Mauritania: Desert & Heritage 9-Day Tour from Noukchott

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration10d

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · FR +1

PickupAt your hotel

Nine Days Crossing Mauritania's Desert, Mountains & Coast

You travel nine days across Mauritania's interior and coast in a small group with a driver and guide. You ride camels toward the singing dune, sleep on the iron train, take a boat to bird islands, and stay in auberges and desert camps. All transport, meals, guides, park fees and lodging are included, so you show up in Noukchott and the rest is arranged.

10d

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — From Noukchott to tourist places

Depart Noukchott to Akjoujet at 8:00 a.m.
Tea break in Akjoujet for 2 hours
Travel to Atar
Visit Azougui
Return to Atar

Day 2 — Visit cave paintings and Atlantis site

Go to Oudane old town
Pass mountain to see cave paintings
Visit Richat structure

Day 3 — Desert driving and cultural visit

Visit Bedouin barber in Tenoucheret
Drink tea with Bedouins
Travel to Chinguetti
Discover old mosque and library
Henna tattoo for girls
Enjoy bonfire and Mauritanian music

Day 4 — Camel ride to singing dune

Depart on camel
Travel to singing dune near Chinguetti

Day 5 — Visit oasis and camp under stars

Go to oasis of Mheireth and Terjit
Overnight in tent under stars

Day 6 — Visit monolith and iron train

Travel to Choum
Visit second biggest monolith
Overnight on Iron Train

Day 7 — Explore Noudhibou and bird watching

Discover town of Noudhibou
Visit old fish market and Cap Blanc
See birds by the sea

Day 8 — Sea exploration and sunset

Depart Noudhibou to Arkeis at 8am
Optional swimming
Visit Cap Tafarit for sunset

Day 9 — Boat trip and return to Noukchott

Go to Iwik at 8:00 AM
Take boat to see island birds
Return to Noukchott

Day 10 — City tour and airport transfer

Visit Galerie Zeyn art
Visit National Museum
Visit fish market
Visit zoo
Return to airport

The Experience

"So we're really doing this — four-by-four into the Sahara, then a train that hauls iron ore, then a boat?" That's the question most people ask when they see the itinerary for this Mauritania tour. The answer is yes, and it's exactly why the trip works. You leave Noukchott at 8 a.m. on day one heading south toward Akjoujet, then push inland to Atar. The landscape shifts fast — from town edges to open desert, and your driver (who knows the routes) handles all the navigation while you watch the dunes rise. By evening you're in a proper auberge, not a tent, which matters after a long first day.

Days two and three take you to Oudane and Chinguetti, both UNESCO World Heritage towns built into the Sahara's edge. Oudane sits on a ridge overlooking a valley, and the old stone houses stack like they've been there for centuries — because they have. You'll walk past cave paintings on the way up, and your guide will point out the Richat Structure (locals call it the eye of the desert) from a distance. In Chinguetti, there's a 13th-century mosque library still standing, and if you want, henna tattoo artists work in the square. The nights here are cold and clear, and the auberges serve simple food — bread, tagine, tea — which tastes right after a day of walking. Day four is the camel ride: ten kilometers toward the singing dune, a ridge that hums when the wind hits it a certain way. You camp in the desert that night, no walls, just stars and the sound of the sand.

The second half swings north and east. Day five moves you to the oasis camps at Terjit and Mheireth, where water pools between rock walls and the air cools. Day six is the strangest leg: you drive to Choum and then board the iron train, one of the world's longest freight trains, which hauls ore from the mines to the coast. You sleep on it (in a cabin, not on the ore), and the rhythm of the rails becomes your whole world for a night. Day seven lands you in Nouadhibou, the port city, where you visit the old fish market and Cap Blanc to watch seabirds. Days eight and nine are water-based: a boat ride to see island birds, a swim stop if you want, and the drive back to Noukchott with a final afternoon exploring the National Museum, the fish market, and the zoo before heading to the airport.

The whole tour is nine days, and you're moving most of that time — not frantically, but steadily. Your driver and guide handle the vehicle, the route, the park fees, and the bookings at each stop. Dinner is included every night, breakfast most mornings, and the hotels and auberges are basic but clean. This isn't a luxury trip; it's a working tour of a country most travelers skip. If you've got the time and you want to see Mauritania without arranging transport, guides, or accommodation yourself, this is the shape it takes.

What’s included

Your nine days include a driver and guide for the entire trip, air-conditioned 4x4 transport, all park and site entry fees, dinner every night and breakfast most mornings, overnight stays at auberges in Atar, Oudane and Chinguetti, a desert camp near the singing dune, an oasis camp at Terjit, a night on the iron train traveling to Nouadhibou, and hotel accommodation in Nouadhibou and Noukchott. The tour covers the route from Noukchott inland to Atar, Oudane, Chinguetti and the desert, then north to Choum and the iron train, then to the coast at Nouadhibou and the islands, returning to Noukchott on the final day.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by MauriTrip

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want to see Mauritania's desert, mountains, coast and heritage towns without arranging transport, guides, accommodation or meals yourself. Expect nine full days of travel — long drives, camel riding, train and boat time — which is what lets you reach remote sites and sleep under stars without the logistics falling on you.