Trips & Tours: Mauritania Adrar Adventure

The tour commences today in Nouakchott, the laid-back capital city of Mauritania. Upon arrival at your accommodation you will meet your local tour guide and driver(s) who will accompany you throughout the trip. Depending on your arrival time there may be time to explore downtown Mauritania and get a feel for this desert city.

After picking up our last fresh supplies we depart Nouakchott and follow the tar road northeast towards Atar. Our drive will take us most of the day, and we'll take the opportunity to break our journey en route for a leisurely picnic lunch in the desert (under shade of course). Although the early part of the drive is not especially scenic, we should make quick progress as we reach our first main settlement at Akjoujt (270 km). After another 25 km from Akjoujt our adventure really begins as we leave the tar road and head south towards Mauritania's most impressive Saharan sand dunes, known as Amatlich. An exciting off-road drive takes us to the dunes and our first night of wild camping.

We wake to an amazing backdrop of high sand dunes and begin the day with a short walk to investigate the main insect, bird and animal trails which criss-cross otherwise pristine dunes.  We continue through the valley, pass small villages and date palm plantations before winding up onto a rocky plateau. En route we may encounter some of the local farming people of the region and will hopefully get chance to break our journey to share some sweet mint tea. Eventually Terjit village appears at the bottom of a valley and we make our way to a small campement set in a lush oasis with two bathing pools, numerous palms and birdsong. The rest of the day is at leisure for relaxation, bathing and optional walks.  

This morning we'll make our way to Chinguetti. We'll spend the afternoon exploring the highlights of this famous former medieval trading centre. We'll see the indigenous Saharan architecture of older sectors of the city which feature reddish dry stone and mud-brick houses, with flat roofs timbered from palms. Many of the older houses feature hand-hewn doors cut from massive ancient acacia tress that have long disappeared from the surroundings. Although largely abandoned to the desert, the city also features a series of medieval manuscript libraries, and the area around the Rue des Savants was once famous as a gathering place for scholars to debate the finer points of Islamic law. We'll make a visit to one of the libraries.

Our route to Oudane is an adventure in itself today as we follow desert tracks over sand dunes through classic Sahara wilderness.  Eventually Oudane appears on the horizon and we'll make our way to the ancient settlement. Though largely in ruins, with pile upon pile of stones, the ancient centre is still substantially intact, while a small modern settlement lies outside its gate. A guided tour of the ancient Ouadane ruins are particularly evocative in late afternoon with a setting sun.

Today we experience some of the most breathtaking scenery in Africa. Driving stoney tracks only accessible by robust 4WD we traverse desert plains and twisting narrow mountain roads. Dramatic scenery unfolds before us as we reach the Amogjar Pass then pause for a picnic lunch in the midst of table-topped mountains. Later, a visit to ruined Fort Sagane, built to protect the pass, adds an interesting short stop before dropping further down to desert plains frequented by numerous camels in search of water. We plan to camp tonight in the river valley of Oued Seguelila, one of the principle watercourses of northern Mauritania.

After an early start we leave the dramatic landscapes of the Adrar behind us and return by road to Nouakchott.  We aim to arrive in time to see fishermen bringing in their catch at Nouakchott's famous fish market and beach. This really is a feast of colour and activity as prices are negotiated and fresh fish literally exchanges hands to be transported to a covered market area for preparation and sale. The traditional wooden fishing boats favoured by the locals are then rocked and pulled from side to side by a dozen fishermen or more, and taken from the unpredictable waters of the Atlantic for the night.

Our trip comes to end after breakfast at the accommodation in Nouakchott.