Dakar to Freetown

Tour Details 

What is included

Accommodation on tour - approx 9 nights in a hostel/hotel, campsites with basic facilities, bush camping (no facilities). There are numerous options on this trip to upgrade from camping to a basic room if you want to pay extra.
All meals whilst camping
Services of professional crew
Main sites listed in the Tour Dossier

A donation to the Tribewanted project in Sierra Leone.

What is not included

Flights
Personal Travel Insurance
Visas
Border Taxes
Personal spending money
Optional activities
Tips
Meals when in hotels / guesthouses
Drinks
Any unforeseen contingency route expenses

The Kitty:

Optional side trips 

There are MANY optional activities and side trips available on the West Africa Overland Tours. Some include:

Visit Goree Island whilst in Dakar
Various museums in Dakar, Ziguinchor, Bissau, Conakry, and Freetown
Taking pirogue rides, hiring a bike, short taxi rides, and /or guided nature walks in Gambian National Parks / Reserves
Guided walks / nature walks in the Casamance region in Senegal
Guided hikes, hiring a bike, or short taxi rides to sites of interest in the Fouta Djallon region in Guinea *taxis are the best way to get around this area as the truck will not be able to reach a lot of the waterfalls and smaller villages in the Fouta Djallon, the tracks are not capable of handling such a large vehicle
Nightlife of Dakar, Ziguinchor, Bissau, Conakry and Freetown.
Local bands playing and entrance fees accordingly.
Local bands playing in small villages when you pass through.

All in all approx 120 Euros should be sufficient to cover most of these activities

Life on Tour

These West Africa Overland Expeditions are different from other departures and other holidays you may have taken – delays and changes of plan can happen - they are part of the reality of overlanding through the developing world where tourism is in its infancy. Be it bad weather, road conditions, corrupt officials, bureaucracy, mechanical hiccups, or out dated information, you will have to adapt your plans according to the circumstances.

Some parts of these tours will be exploratory, so considerable flexibility is built into all of the itineraries. It is the little - and often unexpected - things that can make a trip special. Where possible we take advantage of this flexibility to adapt the itineraries to fit in with local circumstances; for example to visit a local carnival or to have dinner at a local chiefs house.

Some long drive days in the back of the truck are an inevitable part of any Overland Tour. There are a lot of kilometres to cover and some days progress will be slow due to poor road conditions. Where possible we’ll try to break up the long drives with time off the truck and options for activities -  but be prepared for a few long days in the back on these expeditions.

These tours visit some remote areas where infrastructure is often basic - or in some cases non-existent. Overlanding in West Africa requires an understanding that standards will simply not be as they are in your home country. These trips are not designed to shield you from the realities of life in the countries you visit. In many of the places that you will travel in, what you recognise as the tourism ‘industry’ and the amenities it brings simply do not exist.

The journey really is the principal goal. It is a well worn cliché that Overland travel is about the journey and the experiences along the way, not the destination, and it really is true. It is all too easy to build up impossible expectations of places that can lead to disappointment. It is best to leave your expectations and pre-conceived ideas of places behind and to simply take the trip as it comes.  

Accommodation / Camping
Standards of accommodation can be somewhat sketchy.. Campsites with decent amenities are limited for some parts of these trips, and any hotels used will have basic facilities. You will be bush camping some of the time - where there will be no facilities at all - so you’ll have to be prepared to  camp for a few days without a shower or running water. That said, you will often stop by a river where you can to wash away the dirt. That is the magic of an Overland Adventure: camping in the middle of nowhere under the stars with a fantastic view of the surrounding area.

Bush toilets; if you are not prepared to bare your bum to a bush then this isn’t your kind of trip. When we do find toilets to use, they are often so disgusting you may prefer a bush anyway...

Participation
Participation is essential. This is a group Overland Expedition and with 20 or so travelers in the truck - this creates a surprising amount of work. Daily jobs are part and parcel of ANY Overland tour and everyone has to do their fair share. Jobs on the truck include; shopping for and preparing food, cooking, sweeping out the truck, loading/unloading bags and equipment and collecting firewood. If everybody chips in with their job it makes for a much more successful trip. Also bear in mind that a positive attitude and an open mind are just as important as your ability to get involved with the daily jobs.

Group Size
The average number of passengers on a West Africa tour is normally between 12 - 18, with a maximum of 20 and minimum of 8. 

Money+ Spending Money

The Euro Zone in West Africa includes; Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Cameroun, Gabon and Congo. Here the local Franc is directly linked to the Euro making it the best currency to have.

For general spending: n a lot of the countries you travel through, the tourist industry is in its infancy so there isn’t too much to spend your money on.  €10-€20 a day would be sufficient as an approximate ‘spending money in addition to kitty’ figure. But obviously personal spending can vary a lot depending on the individual and how much you want to eat out in restaurants, drink alcohol, buy souvenirs, upgrade to rooms, and use email etc. It’s better to over-budget than under-budget.

With regards to what form of money to bring – it is best to bring a mixture of forms of payment. Certainly you do not want to totally rely upon ATM’s – they often don’t accept foreign cards. Paying with a credit/debit card is also very unreliable. We advise you to bring a VISA card if you do want to withdraw cash, as Cirrus/Maestro/Mastercard/American Express are often totally useless in the region. As a general guide you should bring plenty of cash, predominantly in Euros but also some American Dollars. Traveller’s cheques are an option if you want to cut down on how much cash you carry but they are becoming harder and harder to cash.

Credit/debit cards - bring at least two to five credit/debit cards as they can be rejected by the cash machine. Tell your bank before you travel to stop them blocking your card. In East and Southern Africa ATM machines are available about every three days. Visa credit and debit cards are better than MasterCard/American Express/ Maestro/Cirrus for acceptability.

If coming from the UK don't bring Scottish money.

Security in general - Take a money belt that fits under your shirt. Do not wear a bum bag around your waist, or a money belt that hangs from your neck. In certain problem areas a passenger roster will be drawn up to guard the vehicle during the day. Don’t take non essential items of value. If you lose your passport or travelers cheques it is not always possible for the expedition to wait for you. We take no responsibility for such or for any belongings

On most borders you can change excess left over currency for the next country's money.

Money Gram and Western Union - If you’re concerned about carrying cash and knowing the pain travelers cheques are to cash get someone to MoneyGram or Western Union funds to you as you travel on your trips. On their websites are the locations of their offices in Africa. MoneyGram International -  moneygram.com or Western Union - westernunion.com

Side trips & optional excursions - Are paid for on the spot. All side trip prices are approximate and can change without notice.  

Equipment

Discman/iPods/MP3's & CD's - An amplifier is provided in the rear of the truck for you to plug your Discmans/i-Pods into. Although the amp is powered off the truck, your Discman/iPod isn't, so bring along extra batteries.

Photography - African authorities require that tourists do not take pictures of airports, railway stations or military installations. We are often in areas where locals are not used to being photographed and we ask you to show them every respect and courtesy.

Your Electrical Equipment – Mobiles, Cameras, Laptops - In most camps you can charge from the mains, so bring a travel adaptor plug, as outlet power points are mostly UK and Euro types. Most countries run on 220/240 volts. To increase your battery time get a spare battery.

Mobile Phone – your phone can work abroad if you have roam facility.  Coverage is good but incoming calls cost a lot. You can generally buy a local number in each country we visit.

Maps - To have your own map to follow the trip, for Southern Africa - Michelin map 955, West Africa - Michelin 953 and for North East Africa - Michelin 954.

Deposit and balance & Insurance - Once you are booked, your deposit and balance (within two months of trip departure) is non refundable. Insure yourself when you book for the full time your away. You must have travel insurance. We only carry passengers on the understanding that, in most African countries through which we travel no passenger or vehicle liability is available. Take out insurance when you pay your deposit for the tour or for flights so that you are covered for cancellation and bring your policy. If you travel without insurance and you have a problem you could incur massive bills.

Inoculations - You have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and will need an International Vaccination Certificate to prove this when we cross borders. It is also advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid; Rabies; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Tetanus; Polio and Meningitis.

If possible start your vaccinations two months, but as late as two weeks before departure. Your doctor can also inoculate. Medical centres travel educated doctors can supply up-to-date medical advice and vaccinate you.

Malaria – There is malaria in the areas we visit. Malaria tablets offer only partial protection against malaria so avoid mosquito bites. Mosquitoes come out in the evening, wear long trouser and sleeves plus socks as mosquitoes tend to bite around the feet and ankles. Use insect repellent containing Deet. The use of repellents and covering up is as effective as the use of tablets, so by coupling both methods you should be malaria free. In Africa buy a can of fly/bug spray to clear your tent.

On the last Trans Africa trip most people used Doxycycline as a malaria preventative. They start Mauritania and stopped in Egypt. In all less than 10% of people got malaria. We don’t know why those people do but they tend to be the ones who drink the most – could be pressure on the liver or that they are out at night not feeling bites. Put on long pants at night, use repellant and fly spray your tents before retiring. Doxycycline is available cheaply in most countries.

In Africa buy a malaria cure – standard medical procedure in malarial zones is if you have a fever of unknown origin is to treat it as malaria first to stop it quickly.

Medical Kits - The trucks carry First Aid kits on board for emergency use only. However, the crew is not entitled to recommend or prescribe any medicine. We advise a health check with your doctor and dentist before you start your journey and that you carry your own medical kit with you.  

For information on the location of your nearest embassy or consulate we recommend the following website: yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/ . For current updates on visa information you can try the website www.visaproject.com