Mauritania is a country I haven’t traveled to (yet). Land-wise, I’ve never been close to this West African country, but I’ve been to the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde, which are places that receive Sahara Desert dust from that area. I’d love to visit Mauritania as part of a bigger (overland) West Africa trip.
I hope that in the future, you can find posts about Mauritania on this page. For now, perhaps read about other countries, such as Cabo Verde, Spain, or Morocco?
Things I’d Like to Do in Mauritania
- Hitchhike with the locals. Even if it’s only a short journey, I’d love to practice my incipient Arabic with them so I’ll always remember Mauritania-specific words and dialect
- Visit the Atlantic capital Nouakchott. I’d like to see the Moroccan, Saudi, and Ibn Abbas Mosques, walk on the beach, the central market, the world’s largest camel market south of town, Galerie Zeinart, and the fisherman’s port. It’s also possible to do a day trip to the Monument of the Battle of Oum Tounsi
- Enjoy being hella sober since alcohol is mostly prohibited and bringe-drink mint tea, jus de bouye (baobab) and bissap (hibiscus) instead
- Go to Nouadhibou, the second-biggest city in Mauritania. There I’d like to visit Cap Blanc Lighthouse and see the shipwrecks that are left on the beaches, if any. Ras Nouadhibou is also sometimes where the sun sets last in Africa during some times of the year, although it’s not the westernmost point of mainland Africa
- Nouadhibou also seems like a good base to visit Banc d’Arguin National Park/Baie du Lévrier to see Mediterranian Monk Seals, maybe by boat/pirogue!
- Maybe hop the iron ore train to/from Choum/Zouerat. Not sure if I’d be riding on top like all the cool kids do. Anyway, in Choum there’s also an old railway tunnel that was an engineering feat
- See the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall along the border from the Mauritanian side. I don’t exactly know where it runs as I write this from afar
- Visit the old and abandoned Nouakchott International Airport, which closed in 2016. Not to be confused with the active airport called Nouakchott Oum-Tounsy International Airport. I don’t know if there’s anything to see here
- Cuisine wise, what shall a vegetarian eat? The wiki says I can ask for rice with vegetables, which is ‘araz bialkhadrawat , the local Caravane Cheese brand (brie), mahfe peanut stew with veggies instead of meat, hakko (ground bean leaf with couscous), leksour pancake minus the meat, vegetarian harira, and for dessert lakh, bulgur with dried fruits, and avocado pudding. Either that or I must eat chicken or lamb to live
- Cross the Senegal River between Mauritania and Senegal by ferry from at Rosso or Diama. When traveling north to south, this border has a bit of a bad rap
- See and/or climb the highest point in Mauritania Kediet ej Jill (915 masl), which is a magnetic mountain. There’s also a salt pan 5 meters below sea level called Sebkha de Ndrhamcha, which looks cool
- Go to Atar, then take the Amojjar Pass up the Adrar Plateau to get to Chinguetti and Ouadane with their old ksours and libraries. This is also the route to the mysterious-looking Richat Structure
- Travel far off to Tilchitt and the small oasis town of Walata (Oualata) an their ksours to learn about the ancient Saharan trade routes
- Look at what other land borders between Mauritania and its neighbors are open by the time this trip becomes a reality. I’m very interested in the situation with Algeria, Mali, and Western Sahara
- Perhaps go to Aleg with its permanent lake called Lac de Mâl. The road from Nouakchott to Aleg is asphalted and extends all the way to Néma
- See the Senegal River at the diverse city of Kaédi and perhaps visit its special regional hospital with interesting architecture but without illness. I’d love to travel downstream on the Senegal River for a bit, either by kayak or by local boat
- Perhaps visit some archeological sites, such as Azougui, Kumbi Saleh, or Aoudaghost
- Supposedly, the Dutch West India Company had possessions for a bit since 1638 at Ras Nouadhibou or Arguin. if there is any information about this time
- See some stunning nature and birds at Diawling National Park all the way in the south
- Travel truly far off to Ain Ben Tili Fort or even… Fort Chegga. Although at the latter one may be shot on sight…
Map of Things to Do in Mauritania
Here’s a preliminary map I made with all the places I mentioned and then some. Note that I haven’t been to Mauritania yet, so I can’t give advice about open border crossings and such.
If you know cool places and things to do in Mauritania, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again! Tips are especially welcome if you are Mauritanian or have lived there for a while
Are you a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Mauritania? Drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
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Photos source:
Daniel Born on Unsplash
Daniel Born on Unsplash
Sasha Kaunas on Unsplash
Renato Brazioli on Unsplash