West Africa Travel Guide

This blog is a free resource filled with information that we have gathered from living and traveling in West Africa. We’d love to have you on one of our trips but from one traveler to another, we are just happy to see people visiting the region.

The blog is also a reflection of our travel philosophy. It’s possible to have quite the adventure in West Africa, but we are a bit tired of reading travelogues that make it seem like walking down the street in your average West African city is a death defying experience. We’d like to think that the advice provided in these pages will help you discover West Africa on its own terms, with an eye to the simple things that make this such a great place to visit. 

If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with us on the contact page. For more stories from the road, follow us on Instagram, Youtube and Patreon.

Join our Patreon and Get Unlimited Travel Assistance

If you join our Scoot West Africa Patreon and sign up for the Chauffeur or Grand Chef membership options, you will get unlimited West Africa travel planning assistance from us for as long as you are a member. The Patreon is also where we share a number of stories and adventures that can’t be found on our other channels.

The Best Route from Dakar to Bamako

The Best Route from Dakar to Bamako

Far and away the easiest route to travel between Senegal and Mali is the one that takes you from Tambacounda to Kédougou in Senegal, and then to Kéniéba, Kita, Kati then Bamako in Mali. The route from Kayes via Diema has really declined over the past several years and...

read more
Getting a Visa for Guinea-Bissau in Ziguinchor, Senegal

Getting a Visa for Guinea-Bissau in Ziguinchor, Senegal

Getting your visa for Bissau in Ziguinchor just may be the most pain-free interaction you will ever have with bureaucracy in West Africa. The whole thing takes about 5 minutes. What's more, the friendly consular officer will even fill out the paperwork for you. The...

read more
A Few Pictures from our First Trip of the 2018-19 Season

A Few Pictures from our First Trip of the 2018-19 Season

We recently completed a two week trip from Dakar to Guinea-Bissau. The trip was filled with incredible sights, lots of laughs, and some seriously fun riding. We were once again blessed with a great group. Here are a few pictures in no particular order. Krista took...

read more
The Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal

The Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal

Who knew that a little known park in eastern Senegal has lions, hippopotamus, water buffalo, the rare giant Eland, and the northernmost population of chimpanzees in the world. West Africa is not known for its game reserves, but there are a few on offer (like Pendjari)...

read more