Mauritania

Understand

Southwestern Mauritania was once home to the Ghana Empire, one of the earliest urbanised civilisations to emerge in western Africa, with its capital at Koumbi Saleh. Mauritania is an Islamic Republic, and the people in the North have a reputation as being very conservative and quite reserved. The southern part of the country is filled with friendly people, and they are very welcoming, if a little unused to tourists. For people from outside the Maghreb there is a risk of kidnapping, especially in the more remote northern and eastern parts. Travelling to Mauritania is becoming easier, with charter flights from France to Atar through the winter. Guides and tourist agencies are quite easy to find.

Politics and government Mauritania is officially known as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (Arabic: الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-Islāmīyah al-Mūrītānīyah), (French: République islamique de Mauritanie) Along with Iran and Pakistan, Mauritania is one of the three countries that style themselves as "Islamic Republic", and the only country among them in Africa.

Climate

The climate is characterized by extremes in temperature and by meagre and irregular rainfall. Annual temperature variations are small, although diurnal variations can be extreme. The harmattan, a hot, dry and often dust-laden wind, blows from the Sahara throughout the long dry season and is the prevailing wind, except along the narrow coastal strip, which is influenced by oceanic trade winds. Most rain falls during the short rainy season (hivernage), Jul-Sep, and average annual precipitation varies from 500 to 600 millimetres in the far south to less than 100mm in the northern two-thirds of the country.

People Haratin, sometimes referred to as Black Moors, are the largest single ethnic

See

The Adrar massif in the north is full of stunning desert scenery. Take a 4x4 off-piste across rocky terrain and through narrow canyons to explore the lush, hidden oases which have provided water and refuge to traders crossing the Sahara for centuries. The Adrar contains two of the country's magnificent historical cities. Chinguetti was once a trading centre and centre of Islamic scholarship whose architecture remains unchanged in nearly a millennium. Along with Ouadane and a few other small towns, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And do not miss the world's longest train either just for a glimpse or to hop into an iron ore car filled with Mauritanians for the 12-hour journey from the Adrar to the coast. The remains of the Almoravid capital Azoughui, and rock paintings, are draws of the Adrar.

Much of the central coastline is part of Parc National du Banc d'Arguin, home to millions of migrating birds each year. At Nouamgar, you can watch the unique spectacle of local tribesmen communicating with dolp

Getting there

Entry requirements Mauritania's visa policy has changed as of January 2025. Most travellers will need to apply for an E-Visa here. It is normally approved within 1-3 business days, although delays can happen at any time due to corruption and the fact that tourism is really not a large priority for the government. If you are looking for a quick way to get your visa approved, it may be best to try to find a contact within the country and ask. You can, if you like, obtain a visa from a Mauritanian embassy. For instance, it can be arranged in Rabat, where a single entry visa fee is 1,000 dirham. A double entry visa is also available for 1,100 dirham. Two passport-size photos are required, as well as a copy of the information pages of your passport. Visas are available on the same day in the afternoon if applied for in the morning for most nationalities.

By plane Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport (NKC IATA) is the base for Mauritania Airlines, which flies from Conakry, Bamako, Dakar, Casablanca, Abidjan, Nema, Zouerat, and Nouadhibou. It also receives flights from Algiers on Air Algérie and from Paris on Air France. Tunisair has flights from Tunis, Air Senegal has flights from Dakar, Turkish airlines has flights from Istanbul, Royal Air Maroc has flights from Casablanca, Binter Canarias flies from Gran Canaria. Nouadhibou International Airport (NDB IATA) receives flights from Gran Canaria with Mauritania Airlines.

By car

Mauritania has open road borders with Western Sahara, Mali and Senegal. These borders are open to crossing by private motor vehicle or bicycle but the first two are extremely dangerous. The road from the Western Sahara/Morocco enters the country near Nouadhibou. The road is paved all the way to the Moroccan border post in Fort Guerguarat,

Getting around

Make sure to have plenty of passport copies for travelling between towns. It’s not uncommon to give away up to 5-10 passport copies a day to police at checkpoints.

By taxi Taxis are normally available at airports. Negotiating a good fare requires solid Arabic and/or French skills. Some countries, such as the United States, advise their citizens to not use Mauritanian taxis because they are poorly maintained. If you must get around a city, only use trusted, pre-arranged taxis. Your hotel or your tour agent may help you with this. Ride-hailing is available in Mauritania.

Classride. A Mauritanian ridesharing company. Works in Nouakchott. (updated Jan 2023)

By train The Mauritanian rail network is limited and underdeveloped. As of 2023, there's only one train line linking the following cities: the Iron Ore Train, between Nouadhibou, Choum and Zouerat. The rail network is mainly used to transport iron ore from mines in Zouerat to the port in Nouadhibou, but some people ride on it to travel to other cities. The full journey takes about twenty hours. Although this may seem like a good way to explore the Saharan desert, keep in mind that the train can be overcrowded, it can be quite uncomfortable, and that it is depressingly common for people to fall from the train. The scorching hot temperatures of the Saharan Desert can make things even more uncomfortable and difficult. If you are not acclimatised or used to travelling in difficult conditions, travelling by train is not advisable. The train departs daily from Nouadhibou at around 15:00 and arrives in Choum (for Atar) at around 02:00 the next morning. Check departure times on arrival. There is only one passenger carriage, but travel in an iron ore hopper is also possible (and may be advisable, as the passenger car