CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
The stops in between: W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, W National Park of Niger and back through W-Arly-Pendjari Complex. It crosses Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
This is the great wildlife country of West Africa, where three nations meet at a bend of the Niger river. The W park takes its name from the shape of the river's loops, and together with the Arly reserve in Burkina Faso and the Pendjari in Benin it forms the largest protected savannah area in the region. Elephants, buffalo, hippos and several kinds of antelope live here, and so do lions and a small, precious population of cheetahs. In the dry months from January to April animals gather at the remaining waterholes, which is when watching is best.
Read the complete W-Arly-Pendjari Complex write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is where the day begins. Next is W-Arly-Pendjari Complex.
West Africa's last great savanna wilderness lies where three countries meet, and it is a place with a fierce beauty and a difficult present. The W–Arly–Pendjari complex spans Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, and its name comes from the shape of the Niger river as it bends in a W through the W National Park. It is the biggest block of protected savanna in West Africa and holds the region's largest population of elephants, as well as lions, cheetahs, hippos, buffalo and many antelope. UNESCO listed it in 2017 as a transboundary site.
Read the complete W-Arly-Pendjari Complex write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex comes up 69 km in. Next is W National Park of Niger.
The W National Park gets its name from the shape of the Niger river, which makes a double bend here that looks like a letter W on the map. The park straddles the borders of Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso, and with neighbouring Arly and Pendjari it forms the largest protected savanna area in West Africa. This is the northern edge of the Sudanian savanna, where grassland and dry woodland meet the Sahel, and the river is the lifeline that holds everything together.
Read the complete W National Park of Niger write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
137 km in you reach W National Park of Niger. Next is back through W-Arly-Pendjari Complex.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete W-Arly-Pendjari Complex write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, late in the day. Next is W-Arly-Pendjari Complex.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete W-Arly-Pendjari Complex write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at W-Arly-Pendjari Complex. That is the ride.
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex → W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is 72 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex → W National Park of Niger is 65 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
W National Park of Niger → back through W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through W-Arly-Pendjari Complex → W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is 72 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.