Scoot West Africa

21/05/2026

We went to Orango for the first time this year. It's an excursion that our contacts on Bubaque have often tried to talk us out of. This year they were more enthusiastic about our prospects. The reports from Orango were encouraging -- hippo sightings were more and more reliable. Most of the group was keen to participate and so off we went. The still photos in the video are courtesy of (and 's camera).

06/05/2026

We are not giving up on Mali, and we have every intention of keeping the original open in Bamako. But the climb just keeps getting steeper. In the meantime, we are trying to recapture a bit of that bko camel spirit over here in Senegal. Come visit us!

01/03/2026

West Africa is a birders paradise. It is not however renowned for its wildlife and people don’t tend to come here for wildlife safaris like they do in East and Southern Africa, but we do get some pretty cool experiences in our travels. In the last weeks we had baboons moving around whilst we scooted along in Senegal. Both in the Saloum Delta region and Casamance.
We saw an aggregation of West African Manatees at Pointe Sainte George in Casamance. The Casamance river is tidal and the water here is salty. They come at low tide to drink from a fresh water spring that bubbles up at this location. They aren’t well studied but apparently they need fresh water at least every couple of days to stay hydrated.
Perhaps the highlight was our visit to Orango National Park in the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea Bissau. The Bijagós is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, partly recognised for its outstanding wildlife. We took a speed boat and then trekked for an hour to a waterhole that has a population of Hippos. We sat in the trees next to the waterhole while they watched us watching them.
There are over 700 species of birds in this corner of West Africa. And this juvenile yellow billed stork was just one of them.
And then to finish the trip off, we got chased by dolphins as we headed for the sunset on the ferry back to Dakar from Ziguinchor.

05/12/2025

Our first 3-country riding trip of the season. It's only a week long, but it turns out you can live a lot of life in 7 days. Shout out to a fantastic group and as always for keeping the wheels on. 📸 The good ones courtesy of .castro.aloft who was a rock star ✨

08/04/2025

On this day, fate handed us a perfect example of why we love scooting around West Africa. We started in the treetops, on a platform 25 metres above the ground near Pointe St George.

Then as we were leaving, one of the bikes broke down.

It was hot. There was a breeze, but standing next to your bike in the sun was not so nice. The bike gave out under a tree, which made life easier for Boubacar, but the rest of the group was stuck out on the road with no shade. While Boubacar got to work, we went looking for shelter.

We found a little roadside bar. A few locals. Ice cold drinks. Bit of conversation. And just as we finished the last sip, as if we had planned it, Boubacar rolled up with the repaired bike. He had a quick Sprite and then we were back on the road to Cap Skirring.

Creating memories. Today was a success.

📸-

20/02/2025

28/01/2025

So here’s a picture of some sheep and goats just relaxing, waiting for the ferry to Banjul. No big story, no overthinking. Just us, our bikes, and a bunch of livestock hanging around like it’s the most normal thing in the world. They’re not in a rush, they’re not trying to impress anyone. They’re just there, same as us. It reminds me of one of my favourite books, Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson. He talks about how the harder you try to capture a moment, the more you risk taking away what made it special in the first place. That idea sticks with me every time I think about how we share what we’re doing.

We try to keep our content simple. Quick, honest, and not disruptive. We hold up a camera, show where we are, and move on. It’s a way to share what’s in front of us without losing sight of the moment itself.

I hope one day you get to take a photo of some sheep next to your bike while waiting for a ferry. No need for consent, no need to disrupt your day. Just a quiet moment, a simple interaction, and then on to the next thing. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t need explaining, it just happens. And that’s what makes it special.

06/01/2025

When we aren’t running tours, we run a small hotel in Bamako. One thing we’re lucky with is having Drissa Konaté, a brilliant artist, to make the hotel more beautiful. We couldn’t get to the desert, so he brought the desert to us. Whether it’s street scenes, famous West Africans, or personal stories closer to home, Drissa’s skills are unmatched.