Is it possible to drive to Ghana from Morocco, if so which countries should I avoid or make sure I pass through?

Since this question is in Social, I am going to offer advice that is not a direct answer to the question.

My advice is safety first. If you have any doubts, why risk it? Of course, you could argue that you could walk out the door and get hit by a bakery truck, but this is a little different.

You might want to check with the embassies of the countries you are considering driving through, and see what they say.

You can read the journal of a guy who cycled most of the way here

My husband travels to Western Africa regularly for work. I would worry about Liberia and Sierra Leone, just to start with. He has been to Mauritania and that was fine. Senega, too, was fine, but he goes in there with a visa and a job to do and a plane ticket to get out. I would think that any of these countries are going to have problems with some Europeans in a car. My husband has been held in an airport basement at gunpoint by guards. He has been held at gunpoint on a bus, transferring offshore workers from their ship-transport, back to their hotels, off the coast of Cameroon, on Equatorial Guinea. THIS is a man who can speak Portuguese, French and Spanish to get him out of these problems and who is visiting these places, demonstrably, on business. How many languages can your group speak? Have you looked at a roadmap to see which countries you must traverse and what sort of Visas you may need to pass?

Look at a road map. Determine which roads are going to get you to where you are going with the fewest troublesome borders and then work from there as to which countries you will most likely need papers to pass through.

My husbands company will no longer send people to Nigeria because it simply poses too much of a safety risk. The precautions they had to take when he went there those last few times he was allowed were crazy odd.

Oh, and bring bribe money. You can’t ask me how I know about that.

Oh, also, don’t underestimate being able to converse with the locals in a super civil way. Hubby can sometimes find a cabby/taxi driver that he will be very generous to (he calls it ‘hire a friend) and that taxi driver acts as a guide, transporter and supplies contact and rescuer when needs be. I remember when one of these ‘hire a friends’ called him when he was home here in Norway. The man was from Senegal, I think, and there was a festival going on. He needed a goat for his family as part of the festival, so he called asking Hubby if he could send money or a goat. The conversation went something like, ‘Bunah, how do I send you a goat? I can’t send you a goat. So, how do I send you money? Do you have a bank account?’ Bun ah replies, ‘No sir, I have no bank account.’ Hubby, ‘Do you have an address I can put on an envelope and know it will reach you?’ Bunah: ‘No Tor-sir. You can not send me a letter. I have no address for the letter, Sir.’ Hubby: I wish I could help, and if I was there, I would, but I have no way to get you the goat or the money. I am so sorry, Bunah. Have a good festival and my best wishes for you and your family.’ click

I should start a blog with his stories. He has so many interesting ones…like when he was in India and got in a taxi to go for a hair cut. He asked the taxi driver about the barbershop he was going to… ‘Is this place any good.’ The taxi driver turns around to take the money and says, ‘How am I supposed to know?’ as he points to his Siik turban and his full beard.

Cool, yes between us we can speak french, german and some spanish and Portuguese. I have been thinking going the route Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso and finally Ghana. Maybe drop down through Senegal and into the Gambia for a bit too if it is worthwhile as we would like to hug the coast for a bit I think as we are mostly marine biologists (plus an engineer)
I doubt we would go as far east as Nigeria but may go to Togo and Benin (maybe).
@cazzie thanks for all the advice its fantastic!

@bongo: @cazzie did give you fantastic advice but I am wondering why you still sound enthusiastic, when from what I gathered from what @cazzie wrote, it sounds like something really unsafe, and not something a novice to the region should take on.

She said Mauriania was fine and we wont go to Liberia or Sierra Leone. Bribe money is pretty standard in crossing some boarders especially those within countries too and having experiences and relationships like the ones @cazzie speaks of is worth the risks. I am a person who likes to live life and not shy away from doing something incase I get robbed or whatever. When I was in Madagascar a few of us got robbed and one girl had a gun pulled on her. Another tourist got shot on the way from the north to the south. I am not averted to going to dangerous countries, just need to know about those which really do not appreciate tourists at all or are simply too dangerous to get into. In my experiences I have found that the people in these types of country are some of the nicest people you will meet in the world. You just have to keep your wits about you and not take anything you are not willing to loose.

You have to realise that my husband’s experience is different because he stays at the best hotels and can afford the best ‘rent a friends’ money can buy. There is also usually an ‘Agent’ there to meet him to help him through the customs area of the airport. You won’t have anyone with any paperwork of any sort meeting you at borders. Don’t take my advice as gospel. I am telling you what a wealthy, connected, extremely experienced international traveller’s experience is like. The area you are going through will be speaking French, Arabic and English. I would brush up on French, if I were you. Your German isn’t going to help you unless you get as far south as Namibia. haha.

Of all the countries he went to, he said the people of the Congo were the nicest… NOT the country East of the river, not the DRC, but the other Congo.

Just read up on which currency is best.. I think Euros will get you through most places, exchange where you can, there will be banks. Exchange costs should only be about 2%. ASK before you hand money over the counter. Getting some West African Manat…(?I think they are called?) at the first available bank. Don’t bet on any ATMs. Fancy hotels will take your credit card. Stick together. Be respectful. Girls, cover your heads in muslim countries, like in West Sahara and Mauritania. These are not places to try to make feminist statements. Westerners have been kidnapped all along the area you are travelling, so don’t think this is a Zipity Do Da walk in Disneyland.

These trips I am talking about happened before the Egyptian and Libya coups. Anti-Western sentiment is now rather unpredictable, so for heavens sake, be careful. My husband’s company had a man in Egypt when the revolution was going on. It was MEANT to be hubby, but he traded jobs for some reason. He got out OK, but these things are rather hairy. Make sure you know where to go if you get into trouble. Know the Embassy and Consulate addresses or any other addresses of international corporate offices where you think they could help if there is any trouble. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to contact them in advance and ask advice.

Ok yes I will be sure to make sure I cover my head etc. I find sun cream runs out so quickly over in places like that and can be hard to get hold of so head covering and full arm and leg covering tends to be much easier so combined with the cultural implications I will make sure I stay covered and the German is because one of our group is German! I dont speak any, just French and English. (we also have a New Zealander who grew up in Zimbabwe and us two girls are Brits)
I will also be sure to register on LOCATE which keeps track of British nationals overseas. My parents have just got back from The Gambia and have a little money left over which will get me started until I exchange money.
I know it will be dangerous and hard but I still think this all will be worth it to see the world.

Oh, and one more really important thing I forgot to say, Have a GREAT time!

Oh, I just spoke to hubby and he said he would never drive through Western Sahara, so you may want to minimise your time there.

@bongo: I totally understand your wanting to live your life and have fun. Your sense of adventure is admirable. I love to travel and the world is a big place with lots to see and do. However, I feel that when I see people on the news, imprisoned, scared and begging for their lives, an adventurous, fun-loving trip no longer matters. I feel the same way about Mexico. My father is from Mexico and I wouldn’t travel there now if you paid me.

I would go to Mexico.

yes so would I if I could afford it, it costs rather a bit more for me to travel to Mexico across the Atlantic but I suppose if I was American this trip would be driving to Brazil not Ghana!

I live in Mexico City. Certain parts of the country I would absolutely avoid. Just sayin’.