A Journey through Mauritania: The Heart of the Sahara
Starting from: Nouakchott, Mauritania
$1750 USD per person
6-15 people
Dates: 15-22nd of April
Overview
Yes, many people have heard about the infamous and adventurous iron ore train, which allows you to ride through the desert on top of a wagon. And yes – we’ll be doing that through my connections! But Mauritania is so much more than just a bucketlist train ride. We’ll wander through the ancient streets of Ouadane, visit historic libraries that are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, relax in a lush oasis in the middle of the desert, and sleep on top of the tallest sand dunes in the country. We’re obviously experiencing all of this with locals, who’ll give us a genuine glimpse into what life in Mauritania is really like. We’ll finish off our adventures with our epic train ride, then head off to the coast to unwind and explore before going back home with the best memories. Mauritania is huge, and it’s one of those countries that is best done with locals and as part of a group.
The price includes:
- 7 nights of accommodation, including 2 nights camping
- Full board, 3 meals per day. Day 1 only includes a Welcome Dinner.
- Experienced English-speaking guide
- Private cook throughout the trip
- All entry fees for activities
- All camping equipment – you don’t have to bring anything with you!
- Private 4×4 vehicles with AC
- Airport pickup/drop off
Included highlights:
- Iron Ore Train journey through the Sahara
- Nouakchott’s vibrant markets
- Azouega’s stunning desert formations
- Terjit Oasis’ natural springs and palm groves
- Camping in the tallest sand dunes
- Ancient caravan town of Ouadane
- Chinguetti’s historic libraries and mosques
- Nouadhibou coastal town
Not included:
- Visa fees - electronic visa available, 55 Euros
- International flights
- Mandatory travel insurance
- Optional tips for local staff
Itinerary
Day 1
We’ll be waiting for you at Nouakchott International Airport to be picked up. Depending on your arrival time, we’ll get a chance to explore the city and host you for a welcome dinner so you can get to meet the whole group!
Day 2
From Nouakchott, we’ll drive across the northern desert of the Adrar region, while making stops for pictures, of course. This is where we’ll reach our first exciting stop of the trip: the tallest sand dunes in the country! We’ll set up camp here for the night and enjoy the beautiful night skies with shisha, if you want any!
Day 3
We’ll have a leisurely morning where you’ll get to have fun in the sand dunes, before we drive out to Terjit Oasis for lunch. This is a beautiful unexpected spot right in the middle of the desert. Imagine natural pools and being surrounded by lush vegetation! We’re camping here overnight and you’ll have plenty of time to explore.
Day 4
We’ll make our way to Ouadane to explore this historical town. It was set up 1000 years ago because it was part of important trade routes. This will give us a chance to see how people lived back then. We’ll also make a stop at the Richat structure, or Eye of Africa, this cool geological structure that can actually be seen from outer space!
After exploring, we’ll head back to our accommodation in time to watch the sunset and have dinner together.
Day 5
Today we’re off to Chinguetti, where we’ll visit the old library and the grand mosque. These are hundreds of years old UNESCO heritage sites, that are some of the most unique structures in West Africa, and are great for explaining the Islamic heritage here.
Day 6
Ah, the day we’ve all been waiting for! We can’t ride the train without explaining how it became a symbol of movement for the country! We’re first visiting the Choum tunnel that’s part of the train’s infrastructure, then going to the world’s second largest monolith (after Uluru in Australia). Then it’s time for the train ride! We’ll be giving you all of the info afterwards regarding logistics and what you need!
This is an up-to-17-hour train ride through the desert on top of iron. Yes, just like that. This is considered to be one of the world’s most exhilarating local experiences in the world. It’s not comfortable, and we’ll be absolutely filthy afterwards. But this is a bucket list experience on many people’s lists. And we’ll be doing this crazy activity together!
Day 7
Imagine waking up (if you manage to get any sleep) on top of a cargo train riding through the desert! This is how locals move around the country. We’ll get to watch the sunrise over the Sahara desert in the early morning hours, and eventually make it to the coast on top of our wagon – this is also regarded as the world’s longest train (wagons and length).
After a long day, we’re taking it easy in Nouadhibou, where we’ll check into our hotel and relax. We’ll explore the city and visit the coastal area, including Cape Blanc.
Day 8
On our last day, we’ll drive to Tiwilit, a beautiful part of the country where sand dunes meet the Ocean. After lunch, we’ll drive back to the capital, Nouakchott. We’ll visit the country’s largest camel market and our last stop is Port de Pech, before officially finishing our journey.
Can’t wait to have you experience this with us!
Q&A for Mauritania Trip
It was officially never allowed to begin with. Authorities always turned a blind eye. Locals have always used it for transportation, and then it started becoming popular with influencers, who eventually crossed the line and some have become injured. It was officially banned on November 24th, 2024. You can now ONLY ride it through contacts that have approval from the iron ore mining company – which is what I have since I work in the travel industry. This still doesn’t make it legal. It’s a cargo train, not a passenger train.
I, Sibu, will be your tour leader (I do this all around the world, from Iraq and China to Guatemala as a freelancer) and I’ll be working together with locals. You will have a Mauritanian professional English-speaking tour guide on the ground. This trip is not being hosted by any third party, and this itinerary was curated together with locals – taking their insights and expertise into account to highlight the best of what the country has to offer in 8 days.
The deposit is non-refundable, and it’s $350 USD. This is to secure services on the ground. The other parts can be paid in installments but the full amount needs to be paid 30 days before the trip begins.
30 days before the trip begins, and after the number of participants has been confirmed, this is when the rest of the payment is non-refundable. If anything were to arise, this is what your mandatory travel insurance is for.
YES. That’s a great question. If you google this exact question, you’ll get answers from travel advisory websites. If you look up “Mauritania travel” on Instagram or Tiktok, you’ll get completely different results. I get my information from other travelers, and from locals – not from politically-biased sources. I wrote an article about how travel advisories work and why I don’t take them seriously, you can check it out here.
There are countries in West Africa (like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso) that as much as I want to visit, I’m not stepping foot in. Yes, I’m well-traveled and go to off-the-beaten path destinations, but safety is always a priority. ESPECIALLY if I’m taking a group of people with me. Just like with any country, including your own, there are certain regions in the country that should be avoided, which is what we’re doing.
I wouldn’t even be organizing this if it wasn’t safe to visit. And why is travel insurance required then? Because it’s something I personally ask for when people travel with me as part of a group. It would be irresponsible of me not to make sure that you’re fully protected.
Things are rapidly changing on the ground and it’s hard to tell when this might happen. For now, only licensed companies that pay the iron ore mining company directly can ride the train. That means groups like ours. Independent travelers are no longer allowed and run the risk of getting caught.
If we were not able to ride the train, we have a plan B and plenty of other incredible spots to see in the country. Yes, the train is a highlight but it’s not all Mauritania has to offer. The train being canceled is unfortunately not a plausible reason to cancel this tour. I get regular updates from what’s happening on the ground and will keep you posted, of course. I’m spending a few months in West Africa and this is an experience I want to prioritize before it’s too late, and if you’re interested, so should you! I will be in Mauritania in April either way.
It’s an electronic visa for most nationalities and it’s 55 Euros. We’ll be giving you all of the documents and information needed once you confirm. If you have any questions about your specific nationality please reach out to me directly.
We need 6 people to confirm this trip. This is because of the equipment, jeeps, staff and transportation needed. If we were not able to reach the 6 people the payments together with the deposit would be completely refunded. The ideal group size would be no more than 15. Please do not purchase your flights until the minimum number of participants has been reached and confirmed.
You should fly in on the 15th of April at any time to Nouakchott International Airport (airport code: NKC). You should book the departure after 10 pm on the 22nd of April, also from Nouakchott. If the flight schedules don’t match and you need to book an extra night at a hotel before or after the trip, we can arrange that for you! Just reach out.
This is one of those regions AND countries that normally gets overlooked by the world… and it shouldn’t. We also don’t know how long the iron ore train will be open for tourists… and that’s why I want to take advantage of this as soon as possible – and I’m taking you along! If you’re looking for a unique adventure where everything is taken care of, crossing off a few bucket list items and meeting other like-minded travelers, this is for you!
Got any more questions? Send me an email hey@goglobalwithsibu.com or send me a DM on IG!
Dates don’t match but would still like to travel somewhere cool and/or with me? Check out my travel company The Hybrid Tours or visit my Travel with Me page to see where I’ll be taking people next!