert sands. In addition, the car needs to be seriously prepared, because the route passes through the minus temperatures of Europe and the heat of the African continent. There was a second option – to go to Germany or Lithuania and buy a car there, which we did by finding a comrade from Vilnius, who agreed to choose a car. The task is to find an inexpensive, spacious and diesel machine that would drive the entire route with minimal breakdowns. The colleague with whom we talked to the SSMESKS looked at 12 cars, chose the right, changed all consumables, made up, made insurance, bought spare wheels and received red transit numbers (their validity – a month). The advantages of transit numbers are obvious – the car is deregistered, respectively, in many places in Europe you can not take care of speed mode, because the fines about the speed of speed will not come to anyone.
It is worth noting that for such a trip it is very desirable to glue the car with stickers (any, better sponsors). The car becomes immediately in the spotlight. And on the territory of Morocco, we were never stopped even taking into account violations of the rules of the road. Moreover, in many posts, local police officers were honoring us.
Numbers
Visas. € 25 per person – Gambia at the border. The rest are made in Moscow; Mauritania – 4000 rubles., Senegal – 1250 rubles, Schengen – € 35 plus (or minus) of the services of a visa center – depending on the country of visa issuance. € 190 per person.
Food. Total: € 275.
Eastern Europe – the average price of food (first and second) – about € 13.
Africa – the average price of food (first and second) – about € 5.
Petrol. It is better to monitor the current cost of gasoline here. The cost of gasoline for the whole trip: € 2000.
Ferry Spain-Africa-€ 93 from the car.
The cost of paid tracks In Europe – about € 300.
Pay for a run Auto through Senegal: € 250.
Belnabor (Keys, cables, cans, oils, necessary consumables, shoulder blade) in the car – about € 350.
Overnight
In the car on the territory of gas stations, guest platforms and places for relaxation – free.
Hostels and hotels: € 30-€ 40 for 2 people in Europe.
Campings: € 10 – € 20 per car in Europe.
Hotels and hotels: € 20-€ 50 for 2 people in Africa.
Campings: € 10 – € 20 per car in Africa.
The ratio of nights in hotels/in the car (tent): 50/50.
Flight: Banzhul – Moscow: from € 350 to 500
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Read on:
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13 small countries in which you need to visit
Traveling by Morocco: from the ocean to the desert
