Senegal

Ou La La !

We left Auberge Sahara at 9.30 am and headed southwards towards Senegal. The main road to Senegal goes through Nouakchot but is not easy to find as the route is different than that shown on Tracks4Africa. Other travellers had advised us not to go through the notorious Rosso border crossing but to take the road to Diamma, some 50km before Rosso, and cross there. The signpost to Diamma is not that obvious but some locals soon put us on the right track. The unpaved road is quite rough although there are roadworks underway so this route will improve soon. Once you reach the Senegal River the road improves as you head westwards towards Diamma. The drive is quite nice and we saw a large number of warthogs....so I guess there are not many predators in this area.

Approximately 15 km before the border a small national park fee is payable and there is also a bridge toll as you cross into Senegal. Going through the Diamma border was hassle free and took us under two hours to complete both sets of formalities - including a polite request from the Senegal customs to wait 45 minutes whilst they finished lunch. Once through we drove towards St Louis and were stopped by the police a few times for checks on car insurance, fire extinguishers, warning triangles, and for some general chit chat. We reached St Louis after about a one hour drive and stopped briefly to withdraw some cash from an ATM and then headed southwards towards Zebrabar. Mindful of the corrupt policeman just south of St Louis that we had been warned about by other travellers, we proceeded carefully. We were indeed stopped by him at the turn-off from the main road towards the Zebrabar, but to our surprise he didn’t ask for anything. We figured he must already have been fully loaded with cash from other cars earlier in the day. We later found out that he stops all drivers, not just foreigners, and the normal payment is 1000 CFA.

Zebrabar is run by a Swiss couple, Martin and Ursula, and they are a good source of information. The camp is set amongst trees and sand and is a short walk from a small village where vegetables and fresh bread are available. It is also very close to local fishermen who sell fantastic fresh fish and 'gambas' (which is like a giant prawn 25cm long). Our plan was to stay for 3 or 4 days then head south.

I struck up a good relationship with the accordion playing Martin and he offered to help sort out the driver window which had seized in a shut position. First we opened the door panel, removed the motor and stripped it down. The diagnosis was that the rotor brushes were worn out and needed replacing. Great, now to find the correct brushes. We went into town on Sunday to a spares shop and were given a set of brushes (not sure which vehicle they were for) which had been lying in the shop for years. The fact that they were not the right ones didn’t faze Martin who declared we would adapt them to make them fit Proper Job. He also showed me where a good air con specialist was.....yes the air conditioning failed yet again!

Back at camp we got stuck into the task of adapting the brushes and an hour later, after some hack sawing and sandpapering, we had a set of brushes that fit. However, Martin’s solder had packed up so we had to wait until the following morning to join some wires together. Once soldered, we put the motor together and refitted it. To our relief it worked, so I guess that was a good lesson in ‘bush mechanics’.

The following day we headed into St Louis to look around the old French colonial area and then had lunch at a local patisserie. The old town is nice but the hassle from the locals gets on your nerves after a while. We also found a Toyota garage run by an English speaking Senegalese. Great, so I booked up a service for the following day as we had now done almost 6000 km since leaving Cornwall. That evening we went to a live Djemba music concert with Rene, a German friend we had met in Nouakchot who was on his way to South Africa for the World Cup. Djemba is a traditional drumming and is very catching. Senegal has good music and I bought a couple of CD’s from a local music shop to play on our long journey ahead.

The following day we headed back into town for the service, giving Monika, a German lady who had been staying at Zebrabar for 5 weeks, a lift. I had also discovered that the car import certificate you are issued when crossing the border into Senegal (they dont accept Carnet du Passage here in Senegal) is only valid for 15 days, after which you must extend it by going to a Customs Office (found in the main towns only). There is one in St Louis so we had it extended. I was taken aback when the official personally made up the 300 CFA shortfall rather than chase down change for my larger notes. Must say, so far, I have been impressed with the Senegalese. On the way back to Zebrabar, we decided to visit the air con specialist to see if, for once and all, we could find a solution. The specialist, Babacar, is probably close to 65 and is an ex-professor at the local university. The time was 3pm when we met him and we were about to get a lesson on African time. Fortunately, there was an English speaking Senegalese man also at the garage and I was able to explain what we had already had done in Morocco and Mauritania. Babacar then proceeded by methodically looking through the system and instructing two young mechanics to carry out some tests. I decided to watch like a hawk as I didn’t want them causing any further problems. Every now and again Babacar would return and give them further instructions, just like a teacher to students. After some time, he decided there was a block in a valve and this had to be removed for testing. This meant removing the air compressor and although I was concerned with this, I was re-assured that they knew what they were doing. Anyway, to cut a long story short, they apparently did find a fault in the valve and cleaned it out then replaced the air compressor. By the time they had finished it was 9 pm.....six long and slow hours later. Poor Monika, she must have regretted coming into town with us. I found the whole ‘African process’ very frustrating and was way too wound up to leave Zebrabar the following morning to continue our journey south. Hence we decided to stay an extra day to chill out. Who knows if the air con has been finally fixed, but we were keen to give it one more shot before we go to Mali, where the temperature is currently hovering around 50 degrees.

Whilst at Zebrabar we met some interesting people, including a Norwegian who had travelled around Africa on his motor bike and a German couple, Kim and Tanya, who have been travelling around Africa for 3 years in a Toyota Landcruiser. I spent quite a few hours with Kim going over maps and routes and found him very helpful. I am sure we will benefit much from his advice and information. We also found out that he had met Will and Hannah, the previous owners of Proper Job, in the Congo.

Whilst at Zebrabar we were told about a small camp on the Petit Cote called Thiossane which is jointly owned and run by a French man and a Senegalese lady. The camp is close to the village of Mbodiene, 40km south of Mbour. We decided to give it a go, so the following day, after saying farewell to the folks at Zebrabar, we headed southwards for about 4 hours to the Petit Cote. There is a road in the town of Thies (just after the Shell garage) that cuts out having to go anywhere near Dakar, which suited us fine. Just before Mbour we were struck with the abundance of Baobab trees and I have never witnessed so many in all my African travels...there is literally a forest of them. We passed through and made our way to Mbodiene and followed the ‘tyre post signs’ to Thiossane. There is no camping here and consists of 6 or 7 cabins set on the dunes overlooking a lagoon and peninsula. The area is rich with bird life. We were also told that the food at the camp is excellent, and we were not to be disappointed. The camp co-owner Alicia and her staff prepared some very tasty Senegalese dishes......and the portions were large.

We took an instant liking to Thiossane, and the area, and recommend others come and visit. The peninsula and beaches are quiet and perfect for long walks followed by a cold beer in the evening watching the pelicans fly back from the ocean in large numbers. There is a lot to do along this coastline, including a few game parks and a baobab climbing park, which apparently is the only one of its kind in Africa.

During our 5 day stay at Thiossane we took day trips to Joal Fadiout (south of Mbodiene) and Bandia National Park (north of Mbour). Joal Fadiout is an interesting village which has merged over time to join the predominantly Christian Fadiout to the predominantly Muslim Joal. Fadiout is an island accessible by footbridge or boat and is literally built on shells. We took a boat to the cemetery and an old ‘granary’ where the villagers used to store food just in case storms wiped out their annual harvest. Here they built small huts on stilts surrounded by water so that vermin could not raid their stored food. Today, the local community has a project to restore the granary to its former state. The graveyard is also interesting as it has an area set aside for Christians and an area for Muslims. There is a special grave of an African American nun who traced her ancestry back to Senegal’s ‘island of shells’. She spent 30 years here in the local community and was buried in the cemetery of Fadiout. This village is also famous for its wrestling, and has boasted a long line of national champions. It is well worth visiting the shell island and wandering the narrow streets observing the local culture.

Bandia National park has a fair variety of animals, most of which have been imported from South Africa. The two prized animals are a pair of white rhinos and you can literally walk up to them and pat them. Having been to many other national parks in Southern Africa I would not particularly recommend this one, although the restaurant was in a great setting overlooking a water hole full of crocodiles.

Eventually we had to move on and we said our farewell to the French co-owner Alain, Alicia and her staff. We really enjoyed our stay and would like to return one day. Next destination was Simal, a small village in the Saloum delta along a sand track from the village of Fimela. To get to Fimela you take a dirt road from Joal Fadiout to Samba Dia. The route is sign posted and it takes about an hour to reach Fimela. Once you reach Fimela you turn left at the junction and take a small sandy track on the right hand side past a large mosque. Look out for a sign post saying Amoul Solo and follow that to a bridge. Go over the bridge and drive through Simal village to Camp Simal. You can also stay at Amoul Solo, which is run by a French lady who apparently is a superb chef. We opted however for Camp Simal as it offers fishing and horse riding included in the accommodation. The camp consists of a number of round traditional huts which are very comfortable. The staff are very pleasant and helpful and there is a great deal of bird and fish life in the area. We went fishing a couple of times with the local fisherman and caught a number of fish which were later on the menu!! It doesn’t get much fresher than that. During our three day stay there was a Muslim wedding in the village which we decided to visit. We were made very welcome and spent a couple of hours observing the traditions and manic dancing.

We then made our way southwards via Koalak to Toubacouta, stopping in Koalak to load up with cash from the available ATM’s. We have found on our travels that it is a good tactic as you generally only find ATM’s in the larger towns and cities. The road from Koalak to Toubacouta is very poor and it took us a couple of hours to cover the 60 or so kilometres. The scenery alters the further south you go and becomes progressively thicker bush and forest. Our intended destination was Sipo Island within the Saloum Delta Marine Reserve. Upon reaching Toubacouta we asked a local to guide us through the town to Keur Bamboung Eco Camp. Upon arrival we met Charles, the French manager, who arranged the 30 minute boat journey to the island. There is a small secure area for vehicles so we grabbed the gear we needed for the next three days and departed to Sipo Island and the Keur Bamboung Eco Camp. When w arrived on the island we were met by a horse and cart. Our luggage and camp stores were loaded onto the cart whilst you head off on foot for two kilometres along a sandy pathway to the camp. We were told it is advisable to book rooms here as accommodation is limited. However we were lucky that the high season had not yet arrived. The reserve was created in 2003 by a local Lebanese environmentalist who managed to get the mangrove delta protected from all fishing and hunting. According to the camp manager the project has been a great success with many fish species returning and the average size of the fish increasing. The mangroves provide a safe breeding ground for the fish and the success here has greatly benefited adjacent villages that rely on fishing. The camp offers hikes along the mangroves and surrounding forests and canoe trips into the mangroves. The area is also safe for swimming, although I did ask myself the question as to why the crocs in Aussie have adapted to estuarine waters and the crocs in Africa have not.....hmmmm food for thought.

After staying for three days we moved southwards again towards the Gambian border. We stopped at Bandiala Camp on the way for a day so we could prepare to hit the border during the morning. The camp is set in a fairly dense forest and is managed by Eric, a French man who has been running the camp for 20 years. The following morning we headed towards the border which is only about 20 kilometres away. We have heard various stories about the border, some saying how difficult a crossing it is and others saying how easy it is. We will have to see what awaits us !

We really enjoyed our time in Senegal having found great places to stay, great food and friendly people........ou la la !