Paris Dakar motorcycle trip to Dakar (Senegal)

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 brief introduction and a few instructions, we are off. The day's destination is the highest dune in Europe, the Dune du Pilat, near Bordeaux in Arcachon.

One does not know where one is located. The north of Spain is sparsely populated, and the vastness of the landscape and the surroundings remind one of images one knows from motorcycle trips in America. We need to cover miles so that we can reach the goal of Day 4 early and still have a few hours for beautiful Seville.

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

In Assni at the foot of Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, we set off together to the pass at 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, you can encounter everything from donkeys to 40-ton trucks.

The first major off-road stage lies ahead of us. For two days, we will drive through the western foothills of the great Sahara towards the desert town of Smara. Along the way is the disputed border between Morocco and former Spanish Sahara. This is still evident today in the mentality of the inhabitants and the language. While French is very common in Morocco, suddenly Spanish is more useful now.

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

We are following 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 namesake for the country.

Before the road was built in 2006, the official way to Nouakchott was along the beach. Due to the tides, it's smoother and you 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.

We set off from Saint-Louis in the morning and will reach Dakar around noon. Like the Paris Dakar, our journey ends at 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 at customs for shipping.