I have just concluded my 10-day trip of Mauritania. "Featureless" would be the first word to come to my mind to describe the country: the landscape consists of many empty flat bits, sometimes sandy desert, or endless coastal shrubs, or a moonlike rocky surface.
As I was travelling with somebody I met on my 2023 Chad trip, we kept comparing the two experiences but Mauritania is no match for the 5* experience we had in Chad (more remote, more dramatic landscapes, more vibrant nomadic culture).
However, Mauretania grew on me and I especially enjoyed its distinct culture and sometimes harsh but fascinating traditions. Along the way, we were having many cups of tea, snacking on dates, eating fish and camel meat, enjoying the simple pleasures of the 'auberges', admiring the local men in their dashing blue robes, the hardworking little donkeys, us chilling in the cosy nomadic tents, and hearing the stories about Mauritanian social customs such as the
force-feeding of women.
WHSReviews for its 2 WHS are to be published next week. Both sites are worthy in my opinion though Banc d'Arguin is hard to grasp on a day trip. Oualata (the 4th Ksour) would have been really worth going to, as its old houses are painted in interesting patterns, but that would have added 2 days or more travelling to the far Southeast.
Looking at what is displayed in the National Museum in Nouakchott, the country's main archaeological site seems to be the TWHS of Kumbi Saleh. What is visible on the ground there I don't know. We only visited the TWHS of Azougui, which would need a lot of research and excavations to ever be considered again.
The remaining globally outstanding feature in Mauritania would be the Richat Structure – a weird geological phenomenon best seen from the sky, which was part of the first 100 geological heritage sites of the IUGS.
TourYou'll invariably end up on a private or a group tour to Mauritania unless you're a skilled overland driver. We also saw a guy hitchhiking but that looked miserable.
I did this tour (
see itinerary) from Native Eye, who use Transafrica as their ground operator. I chose it because it was a bit longer than the more common 7 days (so you get a broader view of the country), incorporates Banc d'Arguin (the others usually don't), skipped riding the Iron Ore Train (had no interest in doing that) and since I had travelled with Native Eye before I knew that their clientele is a bit on the older side (as the tour is more expensive as well). Overall I was happy with the choice.
Regarding the Iron Ore Train, there has recently been a clampdown on riding the ore wagons (although it can still be organized by some companies). Our guide thought that the mining company and the tour companies would work something out in the future to allow it again—the tour companies like the inflow of tourists to an otherwise little visited country, while the mining company sees it as a safety hazard.
Food and accommodationBoth were better than I expected. The food is like Moroccan home cooking (rice, couscous, vegetable sauce, with a bit of camel meat thrown in) combined with French breakfasts. The cities have good 3-star hotels, and the 'auberges' in the countryside are cosy and usually have hot showers, Wi-Fi, and plugs to charge your stuff. At the scenic desert spots, there are also semi-permanent tented camps, which are lovely for a night.
Sim, WifiI had an Africa esim from Ubigi, which worked well in the towns, although it only offers 3g. Airalo has a more expensive Africa package that includes 4g and is faster. The places we stayed at usually had Wi-Fi as well. Only while camping in the desert and in the oasis town of Tergit was there no usable reception.
