Mauritania

[roro]

I don't know Mauritania and I need some infos about it :
How many days ( or hours ) do I need to make the trip from Tanger to Mauritanian border post ?
If I have only 10 days in Mauri. , what kind of loop can I do from Nouadhibou ?
Have I enough of time to go Chingetti , Atar and Nouakchott ( I don't want to take the train beetween Nouadhibou and Choum ) ?
We are only 2 travellers in one 4x4 .
Do I need a guide to go from Choum to Nouadhibou ( by the track ) if I can't return to Morocco ( from Bir Mogrein to Laayoune ) ?
Thanks for your replies .
RR

[feneco cunetero]

Originally posted by roro:
I don't know Mauritania and I need some infos about it :
How many days ( or hours ) do I need to make the trip from Tanger to Mauritanian border post ?
If I have only 10 days in Mauri. , what kind of loop can I do from Nouadhibou ?
Have I enough of time to go Chingetti , Atar and Nouakchott ( I don't want to take the train beetween Nouadhibou and Choum ) ?
We are only 2 travellers in one 4x4 .
Do I need a guide to go from Choum to Nouadhibou ( by the track ) if I can't return to Morocco ( from Bir Mogrein to Laayoune ) ?
Thanks for your replies .
RR

Hi roro, I haven´t been yet in Mauritania but we are going there in April, so this answer is not based on actual data but it´s based on our plans.
From Tanger to the border we estimate 3 days.
I think you can make a 10 day trip from Nouadhibou-Choum-Atar-Chinguetti-Nouakchott if you don´t find many problems on the route to Choum, the piste is very hard, for what i have heard.
Don´t know about the guide.
Nice trip, have fun.

[Jose Brito]

Hi,

>How many days ( or hours ) do I need to make the trip from Tanger to Mauritanian border post ?

Depends on your driving velocity, but at 90 to 110km/h, you'll need at least 4 days to complete the nearly 2500kms from Ceuta to Noaudhibou.

>If I have only 10 days in Mauri. , what kind of loop can I do from Nouadhibou ?

With 10 days you could easly go to Atar (2 to 3 days), Chinguetti (2 days with time to visit the city), Atar again (1 day), Nouakchott by the paved road (1 day), and return to Nouadhibou trough the Banc d'Arguin N.P. (3 days).
But this will depend, again, on your driving velocity (in and off-road).

> Do I need a guide to go from Choum to Nouadhibou ( by the track ) if I can't return to Morocco ( from Bir Mogrein to Laayoune ) ?

I presume that this border is closed, but try to find update information.
For the Train piste, there is no need for a guide , as you'll drive along the railway. There are some sandy sections, but deflating tyres should easy the task. There are also several Dayas (temporary ponds), which may be flooded after rainfall. Always drive south of the railway due to mine risk close to the Moroccan border, and avoid driving too close to the railway due to the debris and sandier terrain.

Cheers,
José

[dwair]

Hi roro,

To add to what Jose has said

We did the drive down to Mauritania in 5 easy days including half a day driving a round Casa trying to find the embassy. I guess you could do it in 3 or 4 if you already had your visas and drove more or less all the time.

The piste from Nouadhibou to Choum you could do in a couple of days depending on your route finding. Locals apparently do it in one push starting and finishing in the dark but I wouldn’t recommend this as its would be very easy to get lost ‘esp at the eastern end of the piste – there is no real defined track to follow and in some places you will detour a long way south away from the train tracks to get round areas of small dunes. Technically the piste is fairly strait forward but due to its isolation and lack of use it is a serious proposition and should not be underestimated. You do not need a guide but would recommend doing it with another vehicle as a basic precaution. We did the route twice last year, spending about a week on it both ways, messing about with kite buggy’s and only saw one other vehicle in the far distance the whole time.

I think if your only going to spend 10 days in Mauritania, I would recommend spending it around Chingetti and Ouadane as its a fascinating area and definitely worthy of exploring. It’s possible to make it down to Nouakchott and back up to Nouadhibou in the time but you’ll spend most of it in the car


------------------
http://www.saharanexploration.co.uk

[roro]

Thank you for your replies !

I have some more questions for this country which is completly unknown for me :

>With 10 days you could easly go to Atar (2 to 3 days)

Which way to go to Atar from Nouadhibou in 3 days ? I think it's not via Nouakchott .




>For the Train piste, there is no need for a guide , as you'll drive along the railway.

We are only 2 persons with one car : do you think it's not a problem ?
How is the traffic on this track ?
And how many days to complete the 400km beetween Choum and Nouadhibou ?

Thanks

RR.

[Jose Brito]

Hi,

>Which way to go to Atar from Nouadhibou in 3 days ? I think it's not via Nouakchott .

You can go from Nouadhibou to Atar via Choum, i.e. along the railway line until Choum, and then head south to Atar.
As it was mentioned in another reply, you can do it in a very long (and boring as would need to drive all the time) day, or in 2 to 3 days (more relaxed)


> We are only 2 persons with one car : do you think it's not a problem ?

That is always risky in the desert !


> How is the traffic on this track ?

I have a different experience from Dwair. I've done that piste 2 times (in January and November), and saw plenty of traffic in both times. Either turists, local cars, trucks of the SNIM, etc. There are also several small villages (not marked on the Michelin map) which can give you a hand in case of problem. Additionally, there is always the railway line with several trains passing during the day.
So, IMHO, I think this is not a very isolated piste. Just drive near the railway (but no too close due to the debries) and you shouldn't have navigation problems.


> And how many days to complete the 400km beetween Choum and Nouadhibou ?

See above, but, if you're not in a worry, then count with 2 days between Nouadhibou and Choum, and 1 day from Choum to Atar.


Cheers,
Jose'

[roro]

Thanks a lot for your infos .
RR.

[NCR]

Hi,

I don't considerer the piste NDB - Choum to be dangerous. In case of trouble, you can simply go to the railroad track and ask for help. Last September me and some friends stoped the train by mistake ;-). DON'T PARK NEAR THE RAILS WITH YOUR HEADLIGHTS ON! ;-)

In Zouerat some fellow told us that the border in Bir Mogrein was open. I don't Know if it is true or not.

[NCR]

Hi (again ;-))

I don't think a guide will be necessary to do the train piste. Just follow the rails! For security sake, take one (or two) gps devices and "Mauritanie au GPS".

Regards,

NCR