In late 2009, I found out that a small group of Portuguese riders was organizing a motorcycle trip from Lisbon, Portugal to Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. It was an opportunity too good for me to miss: Up to this point, I had been a “surfaced-road-in-the-Western-World” motorcycle rider, but I wanted to expand my horizons; Unlike me, almost all the other motorcyclists were experience adventure riders who had done this route before, so I would be able to draw on their guidance and support.
The group’s plan was to leave from Lisbon in early Feb 2010; cross the Strait of Gibraltar on the Tarifa to Tangier ferry; and then continue south all the way to Bissau. Once there, the motorcycles would be put on a container and sent back to Lisbon, and the riders returning by plane.
I lived in Paris at the time, so to me, this plan meant leaving home in January, i.e., the peak of winter. Luckily, after a bit of research on the net, I found out about SNCF’s Auto Train from Paris to the Med…
Paris to Lisbon
So, I ended up leaving Paris on SNCF’s overnight train to Narbonne—with my motorcycle a few train cars behind me—on Jan 11. Good thing I went this way because on that day, it was snowing in Paris! Picking up the motorcycle in Narbonne upon arrival was no issue, and soon I was on the road heading to Lisbon. As far as the routing, it was all short stages (as I had the time); and hugging the Med as much as possible (Madrid in January on a motorcycle is no fun either…).
On Jan 14, I was in Lisbon, which gave me enough time to do some prep work on the motorcycle and to do an off-road practice run with the rest of the group.
Lisbon to Bissau
As briefly as I possibly can: we left Lisbon on Feb 5; crossed the strait into Morocco on the following day; than it was seven days of long stages across Morocco and Mauritania, to St. Louis, Senegal; in here, at the iconic ZebraBar, we had our first rest day; then it was back on the bikes for four more days of short stages across Senegal and the Gambia, to Cap Skirring, in Senegal’s Casamance region; than one last day of riding to Bissau. On Feb 20, we had arrived in Bissau.
Some of the highlights:
- Marrakech, Morocco, what a place. The Jemaa el-Fna Square and the nearby medina are absolutely worth the trip.
- It was great to be back at the Hotel Suerte Loca in Sidi Ifni. This beach-side hotel is one of my favorite places to stay in Morocco.
- Crossing southern Morocco and Mauritania. Long straightaways, with the ocean on the right and the desert on the left. And always with a great breeze!
- Crossing the Senegal River delta, starting still in southern Mauritania and continuing the way south to St. Louis, already in northern Senegal. St Louis, of Antoine de Saint-Exupery fame, was by far my favorite town in Senegal.
- The ZebraBar, near St. Louis. What a setting: on the beach, facing the few islands of the Langue de Barbarie National Park. And great staff to go with it. One day I will have my own ZebraBar somewhere in this planet!
- Lac Rose, near Dakar, in Senegal, of iconic status to all of us, lovers of the Paris Dakar rally of days gone by.
- The Saloum River Delta in central Senegal. Yet another delta region, but this one more densely forested.
- The whole of Senegal’s Casamance region. More rivers, and Cap Skirring’s beaches are also absolutely striking.
- Guinea-Bissau. Yes, the whole country. For its people. By far, the country in which we were the most well received. The lunch at the beach in Varela was worth mentioning, as was the reception at the Pensao Coimbra in Bissau.
…And a Few of the Photos:
The Return
We stayed five days in Bissau, cleaning up from the trip, and putting the motorcycles in the pre-arranged container. On Feb 25, I flew back to Lisbon, and a few days later, I continued onward to Paris. The container with the motorcycles took much longer: If I recall properly, it was already April when the motorcycles were finally cleared from Portuguese Customs at the Lisbon harbor. Which meant another trip to Portugal for me. But that was ok, as I do not mind traveling!
