Things to do in Mauritania

25 things to do in Mauritania

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Explore the ancient ksar of Chinguetti

  Wander the labyrinthine, sand-swept alleys of this UNESCO-listed medieval trading post, home to ancient libraries filled with priceless Islamic manuscripts.

  Chinguetti

• Visit the abandoned city of Ouadane

  Stand atop the cliffside ruins of a once-thriving caravan city, with panoramic views over the endless Sahara and a palpable sense of vanished grandeur.

  Ouadane

• Marvel at the Richat Structure from the edge

  Gaze upon the vast, swirling 'Eye of the Sahara', a deeply eroded geological dome so immense it was once mistaken for a meteor crater.

  Adrar Plateau

• Ride the iron ore train across the Sahara

  Hop aboard one of the world's longest and heaviest trains, travelling atop tonnes of iron ore through a raw, remote desert landscape from Nouadhibou to Zouérate.

  Nouadhibou

• Watch flamingos at Banc d'Arguin National Park

  Enter a UNESCO World Heritage wetland where millions of migratory birds, including vast flocks of flamingos, feed in the shallow coastal waters against a backdrop of desert islands.

  Banc d'Arguin

• Witness the morning fish auction at Port de Pêche

  Immerse yourself in the organised chaos of Nouakchott's bustling fishing port as brightly painted pirogues unload their catch and traders shout over glistening heaps of fish.

  Nouakchott

• Trek by camel into the dunes near Chinguetti

  Embark on a traditional camel caravan into the singing sand dunes, following ancient trade routes as the silence of the deep desert unfolds around you.

  Chinguetti

• Cool off in the palm-fringed oasis of Terjit

  Discover a hidden paradise of freshwater springs and date palms wedged in a narrow gorge, offering a sublime natural pool beneath a star-studded sky.

  Terjit

• Admire the decorated façades of Tichitt

  Visit the remote, ochre-hued ksar where ornate geometric patterns adorn dry-stone houses, a silent testament to a prosperous medieval trans-Saharan trading culture.

  Tichitt

• Sandboard down the massive dunes of Erg Ouarane

  Slide down towering, apricot-coloured slipfaces on a sandboard, with the ancient Chinguetti mosque minaret poking from the sands far below.

  Chinguetti

• See the prehistoric rock art of Tagant Plateau

  Search for ancient petroglyphs and painted cattle in rock shelters scattered across a dramatic sandstone plateau, telling stories from a greener Sahara millennia ago.

  Tagant

• Stand beside the giant Ben Amera monolith

  Approach one of Africa's largest monoliths, a colossal granite block rising abrupt from the empty desert, dwarfing everything around it.

  Tiris Zemmour

• Walk through the archaeological site of Aoudaghost

  Trace the crumbling foundations of a vanished 9th-century Berber town that once controlled the salt and gold trade, with pottery shards still strewn across the ground.

  Aoudaghost

• Photograph the iconic Friday Mosque in Chinguetti

  Capture the distinctive square minaret and split-palm door of this centuries-old dry-stone mosque, a symbol of Mauritanian Islamic heritage emerging from the sand.

  Chinguetti

• Discover the eerie ship graveyard of Nouadhibou

  Witness a surreal coastline littered with hundreds of rusting, abandoned shipwrecks, silently rotting in the shallow waters against a seabird-filled sky.

  Nouadhibou

• Observe nesting colonies on Iwik Island

  Take a traditional lancha boat to a low-lying island where thousands of white pelicans, terns and gulls blanket the sand during breeding season inside Banc d'Arguin.

  Banc d'Arguin

• Share three rounds of mint tea with locals

  Accept the unmissable ritual of sickly-sweet green tea poured theatrically from a height, each of the three glasses symbolising life, love and death.

  Nouakchott

• Hike into the hidden oasis of M'Heiret

  Trek through a dramatic gorge that opens suddenly onto a lush, spring-fed paradise of date palms and songbirds, hidden deep in the Adrar mountains.

  Adrar

• Listen to a traditional griot praise-song

  Hear the hypnotic melodies of a hereditary musician reciting epic genealogies and history on a kora or tidinit, the heartbeat of Mauritanian oral culture.

  Nouakchott

• Visit the ruins of the Portuguese fort at Arguin

  Sail to a tiny island that once anchored the first European overseas fort, a windswept speck of stone walls and cannons overlooking rich fishing grounds.

  Arguin Island

• Enter the vast Saudi Mosque in Nouakchott

  Step inside the capital's gleaming white landmark, built with Saudi funding, whose cavernous prayer hall and tall minaret dominate the city centre skyline.

  Nouakchott

• Camp under the stars near Ouadane

  Spend the night on a sandy erg with no light pollution, watching the Milky Way arch over the silhouette of the ruined city's gate.

  Ouadane

• Browse the goat market in Nouakchott's Cinquième

  Join the dusty, bleating morning spectacle where herders from the countryside trade goats, sheep and camels in a lively display of traditional commerce.

  Nouakchott

• Find the lost ksar of El Khali

  Seek out a mysterious, half-collapsed fortified village now almost swallowed by relentless dunes, a ghost ksar that feels frozen in time.

  Adrar

• Spot desert crocodiles at Guelta Metraucha

  Peer into a permanent rock pool deep in the Tagant canyon that shelters one of the last remnant populations of Nile crocodiles in the Sahara.

  Tagant