Motorcycle Expedition from the Eiffel Tower to Dakar

On the first day of travel, we meet with our motorcycles in the morning in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The official start will be there. Of course, you have the option to join the guide already in Germany and arrive as a group in Paris. After a short introduction and a few instructions, we’re off. The day's destination is the highest dune in Europe, the Dune du Pilat, near Bordeaux in Arcachon.

After we saw the Atlantic for the first time on our journey, which will meet us again much warmer thousands of kilometers further south, we head over the foothills of the Pyrenees to Spain. After a small mountain pass, we continue over the high plateau Iberian Meseta to Burgos, our day's destination.

One does not know where one is at the moment. Northern Spain is sparsely populated and the vastness of the landscape and the surroundings remind one of images known from motorcycle trips in America. It is important to cover kilometers so that we reach the goal of the 4th day early and still have a few hours for the beautiful Seville.

In the morning we set off and cover the last kilometers to the ferry port in Gibraltar. After we have crossed over, we need to clear our motorcycles through customs before we can move onto African soil for the first time. Since this usually takes some time, we will set up our campsite just beyond the port of Tanger Med.

Along the coast, it goes to Rabat and then along small roads towards the Atlas Mountains. The traffic takes some getting used to, and riding a motorcycle requires a lot of concentration. We will make our way leisurely through the foothills of the Atlas towards Ouzoud. The first mountain passes are already waiting for us.

On the seventh day you shall rest and that is exactly what we will do. It is time to hike in the beautiful landscape around Ouzoud, to visit the 120 m high waterfalls or to care for your motorcycle. After all, we have already covered about 2500 km.

In Assni at the foot of Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, we set off together towards the summit of Tizi n'Test. Even though it's not too many kilometers, it takes almost a day until we reach Taroudant on the other side with our motorcycles. On the single-lane road, anything from a donkey to a 40-ton truck can come towards you.

It goes through a beautiful valley full of almond trees towards Tafraoute. The road winds continuously along the valley wall, causing the motorcyclist's heart to race. The first dromedaries will be visible, and the desert slowly begins to appear. Upon arriving in Tafraoute, we can stock up on provisions for the next few days and admire the giant monoliths that look as if they were built by human hands.

The first major off-road stage lies ahead of us. We will drive for two days through the western foothills of the great Sahara towards the desert town of Smara. On the way is the disputed border between Morocco and formerly Spanish Sahara. This is still noticeable today in the mentality of the inhabitants and the language. While French is very widely spoken in Morocco, now suddenly Spanish is more useful.

It goes along a dusty track always by Seguiet el Hamra, which also carries water for most of the year. The daily goal El Aaiún is not far away and there is time to let the motorcycle rest, stretch the legs in the afternoon, or take a bath in the sea.

For two days, we will travel around 500 km on the N1 to Dakhla. To our right is the blue Atlantic Ocean and to our left stretch the endless expanses of the Sahara. We will have time to make stops along the beautiful coast and drive off-road along sections of the beach. Optionally, we can drive faster and take a rest day in the surfer town of Dakhla.

While Morocco is known to everyone, Mauritania, despite its size, is rather unknown. From Dakhla we drive to the border and cross the no man's land. Then we will spend the rest of the day dealing with entering Mauritania. There it is said: Europeans may have invented the clock, but Africans invented time. We set up our camp after the border in the idyll of the dunes.

We follow the route of the iron ore train Off Road to Atar. The route is challenging and we will need two days to reach the oasis. Atar was once an important city in the high culture of the Moors, who are the namesakes of the country.

We are heading back to the sea and will be on the road half-on and half-off in the Sahara one last time before the Sahel zone begins. We will spend the night on the beach, and those with just a thread will already be successful in fishing. The sea off Mauritania is considered one of the richest fishing grounds in the world.

Before the road was built in 2006, the official way to Nouakchott was along the beach. Due to the tides, the surface is smooth, and one can still make better progress than on the road. We take advantage of this and continue our motorcycle journey on this route. Our daily goal is the capital Nouakchott, where half of the Mauritanian population lives.

Whoever does not know Fech Fech will get to know him today. We will travel on overly coated slopes to the border of Senegal at the Senegal River. There are again trees along the road and noticeably more animals. Our path takes us through a bird protection national park where many of our European birds winter. The day's goal is Saint-Louis. The city is on an island in the delta of the Senegal River and has a very beautiful colonial city center.

We set off from Saint-Louis in the morning and will reach Dakar around noon. Like the Paris Dakar, our journey ends on the shores of Lac Rose, the pink salt lake on the outskirts of Dakar. We will spend the last evening together and celebrate our arrival with good food. The next day marks the official end of this tour after we have handed over the motorcycles to customs for shipping.