Senegal: Rosso and the insurance scam

Crossing borders is always a moment of tension. In between Mauritania and Senegal, at Rosso is not an exception and it has an add-on: there is a river and no bridge. With hundreds of people crossing the border every day and many, many “helpers” it has a lot of adrenalin involved. 

We arrived to Rosso on the day before, but it was already late, so we decided to keep the crossing to the next day, ensuring daylight during the whole process. Once we arrived, among several helpers, David popped up immediately. We had met him several days before, entering Mauritania and he was there to help. I kept refusing, but ended up following him to the police (and paying 2 000 ouguias for two passports), customs (and paying 2 500 ouguias), to the ferry ticket counter (and paying 5 000 ouguias) and to the insurance office (and paying 15 000 ouguias for a month of insurance). Once we were ready to go, David asked for his “cadeaux”… I refused (he always said it was for free) and he left furious!

With a huge relief, I thought we were set to leave to the other margin! Until I saw the ferry… To reach it, Tear Drop had to enter the water and drive through, at least, 40 cm of water. As a result, I had to return the ferry ticket and arrange another boat to cross the river! Meanwhile, Johan, a David’s friend, had joined us to “help”. I warned him that I wouldn’t give him any money. He said “I just want to help”.

Johan immediately found another boat (3000 ouguias) and helped me returning the ferry’s ticket. 5 or 6 people loaded the mortobike into a small wooden boat, and a similar number unloaded it on the other margin. Despite their requests for money, no more money was involved in the river crossing!

Johan

Tear Drop on her way further South

It was time to enter Senegal. Johan told us the overall cost Senegal would be about 15 000 CFA (or 10 000 ouguias). Always with him around, I spent 800 CFA to get the entry stamps (for two people), 2 500 CFA to import Tear Drop, another 1 000 CFA as a “parking fee” to the motorbike and no money to Johan (despite his insistent requests for 5000 CFAs…).

While driving away from the port, further inside Senegal, I was happy that we had made it, and still “saved” some money on the crossing and did it for much less than 15 000 CFA on the Senegalese side (though we had just spent a lot!!). However, I found out some days later that the insurance is not valid for all the countries that they say! They just say that you need to have an insurance just right there to trick you…

A word of advice: if crossing in Rosso, firmly refuse all the help! It is easy to do all by yourself and you end up saving a lot of money!