Mauritania with Iron Ore Train Round 10

Day 2 – Azouega, the tallest dune in Mauritania

On the second day, we will go across the Mauritanian desert towards Azouega, the tallest dune in Mauritania.

It’s quite a long drive but on the way, we will stop in Akjoujt for a picnic lunch under a tree.

We are planning to get into Azouega around 4-5 pm, when we will set up our camp right next to the tallest sand dune in Mauritania, and one of the highest in Africa.

Overnight in a tented camp (see the last picture in the photo gallery).

Day 3 – Chinguetti via Terjit and Mheirith

Early morning, we will head to Chinguetti, not without first stopping in Terjit.

Terjit is a desert spring, more popularly known as an oasis.

For centuries, many of the endless caravans traveling along the trans-Saharan route used Terjit as a place for shelter, a spot to break their journey and enjoy the cool breeze under the shade of the spreading palm trees.

We will take our time in Terjit, having lunch and walking over the edge of the valley.

Then, we will head for Chinguetti but on the way, we will stop in Mhaireth, located on the other side of the valley and with a sea of palm trees even bigger than Terjit’s.

In the evening, we will reach Chinguetti.

Overnight in Chinguetti.

Day 4 – Old Chinguetti, Ouadane and Atar

Chinguetti is a medieval trading center dating from the 13th century and one of the main centers for the trans-Saharan trading route.

It used to be a meeting point for Maghrebi pilgrims who were on their way to Mecca, so it became one of the holiest cities in West Africa, hence a renowned center for Islamic and scientific scholarship, the reason why Chinguetti is today home to several libraries containing ancient books and manuscripts.

We will visit all of that.

Then, we will head to Ouadane but instead of taking the normal road, we will drive through the desert over sand dunes, an epic trip only disturbed by occasional Bedouin settlements.

Ouadane is home to an old city today a UNESCO World Heritage site which, once upon a time prospered from the trans-Saharan gold trade. Overlooking the Sahara plains, the ruined old city is an absolutely impressive sight.

We will have lunch in Ouadane, visit the old city and then, we will go to Atar.

Overnight in Atar.

Day 5 – The Iron Ore Train

Update 2025: It’s not possible to take the train in Zouérat anymore so instead, we’ll take it in Choum.

After breakfast, we will drive to the tunnel of Choum.

In the 60s, to avoid building a tunnel through the desert mountain hills, the French tried to build a train track through the Western Sahara which, by that time, was still under Spain’s control, with General Franco as the country’s ruler/dictator.

France and General Franco weren’t able to reach an agreement, so France decided to build a tunnel instead but, upon finishing its construction, the train couldn’t go through due to the gradient, becoming a useless, abandoned tunnel in the middle of the Sahara.

We will visit the tunnel and we’ll also try to drive across the border, Western Sahara side, one of the 9 unrecognized countries in the world.

Then, we’ll go to Ben Amera, an impressive monolith located in one of the most beautiful desert areas in the region.

After our picnic lunch, we’ll drive to Choum, where we’ll be setting up our camp for the night, while we wait for the train to arrive.

Overnight in a tented camp.

Day 6 – Iron Ore Train and Nouadibou

Every day of the year, a train 2.5 kilometers in length, travels more than 700km across the empty Sahara to Nouadibou, transporting hundreds of tonnes of iron ore which will be subsequently shipped to different parts of the world.

We will get on top of one of the 200 wagons, sit on the iron ore and travel along the 10 to 12-hour journey. This will be the most epic day of the trip and perhaps, one of your most epic adventures ever. For us, it is indeed :).

The train can depart at any time between 2 am and 5 am and the journey to Nouadibou takes around 10 hours.

Nouadibou is the second city in Mauritania and upon arrival, we will go straight to a hotel where we can have a much-needed shower.

Then, we will have lunch and visit the city.

Overnight in Nouadibou.

Day 7 – Nouakchott

Nouakchott is the capital of Mauritania, and a pretty weird capital, since this might be the only world capital where you may bump into small sand dunes in the middle of the city.

We will visit the camel market, home to the largest concentration of camels I have ever seen, and then, Port du Pêche, one of the liveliest fishing harbours in West Africa.

Overnight in Nouakchott.

Day 8 – Back home and transfer

After enjoying breakfast altogether, we will take care of your transfer to Nouakchott International Airport.