This is a nice place where you can leave your car as long as you want. Prices are fixed on a big board so no surprises like in so many other places in Marrakesh. Price for full day and night is 36 Dirhams, around 3.5 Euros. This time while I’m in town, the car is staying there for almost 3 weeks now and no problem. There’s a 24hours guard looking for the cars.
Marijuana fields can often be seen all around the 40km2 in the Rif Mountains northern Morocco. These are surprising huge plantations that can be seen while on the mountains. You do have to do some serious hiking to be able to see them as they are deep inside the mountains.
What is interesting about the picture above is that you can see a family playing in the river, so marijuana fields make part of a Sunday afternoon pic-nic landscape, a normal family environment for local people.
There’s an ancient law that gave permissions to this specific region in Morocco to produce marijuana. The present King can’t end with ancient laws set out by other older kings. These Marijuana crops are usually harvested during Summer and while on the region, the cannabis smell can be felt miles away. The smell is intense.
After the harvest, people pass to the next conservation step which is to be let down to dry open sky.
Marijuana in Morocco is a serious threat to public health in Europe as it is the first exporter of this herb.
Marijuana fields, Marijuana plantations in the Mountains, Cannabis Rif Moutains, Northern Morocco
You see the powerful machine we rented??!! The big, the Magestic, Amazing: Hyunday Athos
After spending almost a week in Havana my friends and I decided to skip the capital and start some serious island exploration. The best way to get to know places is definitely by driving. We can basically stop wherever we wish.
After an intensive search in Havana and after taxi around the city to check out all the prices, we found out that they do not change a lot as the existing companies do all belong to the state; they are state owned enterprises as every other in Cuba. No private companies exist in Cuba.
So after an hour on a taxi looking for the best deal ( and actually after a couple phone calls ) we end up staying with CUBA CAR – CAR RENTAL. This is a tiny office located aside a Servicentro ( Gas Station ) and exactly facing the Malecón Avenue. The guy that talked to us was nice and understood that we wanted the cheapest.
Hum…looks a bit smaller on this picture
Car Rental, CUBACAR
Carlos León
Pnto Servicentro 23 y Malecón, Havana, Cuba
870.2257
Prices car rental Havana
1 to 6 days = $55CUC per day
7 to 13 days = $50CUC per day
+ 14 days = $45CUC per day
After a short conversation with the car rental employee, I quickly got to know some quick fact about car driving in Cuba. Basically and apart from common sense, we have to watch out for some tricks on Cuban roads.
Farola Highway, from Baracoa to Guantanmo, East Cuba
Driving in Cuba: Do’s & Don’ts
Don’t pass the speed limit due to the large amount of people walking on the roads also during the night, tons of animals passing the road, people on horses, cows, dogs and all other farm animals you can think of. Also the police will probably stop you;
If so, do not be rude to police. They will be a mirror of your first behaviour. Smile, say hello “Hola! Como está? And you’ll just be fine. If they stick to the ticket just cry and they will let you go;
Some roads are in really bad conditions so watch out. If you go light and you like speed, you have to take in count that you can find a huge hole that you’ll have no time to break or reduce speed;
Never be out of a spare tyre. Always fix the problems you have with tires;
Maybe you’ll want to give a lift to some one, there are thousands of people hitch hiking or waiting for transportation. Cuba has no criminal activity like other western countries, so hitch hiking will be pretty safe;
Be safe and always have the fuel tank half full, better off like this than getting no fuel in certain towns of little villages;
I mean, of course you can go a bit faster than the speed limit ;
Stop and by fruit and drink fresh fruit juice whenever you see someone doing it or selling it on the side of the road, this will be one of your trip highlights
Cuba and it’s tropical weather can be tricky so just in a sudden a storm can come and your visibility will be really bad not to talk about the amount of water that will quickly flood the roads
Yes! Get a car and discover Cuba by your own!
Road conditions in Cuba are OK if you stick to the big main roads, I mean, OK concerning that even a secondary road in Morocco is much better than the highway from Santa Clara to Havana. Road signs do not exist so you better start practicing your Spanish accent, open that window and start asking direction to where ever you wish to go.
Road in the country side of the Island
Now, if you decide to go and drive trough the small yellow road ( yellow on the map corresponding to smaller roads, rural itineraries ), well, there were times we wished the trip would end, and, times where basically the road disappeared like from Moa to Baracoa. To go to Baracoa people usually take the southern road from Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba, but as we were driving clock-wise on the island, we had to pass the northern access to town of Baracoa, the first place where Cristobel Colon once arrived.
In almost 4000km driven, we had 3 flat tires, had to buy a new tire that got destroyed and had to switch another one in Pinar del Rio in the rental company.
We were sleeping along the way, while choosing a place to be the next destination, we were using Lonely Planet book for directions but as soon as we got to any town center, we would just follow our instinct and look for a place to stay. We only stayed in one “private house” that was publicized in LP. Al the other ones we just searched and talk to people directly, discussed prices and whenever we got good deals, we stayed.
More or less or trajectory was going around the island on a clock wise circle which I now point out the places where we slept for 2 weeks during the time we rented the car: Remédios ( 2nights ), Playa Santa Lucia ( 1night ), Baracoa ( 4nights ), Santiago de Cuba ( 2nights ), Camaguey ( 2nights ), Trinidad ( 2nights ), Viñales ( 3nights ).
Driving with storm in Cuba
We put fuel for 9 times in the following locations: Havana, Santa Clara, Cayo Coco, Manatí, Moa, Santiago de Cuba, Sancti Spiritus, Piñar del Río and Bahia Honda ( where we just put $5 CUC to get us to Havana to deliver the car ). We spent exactly $187 CUC which is around 150EUROS. We drove 486km on our first day of driving, from Havana passing 3 hours on the beach in Varadero and heading to Remédios where we stayed for 2 nights.
Road to Cayo Santa Maria north of Remédios
We delivered the car on time, and, by surprise hit the NUMBER 1 TOURIST to get back without 1 police ticket!! We were the first to get back on this office without 1 car fine, and even more surprising to them was that we rented the car for 2 weeks! Who says Portuguese drivers are bad? In Cuba at least…
Driving along the Caribeean Sea, Southern Cuba
Driving in Cuba, Havana Rent Car in Cuba: Hyundai Athos, 3780km exploration in the Caribbean Island of Cuba
Prices in Cuba, Cuban Dollar CUC Convertible Prices
In Cuba there are 2 currencies, both actually called Pesos Cubanos because they are both Cuban of course, but one, the lowest one is called Peso Cubano and the highest one is called Peso Convertible aka CUC. Things in CUC are more expensive but you can’t escape this currency as some things can only be bought in with this money.
On an average look at prices in Cuba, things are expensive for Europeans, Australians and Americans. But, things are really really really expensive if you’re Cuban.
You have to be careful as sometimes things are mark in Pesos Cubanos and you end up paying with Convertibles. Don’t be cheated in “Casa do Chocolate” ( Chocolate House ) in Baracoa! Prices there are in Pesos Cubanos where you can eat all you want with 3 more friends and not spend more than $0.50 CUC, but they will probably ask you for CUC money. Say no and pay in either Pesos Cubanos if you have, or in small CUC coins. No CUC bank notes accepted but coins are ok.
This is a small list of CUC things I bought during my trip around Cuba, all in CUC dollar:
Havana
Ballet Ticket $20 CUC
Centro de Arte Cubano $5 CUC
Cubalse Oro Negro Gasolina: Especial 1Litre $0.95 CUC
Tienda Panamericana: Shorts $17.10 CUC
Doña Blanquita Restaurant: Beans African Style $2.0 CUC
Doña Blanquita Restaurant: Fresh Fruit Juice $1 CUC
Chocolate bar $0.85 CUC
Water 0.5litre $0.45 CUC
ETECSA 1Hour Internet$ 6$CUC
Cash Withdrawal Commission for $100 CUC: $3.24USD
Museo de la Revolución $5 CUC
The church tower at La Havana Cathedral $1 CUC
Las Tunas
Cubalse Oro Negro Las Tunas: Car tyre $47.55 CUC
Remédios
Museo de la Música, Casa Alejandro García Caturla $1 CUC
Guantanamo
Postcard $0.70 CUC
Erotic Cuisine Recipes Book $4 CUC
Santiago de Cuba
El Morro Car Parking $1 CUC
Trinidad
ETECSA 1Hour Internet $6 CUC
Camaguey
CD Thelmary $7.10 CUC
Shirt $12.25 CUC
Little coin purse written Cuba $1.60 CUC
Postcard $0.50 CUC
ETECSA 1Hour Internet $6 CUC
Manati
Cubalse Oro Negro: Gasolina Regular 1Litre $0.80 CUC
Sancti Spiritus
Servi Cupet Cimex Colon: Gasolina Especial 1Litre $0.95 CUC
Servi Cupet Cimex Colon: Bottle of water 1Litre $0.70 CUC
Ciego de Avila
Servi Cupet Cimex Jardines del Rey: Gasolina Especial 1Litre $0.95 CUC
Toll Tickets Cuba Prices, Estación de Peaje Cuba
FICAV Toll ticket Matanzas-Varadero $2 CUC
Toll ticket Cayo Santa María $2 CUC
Toll ticket Cayo Coco $2 CUC
Cayo Jutía entrance $5 CUC per person
The New Book of “Free Men of Morocco” is NO LONGER AVAILABLE available.
IMAZIGHEN - Free Men of Morocco
Photography in the land of the Imazighen: Northern Morocco, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert.
Small collection of 28 carefully selected photos taken in 2005 by João Leitão.
Imazighen or Amazigh ( singular ) is the original ethnic group of the Maghreb region in North Africa. A.k.a. Berbers, these unique people persisted to exist and maintain their traditions even after several foreign invasions. In Morocco there are more than 20 million Berber spread around the country in few distinct tribes and groups.
This photographic research helps you understand the main differences between the Berbers from the North, from the Atlas Mountains and from the Sahara.
Morocco seen different
This 32 pages book shows a different Morocco. The Morocco beyond the eyes of foreigners, beyound the eyes of the cameras. We often think Morocco is just another Arab country but in fact that is not the reality. Berbers ( Imazighen ) kept their ancesters traditions well attached to their values, creating by this mean a certain gap between them and the Moroccan Arabic citizens.
The New Book of “Free Men of Morocco” is NO LONGER AVAILABLE available.
The human being tries to better himself. Individual perfection is present in the beginning of our self-acknowledgment, our presence, our existence. The concept of perfection is, within kung-Fu, a personal voyage. One of differences, agreements and disagreements, of constant learning, mistake and moving on, of open eyes and skilful mind. Each person in his own way. The mind open to the awareness of the journey/life is one of the great steps of our evolution.
“Even inside the greatest ocean, one can die of thirst if the mouth is kept shut.”
Kung-Fu is born from our being as one, as unique individuals open to the universe, absorbing its essence and providing it with answers. Individual, completion: Yin-Yang.
The Lotus flower is born from the most unclean mud and transforms itself into a symbol of beauty, a symbol of spiritual enrichment, of divine and genuine. Although its roots are in the dark bottom of this world, its petals rise to the full light. This flower of fascinating vibrations is present throughout all the narratives of eastern civilization. It is the symbol for the sun, for rebirth and creation. In Ancient Egypt it was said that the sun came out from a Lotus flower.
Just like Man gets lost everyday in the unconsciousness of sleep, traveling through fantastic worlds, submersed in unattainable energies, so does the Lotus flower sink itself in the swamp mud every night to revive the next morning. Transformation from chaos.
It is the summing up of material and immaterial, of the deepest and the highest, of darkness and light, of the restrictions of identity and the immeasurable universality, of the sculpted and the shapeless.
Chaos = Universe = Order: Yin-Yang
Lotus flower Kung-Fu
Lotus flower Kung-Fu is born from the compilation of several styles of Kung-Fu, in the personal research of Guilherme da Luz. He adapts them to him, to nowadays and to the people who followed its path since the very beginning in 1995. This method of Kung-Fu has turned into a more internal place, giving room to the exploration of a martial art with deep connections to healing and meditation. All these relationships happening from the inside to the outside and not derived from warrior attitudes which take the opposite direction. This is where the real struggle takes place. The struggle within. With ourselves.
This method of Kung-Fu has 7 main stages. Seven just like the first seven steps of Siddhartha (who would later become Buda) from which seven Lotus flowers were born. So, each Bodhisattva’s step is an accomplishment of spiritual expansion. Each one of the stages of Lotus flower Kung-Fu is a synonym for aesthetic bettering to the body and mind.
In these 7 main stages combining movements of arms and legs, a journey of several styles makes way to a creative, free setting which provides importance to the nature of each individual. Kung-Fu applied to what each person can give. No limitations. The only restriction is doing it just like the other one. That is why being unique is the key. Finding the movement and the art we have inside, applied to martial movement. Aesthetics versus Logic.
“Man is like a bottle filled with water, very well closed, tossed into the middle of the ocean. It has inside the same substance that the ocean is made of but his mind (the cork) stops him from becoming one with that immensity.”
Moment
The moment to exist is now. Individual work is now. It was not and it will not be!
Just like the right moment to move your fist towards the target, our mind takes action in the right moment to interact with what is around us. One simply has to be aware of the opportunity. To have the perception of being in the right place at the right time.
“A love from the past is only a memory.
A future love is nothing but a fantasy.
True love lives here and now.” (Buda)
Having in mind physical positions of anatomic correction together with an intense use of respiration, the whole body builds itself like a machine which connects our untouchable mind with the untouchable Universe. Substance versus non substance: Yin-Yang.
To feel the body. Talk to him, understand very well what we are inside what we have. Do we belong to our body or is it the body which belongs to us!?
The real purpose of Kung-Fu is to cultivate the love for living, for being alive and feeling alive. To be creative with our own body, to feel every instant our heart beats. An unceasing way of loving. Permanent and eternal orgasm…
Text by João Leitão / English translation by Luís Seco.
This was the best restaurant i found in Kazakhstan and in all central Asia. this very nice and relaxed Krishna restaurant with very beautiful girls for waiters, serves very tasty food. the dishes come in this fancy look with the enough quantity of food you need to feel alright with yourself not to feel full nor empty. this vegetarian Indian restaurant is run by very interesting people that will invite you for their mountain refuge to make yoga and eat well along with meditation.
I like their yogurt juices very much. pastries are also very tasty along with some lentils dishes.
you can have a full meal for about $3, $4 or $5 if you eat more than one dish. if you are hungry you’ll probably eat more than one dish.
Type: Vegan/Vegetarian Comparison: least expensive Prices: less than US$10 Phone: 710836 Address: Abylay Khan 39 Directions: this is on the way down the abylay khan ul., 3 blocks before the Almaty II train station. on the left side of the street going on the station direction.
This is a choice you have, passing by foot your actually getting yourself inside the long hours train from Dakar. The train will also pass here, the border city of Kidira. You can get out in this city Kidira and walk to the Senegalese officers get a stamp and head the bridge that separates both countries. The first city on the Mali side is Diboli and just a couple of hundred metres before you have the Mali costumes officers and to get a stamp you have to go to the police station in the city after. You don’t get the stamp on the border exactly but have to go and look for the police station after when you get to the nearby town.
Again if you’re coming with a car, make sure you have a less then 4 years old car or the carnet de passage.
The Carnet de Passages en Douane is an internationally recognised customs document that, if accepted in a country, entitles the holder to temporarily import a vehicle without the need to pay the appropriate customs duties and taxes. A Carnet is required for most transcontinental journeys and you must obtained one in advance of the journey.
Morocco is an amazing country. Its the most wonderful place I’ve ever been to and somewhere I will always go until no more roads and villages are left to be discovered by me. I love Morocco and all it has to offer, either you’re looking for high touristy places or lonely villages in the middle of the mountains this is the place to be.
I backpacked first time to Morocco back in 2000 and since then I’ve visited the country more than 20 times. Ever little time I have spare from my work in Portugal I try to head South and enjoy great people, food, landscapes and of course the thrill of it all: The Sahara Desert which is quite special here, not by its greatness (although the biggest sand dune of North Africa is here located) but indeed for its special energy and relaxing ambiance.
I have the idea that usually many people search for cultural shock or cultural differences to enjoy the most of a trip and put on their mind to buy a faraway ticket somewhere thousands of kilometres away. No need. At least for me, Morocco stays precisely 520 kilometres (323 miles) from my city to the border of Bab Sebta. As the country’s already keeps records of being one of the most visited countries in all Africa, still many places need to be visited and apart from big cities and fancy touristy spots, there is a lot to be found and experienced.
I discovered that driving to Morocco is quite more easy than taking public transportation as the countries conditions are very much ok to enjoy a trip with your car without worries. This is the way you can take more advantage of the country and explore unexplored villages or mountains that usually Agencies or buses don’t go. This way you can also experience Moroccan extreme sense of good hosts and receive you with great hospitality, which you can but not as often find in big cities.
Great places to visit in Morocco are:
Merzouga’s Erg Chebbi Sahara Dunes
Marrakesh the Red Chaotic city
Bou Iblane Mountains and surrounding villages
Gorges du Todra and all villages after: Imilchil and Agoudal
Draa Valley and Tinfou Sand Dunes near Zagora
Ait Ben-Haddou Kasbah UNESCO village
Chefchaouen Blue painted city on the mountains
The train from Nouadhibou to Choum is the longest train in the world.
The iron ore train carry thousands of tons of crusehed rock in a chain of wagons up to three kilometres long. Their schecules and frequencies depend partly on the speed of the extraction at the mines, and on unpredictable hold-ups-damaged rails, enginefailure and even in the past, attacks by Polisario guerillas from over the border in Western Sahara-and travellers should realize that ore is the priority, not passangers.
Three trains a day go from Zouerat to Nouadhibou, but only one with a passenger carriage passes Choum at about 5.30-6pm. the usual journey time for Choum to Nouadhibou is around 12 hours but expect more. 2 others may come through late at night, or early in the morning, but on these foot passengers have to huddle in the ore trucks.
There are 3 trains a day, but only the one at 14.30 takes passengers (maybe if you have to transport your car as well, you can take another train).
It is 460km/12hrs from Nouadhibou to Choum and you can follow the distance on milestones along the track.
For further information contact SNIM, Nouadhibou BP 42 -tel 745174 ext:1700;fax 745396, the state organization that runs the iron ore mines and the railway.
Motorists who are heading to Atar can load their car onto opene platforms, althogh this can take days: start waiting at the railway station opposite the douanes at 9am to stand the chance of getting it loaded onto the 6pm freight train.
It transports iron ore from Zouerat to Nouadhibou and can be up to 2.5km long. There are lots of bucket wagons for the ore but just one passenger wagon.
It is very easy to find camel meat in Mauritania, and in a lot of places in the desert, camel meat with onions and couscous or rice will be about the only thing available.
With that, like we farm cows, they in Mauritania farm dromedaires.
Historically, cattle herding was Mauritania’s most important economic activity. In the 1980s, with a cattle-to-people ratio of three to one–the highest in West Africa–herding provided subsistence for up to 70 percent of the country’s people. Herding has been dramatically affected by chronic drought and the attendant rapid advance of the desert. These events have forced shifts in patterns of movement, herd composition and ownership, and increased pressures on lands also occupied by sedentary farmers in the south
The drought also caused shifts in the herding of camels (traditionally located in the drier north) and of sheep and goats (held by groups all across Mauritania).
These changes were less dramatic than those for cattle, however, because camels, sheep, and goats are more resistant to drought. Although decreases in sheep, goat, and camel herd size in drought years could be significant, recovery was more rapid and sustained.
The overall size of camel, sheep, and goat herds may have risen since the 1960s, as these hardier animals have moved into areas abandoned by cattle herds. This pattern seems to have been particularly true for the camel herds.
Nouadhibou its the first city after the border with Moroccan Western Sahara. From here arrive by land hundreds of stolen vehicles, man slavering and all kind of goods, even vegetables can be passed illegally at the border.
Nouadhibou is a place never constructed to fit the needs of tourists.
What to say a bout this city…what to say about Mauritania in general… its indeed a different country from whatever you’ve been used to. Its full of poverty, racial conflicts, garbage and worldwide mafia.
There’s this huge worldwide terrorist organization that is very active in this city, more than in the capital which the presidential control is bigger. This organization which i don’t have the need to write the name is very powerful here in Nouadhibou and takes control of almost every single facility related to Islam. Huge and good quality mosques (Mauritanian speaking of course) are visible and you even notice the leaders mansions near by with grand cars BMW and big expensive SUVs 4 wheel drive cars at their door, in a country that the normal salary is not more than 15000 UM, about 40- 45 euros, which usually 6000 go to pay the monthly rent of a single room no electricity and proper toilet facilities.
Specially here in Nouadhibou, various organized mafia groups and underground organizations find refuge to make business. Korean, Russian, Chinese, Nigerian, Senegalese and also White Moors underground organizations are settled here with their business of drugs, prostitution, car export, fish export, guns and even man slavery working at day light.
There is much to see inside the city of more around 60,000 people, but the nature here is great.
Nouadhibou like many desert cities, is large, and comes in three parts. The first is the new quarter of Numerowat in the north, with mess of construction sites. This is where the majority of people live. The various quarters of “Numerowat” are identified by robinets (premiere robinet or deuxieme robinet etc) according to the nearest public water standpipe, which come at 500 metre intervals along the asphalt road to downtown Nouadhibou.
Downtown is “Ville”, with all the usual services and shops and the city main market. On the south side of town, a full 10km from the city centre, is the iron ore company’s dormitory town of Cansado.
Nouadhibou is stretching along a thin peninsula running out from and parallel to the mainland in southern direction. Everything is more or less sand, shaped by the wind, meeting the sea in several bays without any vegetation destroying your impression of really being in Sahara.
Senegal’s currency is the CFA franc.CFA100 equals 1 French Franc, 10 French francs=1 euro.
You can easily get money out of bank ATM machines in Big cities like Dakar, Thies, Mbour and St. Louis. in other parts of the country it will be very difficult to get ATM machines, they just dont exist.
Banks close from 11:30am until 2:30 or 3:00pm.
I know there are taxis that will take you from Dakhla to the last Police check point in Bir Gandus. They will drop you off in the border as you can see on the picture (taxis are those red mercedes). i also know that a taxi will cost around 100euros, cos you have to pay the taxi driver back to Dakhla. From the border to Dakhla (if you’re coming from mauritania) can be cheaper if you make a good deal.
be careful with taxis, these region is know to have people getting kidnapped or robbed.
you can also get direct buses from northern morocco to south morocco in moroccan western sahara. Try CTM bus company.
You can easily go with your car. be careful not to hit a landmine. after the first Moroccan police checkpoint you have 7km with bombed road and sand. as soon as you get to the first Mauritanian police checkpoint you have even worse desert tracks to get to the second police control house and “duane”. from there to enter Nouadhibou you’ll need a guide cos you don’t know the way into the sand. even with GPS it will be hard to pass due to the large amount of landmines.
I know there are taxis that will take you from Dakhla to the last Police check point in Bir Gandus. They will drop you off in the border as you can see on the picture (taxis are those red mercedes). i also know that a taxi will cost around 100euros, cos you have to pay the taxi driver back to Dakhla. From the border to Dakhla (if you’re coming from mauritania) can be cheaper if you make a good deal.
be careful with taxis, these region is know to have people getting kidnapped or robbed.
If you go to KM 40 after dakhla in Western Sahara, where the police checks for peoples ID, you can get a ride from tourist going south. many people sleep in dakhla to leave in the morning to Mauritanian border. I got a ride to this Moroccan point and from here got another different ride. Be careful with rides from local people. there are news that some tourists, backpacking were killed while hitch hiking in western Sahara towards Mauritania.
remember that from dakhla to the border is almost 400km.
You can get the bus from Tamtettoucht to Ait Hani -15 dirhams
and Tamtattoucht-Tinerhir 15 dirhams (1.5euros)
Why went on top of the roof of the Mercedes van? Inside I counted more than 25 people and also on top of the roof with 3 people, there were 14 goats…
It was very cold. I remember you this is the Atlas and it also snows here.
If you want to experience the real Atlas mountains, you can take several of this vans inside the mountains. after ait hani, 20km from tamtettoucht the asphalt road is over until a few kms before the berber village of imilchil near the islit and itslit lakes. while in Tamtettoucht, this Berber village once a secret from the atlas, now a hotel poping berber village, nevertheless extremely beautiful and scenic, you can choose from many other hotel from Auberge Bougafer. It should be about the 3rd hotel on the right, in front of hotel baddou. auberge bougafer is the 2nd hotel build in this small berber village that counts with about 1000 nomads only inside the mountains, that during the year run down to by goods and go back to the mountains where they have huge herds of goats and camels. Tamtettoucht is good to stay for 2 days or just to stop for one night on the way to other less explored villages. a night in this family auberge costs 15euros for half board. very nice food, funny guys, great music as they play music for you. berber music live in the mountains. great experience. a must while starting and getting use to atlas mountain berbers. check out the website: auberge bougafer
Some pictures about Tamtettoucht aka Tamtattoucht:
there is a huge market a few times per month in imilchil. you will be amazed about the goat market. imilchil during the winter is also very nice. once in imilchil try to reach hotel chez bassou. the best in town from all others. try this link here: hotel imilchil. in this hotel you will get family ambiance, where both bassou and his wife will take care of you. you will also meet his children. bassou is a official mountain guide so he can also guide you through the mountains at an affordable price. each day camping / trekking /hiking in the mountains costs around 25 euros per day per person all included. one night on his hotel rooms, very nice one with private bath costs around 15 euros half board.
crossing the mountain range from tamtettoucht to imilchil:
you can do this trip for several days in a row stopping in different villages. if stoping in agoudal search for Chez Ibrahim auberge. the only in the village, very nice guy and you’ll probably pay around 15euros for halfboard with room. there are lots of activities you can do in agoudal. this small village lost in the high atlas is unreachable during the worst winter times. although if you can manage to get a strong 4×4 and some good weather you might reach there. i already pass there during winter with a small town car. lots of snow on the tracks but if you drive slowly you might reach and actually pass until imilchil.
Auberge Ibrahim
52403 Agoudal, cercle d’Imilchil
Province d’Er Rachidia, Maroc
Tél. : 00 212 (0) 35 88 46 28
GPS : N 32°00”735′ / W 05°29”321′
Mail : aubergeibrahim@ht.st
This is the fastest way of going to Morocco. The Boat just takes half hour. When i go by car I always go to Ceuta cos gas is half the price than in Spain and Morocco. Ceuta is an independent city that belongs to Spain. Tax-free zone.
The boats going from Algeciras to Africa are quite different depending if you’re going to Ceuta (Autonomous spanish city in North Africa) or to Tangier (First Moroccan city on the North). Boats going to Ceuta are good quality, fast, clean and the ones going to Morocco directly are 3 times slower, not dirty of course (sometimes the bathrooms stink), but built maybe 30 years ago. instead of actually spending 30 minutes inside the boat you can spend up to 3 hours. Its up to you. If you’re going by car you should avoid tangier because is much quite easier to enter from Ceuta, but if you’re going walking and public transport you should go to tangier. price to tangier is a bit cheaper also.
The other option is to go directly from Tarifa or Algeciras to Tangier. This way all the passport formalities will be done inside the ferry boat. As soon as you arrive you’ll be already in Morocco so you don’t need to do much about border formalities.
This is the boat that takes you from the port of Dakar to the UNESCO Island of Goree. The ticket costed in 2004 5,000.00 XOF (CFA)
Communauté Financière Africaine Francs=7.62245Euro .
There are boats living every 30 minutes to a 20minutes journey to the Island. If i remember well, the last boat should be around 8 or 9pm. make sure you get it back to dakar or else you have to stay in the island until the next morning. this a guesthouse near the harbour.
There is a very well known and legendary train in West Africa, it is called the Dakar-Bamako train or the Eastern Ocean-Niger service via Thies, Diourbel, Tambacounda and Kidira until it reaches the capital of Mali, Bamako.
Trains from Bamako leave 10am Wed and Sat. The journey can take 36hours up to 70h… Fares to Dakar from Bamako are about 25,000CFA 2nd class. Once you’re on the train you can upgrade your ticket to have a sleeping wagon. If you ask you’llmaybe have a student discount (in case you’re a student).
Most public transport in Senegal is by bush taxi or taxi brousse in french. You have different vehicles making themselves as buses or little buses. They are: Peugeot 504, a van with 7 seats; normal cars usually white like old Mercedes minibus or Saviem; a camion (truck like the one on the picture) that carry dozens of people on the back cargo part. You will travel faster and more comfortable in the Peugeot 504. Minibuses are better for shorter journeys and give you the change of getting to know the people. You will get to know people on longer journeys.
Autogares or gares routieres are well organized and you cant miss the bus no way. any way you should always ask to many different people as the normal Senegalese person will not tell you he doesn’t know, preferring giving you the wrong direction.
Big Buses 40 sits operate between bigger cities but they are hard to et. Dakar has great bus system.
From the norther border with Rosso you have taxis to Saint Louis.
Inside cities you have an excellent bus system, its the Transport commune. You can go everywhere inside towns and cities with this kind of buses you can see on the picture. This should be an easy way for shorter journeys and you’ll have a great opportunity to see local people interacting.
For bigger trips you should choose bush taxi or taxi brousse.
You have to take a boat from Mauritania to Senegal. This is a very thrilling trip has you are actually passing your way from the Arab/Moor influenced countries to the real “Black Africa” This is the first black people country on west Africa coming from north: morocco, western Sahara and Mauritania. The boat takes 10 minutes to pass but about 1 hour or even 2 to get in..
The boat cost 500UM for each person and 1500UM for each car.
Be careful with your things, from now on things in terms of robberies get worst, the situation in Mauritanian border city Rosso is the worst in Mauritania by the way…
In the north part of the country you have the big Senegal river which will have to be passed thru if you want to get to little villages and towns on the other side. You pay around 500CFA or 1000CFA to pass yourself or a car on these boats. The majority of these boats are human force powered and you should participate on the ritual, BE CAREFUL with you hands not to cut yourself on the iron wire that holds the boat. You can get a bad cut on your hand pulling the boat. You should grab the wire pull and get it loose, grab it pull loose, not sliding your hand on it! remember this as it will make you free from cuts like my friend did, he got a huge cut on his hand. West Africa is not the place for you to cut yourself in a place where maybe other people also cut themselves right?
4WD cars are the best to drive in Senegal. West African roads are not in good shape. Roads in Senegal are BAD on the way from the Border Rosso north, to Saint Louis, you have +-100km of roads full of craters. The road heading North aside the Senegal River all the way to Ouro Sogui and Matam is in really bad shape, better to go off the road than actually going on the few asphalt left on the track. After Ouro Sogui near Matam and going all the way to Kidira and Tambacounda the road is very ok, no problem with this one. Going south o Niokolo Koba (except on the Park itself where you need a 4wd to make many trajects) is ok. The road to Velingara from Tambacounda is ok. From Velingara to the border with Gambia no road just tracks full of holes and red sand and dirt.
From the gambian border to kaolack road is not good, expect many hours to make just a few kms. From Kaolack to Thies is ok and then to Dakar is good. Dakar to Saint Louis is more or less ok.
On the picture you have a broken road between Matam and Kidira that was taken by the strong waters of the recent rains.
This is the border with Gambia south in Casamance after Velingara town. Here things run pretty smooth and people are quite relaxed about tourist due to the few number of them actually passing countries here.
If you come with car you will need carnet de passage en douane, unless you can make the head police understand the document is only for cars older then 4 years (which is not, but he doesn’t know the law), so you just saw you pay the duane for the car and you want to enter. Its nice to have some pencils and t-shirts which they will love if you say you will give them that after you have the douane for your car made of course.
Coming by foot, you have transportation in Velingara going to Georgetown, or you can just hitching which I think will be ok since I haven’t seen much dangerous things in the country…
