How Much Does It Really Cost to Travel to West Africa? A Family's Journey from Morocco to Mauritania and Senegal

It all started in Tangier, Morocco. My eldest daughter’s birthday was coming up in the first week of March, and as we sat indoors listening to rain beat against the windows, she said:
"Why can't we go somewhere warm? Somewhere further south?"

We checked flights. Expensive. Complicated. So we asked ourselves: What if we did this the old way? What if we did a road trip through Morocco into West Africa—through buses and shared taxis?

There weren't many guides out there, and almost none with real costs broken down. So now, after doing the journey ourselves—two adults, and three kids aged 17, 12, and 6—I’m writing this as a reference for other families thinking of doing the same. We traveled in Ramadan, so some details are unique to the season, especially as most of the region is Muslim and services were limited during daylight hours.

Part 1: Tangier to Dakhla – 2 Days, 2 Buses, 3 Iftars

We chose CTM over Supratours due to its reputation and reliability. We bought 5 tickets to Dakhla:

• Total: 4,400 MAD

The CTM journey started at 4:00 pm from Tangier, stopping for iftar at a gas station:

• 3 full trays (25 MAD each) = 75 MAD
  Included Moroccan staples: sweet chebakia, harira, orange juice, milk, boiled egg, msemen, and bread.

After passing Agadir around 6:00 am, we had a 4-hour layover before catching the connection to Dakhla. Along the way, we spent:

• Bread, water, snacks: ~100 MAD
• Another iftar (fish, dates, eggs, Moroccan sweets): ~160 MAD

We arrived in Dakhla around 8:00 am. Our Airbnb didn’t work out (car-only access), so we booked a downtown hotel:

• Golden Sunset Hotel – 1,200 MAD per night x 3 nights = 3,600 MAD
• Laundry fee (unexpected): 250 MAD
• Dinners at local spots:
  • Mr. Octopus (2 nights): ~630 MAD total
  • Nadavis (2 nights): ~250 MAD

Travel Tip: Always clarify access and laundry charges in Airbnb listings. Use the “we are one family, just need two rooms” approach—it saved us 30–40% consistently.

Part 2: Dakhla to Nouakchott – Entering the Wild West

We took Supratours to the Mauritanian border (Guerguerat):

• 5 tickets: 2,600 MAD

Packed sandwiches ahead of time (based on advice from two British travelers). At Guerguerat, things got real:

• No English signs
• Confusing hand gestures
• A surreal walk through the “no-man’s land” into Mauritania

At the Mauritanian border, chaos. People were selling currency, SIMs, and confusion.

Mauritanian visa:

• 55 euros per person
• Best to bring euros, but we had CAD
• Ended up paying via Interac to a local contact (Abdul Sidi Mohammad): 451 CAD for the family

From there:

• Shared taxi to Nouadhibou (then switch)
• Shared taxi to Nouakchott: ~2,000 MAD (change returned)
• Iftar stop: 1 roasted chicken (possibly with gravel), juice, and bread

Arrived in Nouakchott at 10:30 pm. No phone signal. Grateful for two strangers who helped us find a driver.

Stayed at Urban Hotel:

• 2 rooms with breakfast: ~120 USD per night
• Cash withdrawn next day: ~800 CAD in local currency
• Groceries: ~800 Mauritanian ouguiya
• SIMs from official store: 300 MRO for two
• Dinner at Fayrouz (Lebanese): ~90 USD

Next day: hired private driver to Dakar:

• 330 euros

Part 3: Dakar – A Week in the Capital

Stayed at an amazing Airbnb for 1,150 CAD/week.
Now smarter with cash, we switched to Wafa Cash transfers to avoid ATM fees.

Wafa Cash/Remitly transfers during this time:

• 200 USD
• 1,000 USD (St. Louis)
• 500 USD
• 200 USD

ATM withdrawal in St. Louis:

• 100,000 CFA

Grocery trips (with credit card):

• 4 trips: ~10,000–15,000 CFA each

Extras:

• Girls’ spa day: 140 USD (CC)
• Fancy French dinner: 60,000 CFA
• Frequent visits to a local boulangerie: ~6,000–8,000 CFA each

Lebanese local spot (Shady's Grill Dakar): 16,000–24,000 CFA depending on meal

Part 4: Unexpected Turn – Visa Issues Again

We tried to re-enter Mauritania to continue our trip to Morocco—but hit a wall. We didn’t realize our visa was single-entry.

Paid 320 euros to the driver (again), only to be denied at the border and sent back to St. Louis, Senegal.

• Additional cost to return: 40,000 CFA (Bebeeya who stands like a lone ranger at the Senegal side of the border).

Hotel costs in St. Louis (average 110,000 CFA/night for 2 rooms):

• Post Hotel: 2 nights (credit card)
• Omar’s Guesthouse: 1 night
• Flying Fish: 1 night

Breakfasts:

• Omar’s (Music guest house): 25,000 CFA
• La Résidence: 35,000 CFA

Dinners:

• Hotel Yiki: 60,000 CFA (Paid by CC)
• Local joints: 15,000–25,000 CFA

We gave up on re-entering Mauritania and booked flights from Dakar to Casablanca:

• 5 tickets: 330 USD each
• Private car to Dakar: 50,000 CFA
• Airbnb again in Dakar: 50,000 CFA

Currency Conversion (approx., March 2025):

• 1 MAD (Moroccan Dirham) = ~0.13 USD / ~0.18 CAD
• 1 MRO (Mauritanian Ouguiya) = ~0.003 USD / ~0.004 CAD
• 1 CFA (West African Franc) = ~0.0017 USD / ~0.0023 CAD

Total Rough Estimate for Family of 5 (March 2025):

Estimated Total for 4 Weeks (Family of 5):
~10,000–11,000 CAD | ~7,500–8,500 USD

Tips for Other Families:

1. Always double-check visa types (especially re-entry rules).
2. Have multiple forms of currency (EUR, USD, MAD) and always carry extra cash. (Try not to have Canadian Currency as most people laugh when they see it)
3. Use services like Ria + Wafa Cash to avoid high ATM fees.
4. Shared taxis are cheaper than buses in some cases but can be hard with young kids.
5. Always pack snacks, water, and olive oil (a life saver with Moroccan bread).
6. Use “we’re one family, just older kids” line to negotiate hotel rooms. It works.
7. Ramadan = limited food stops. Plan accordingly.

Final Thoughts

This journey schooled me. In every way. We were humbled by border madness, inspired by strangers, grateful for clean bread and juice at sunset, and tested by bureaucracy with a broken smile.

West Africa isn’t easy. But it’s real.
And if you can survive it as a family, you’ll come out stronger, closer, and maybe a little more awake to how the world really works.

Happy travels — and may your visas always be multi-entry.