basic question.
 

hello!

i'm planning to go to senegal through mauritania. i'm new to this, so i'm sorry if it's sort of a basic question... i've made arrangements to get to dakhla by around july 1st- how to i get from there to mauritania without a car of my own?

i understand that i have to hitch a ride, and that moussafir is the place to do this in dakhla- but will i be okay at around that time of year for getting a ride? how much can i expect it to cost? will i likely have to wait a few days? is there any way in particular to go about doing this? and about how long does it take to get to nouadhibou/nouakchott?

any suggestions would be welcome! thanks!

-andrew.

you could/should just loiter round the auberges for a lift, probably your best bet. there's one on the entrance to dahkla (on the left). not sure about july (kinda hot), but there should be plenty of traffic heading south if you're not fussy. 'plenty' is a relative term.

I think I left dakhla early morning and got to NDB just after dark. I was travelling around 60 kms/hr. And spent a little time at the border. I would assume a day.

From NDB to NKT I overnighted by the side of the road, and took two days to get there. Again, at 60 kms/hr, travelling during day light hours. I think most bikes do it in a day. Not sure about 4x4's.

It's now tarmac all the way, so should take less time. An easy day to NDB, and a full day to NKT ?

hitching a lift from Dakhla to NDB
 

Hi Andrew,

I travelled down the Atlantic route without a car five years ago, including the bit you're asking about. Got a lift with a German overlander first - from the auberge in Dakhla to the junction with the main road. Put a thumb out and about 10 min later was sitting in a Mauritanian lorry driving a load of oranges to NDB. The driver asked me how much I wanted to pay for the ride - he wouldn't take me for free but I think the idea of haggling appealed to him more than the actual money. I ended up paying 200 Moroccan dirhams - mind I was desperate to cross the border on that day. He treated me like his best friend all along, feeding me and generally making sure I was enjoying it. We got to NDB after dark - he brought me straight to the door of camping ABBA and bargained a good deal for me with the owner.

That was in January - I would imagine there's less tourist traffic there in summer.

I also believe there are regular shared taxis from Dakhla to NDB - I tried asking around in town but couldn't quite find them.