This article is about the land border between Mpak (Mpack) in Senegal and São Domingos in Guinea-Bissau. On the 22nd of March, 2025, we traveled from Ziguinchor in Senegal to Cacheu in one day. We took a taxi, crossed the border on foot, tried to hitchhike, and eventually took two mototaxis to the port, where we boarded a pirogue/canoa. Read on to find out how we did it. Zichuinchor to Cacheu instead of Bissau While writing a page about Guinea-Bissau to aid our travels in West Africa, I stumbled upon the small village of Cacheu by the river of theContinue reading
West Africa
Getting the Guinea-Bissau Visa in Ziguinchor, Senegal
It’s possible to get your Guinea-Bissau visa in Senegal near the border in Ziguinchor. We acquired ours on the 21st of March, 2025. Research into the Guinea-Bissau Visa My original digging I did into the visa for Guinea-Bissau led me to believe we could get a visa on arrival (VOA) for 90 days, at a cost of €85 per person. Or an eVisa, but no official website link to get it. Once we were on the ground in West Africa, the stories from fellow travelers were wildly different. Some said it was necessary to get it at the embassy inContinue reading
How to Get a SIM Card in Mauritania
We traveled a bit around the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in February 2025. To work remotely and stay online while traveling, we got local SIMs. Here’s the process to get your own SIM card in Mauritania. Which SIM Card in Mauritania is the Best? First things first: you might not get a choice in SIM card, even if you try really hard. Mauritania is a country where one might have to lower one’s expectations a few times a day. Also, the rules for everything in Mauritania change very quickly for some reason. If you can, buy Moov by Mauritel. EvenContinue reading
Through the Berm: Mauritania Border Crossing with Western Sahara/Morocco
We entered Mauritania from Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara on the 6th of February, 2025. We took a bus through the Berm (aka the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall) from Dakhla to Nouadhibou. At the Guerguerat border crossing, we used our Mauritanian eVisa to enter. The Guerguerat Border in Short In winter, there’s a one-hour time shift between Morocco and Mauritania. In Mauritania (UTC), it’s one hour later than in Morocco (UTC+1). Unless it’s a few weeks before Ramadan, when Morocco also moves to UTC, until about a week after Ramadan, when it switches back to UTC+1 Depending on the time zone MoroccoContinue reading
How to Get the Mauritanian eVisa Introduced in 2025
In January 2025, Mauritania rolled out its e-visa or eVisa regime for tourists to this West African nation. Here’s the ins and outs of obtaining your Mauritanian eVisa, which is the only way you can enter the Islamic Republic Mauritanian eVisa Changes In early January 2025, the government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania changed its tourist visa policy. Now, all nationals who require a visa to enter Mauritania need to obtain one through their eVisa portal. This is everyone except Algerians, Chadians, Ivorians, Gambians, Libyans, Malians, Nigeriens, Senegalese, and Tunisians. If you didn’t see your nationality in that list,Continue reading