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big dunes in mauritania? big dunes in mauritania?
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North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



Trans Sahara Routes.

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  #1  
Old 11 Dec 2003
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big dunes in mauritania?
satellite maps suggest that there is no place in mauritania where you can find magnificient dunes like admer/tiffernine/issouane in algeria.

am i wrong?

if so, can you tell me where the most beautiful places are?

thanks

jan
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  #2  
Old 12 Dec 2003
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Good question !
I'm interested too !
Thanks for responses .

RR .

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  #3  
Old 27 Sep 2013
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Old post but i would say that dunes in mauritania are small.
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Old 27 Sep 2013
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Biggest dunes?
Seen some good ones east of Chinguetti and some decent from the coastal highway, but that's it. Those who have been further north and east may know more.
Best in Morocco - Merzouga?
And the same in Algeria - Merzouga in the Tadrart?
Libya?
Niger?
Tchad?
Egypt?
Mali - probably near the Algerian border SE of Bordj Mohktar?
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  #5  
Old 2 Oct 2013
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Sunset on dunes at Chinguetti


Some 60 km away from Akjout, or some 130 km to Atar and round 50 km SE from tarmac are also big dunes. At erg Amatlich seams also mountain ridge is covered by sand.
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  #6  
Old 2 Oct 2013
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erg chebbie, not far from Merzouga

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  #7  
Old 3 Oct 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiskey View Post
Sunset on dunes at Chinguetti


Some 60 km away from Akjout, or some 130 km to Atar and round 50 km SE from tarmac are also big dunes. At erg Amatlich seams also mountain ridge is covered by sand.
Those dunes are not "big".
Er chebbi also , not big.
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Old 3 Oct 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ktm990 View Post
Those dunes are not "big".
Er chebbi also , not big.
Thankyou for your valuable contribution!!

maybe you could share your extensive knowledge of 'big' dunes for the original poster because these are pretty much the only ones I know of relevant to where he is looking. I know of some big ones elsewhere in the world (like Mongolia or Algeria or Tunisia or Cromer for example) but not really in the area he is looking at or that is accessible.

Now, where did I leave my micrometer, I really must go and measure the size of my chap again
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Old 4 Oct 2013
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@ktm990, are those at erg Amatlich big enough?




and from valle Blanche
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Old 4 Oct 2013
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Hello, all,


I just say that compared to central sahara ergs those mauritanian ergs are not big.
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Old 4 Oct 2013
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There are some quite large dunes in the far north where the sand empties out of Erg Chech in southern Algeria. We flew over them many times in the science programme 'Fennec'. I'll dig out some photos and load them up.
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Old 4 Oct 2013
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Correction - those big ones were just across the border in NW Mali. The ones I was thinking of a very pretty dune corridors near 25deg 55 N, 6 deg 26 W.
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  #13  
Old 4 Oct 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ktm990 View Post
Hello, all,


I just say that compared to central sahara ergs those mauritanian ergs are not big.

It would have been more helpful though if instead of just posting what appeared to be a fairly derogatory, dismissive and uninformative reply you had posted something of use to the original question (or nothing at all!)

The original post was asking specifically about Mauritania. I and another posted about dunes in Morocco. I don't know about the other poster but in my case that was because to get to Mauritania someone would travel through Morocco and may choose to visit them.
central Sahara, however, according to my map, is not on the way to Mauritania (unless of course you wish to come from the east, which would be novel!)and is, as far as I am aware, pretty tricky to get access to at the moment, so doesn't really answer the OP.
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Old 4 Oct 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiskey View Post
@ktm990, are those at erg Amatlich big enough?




and from valle Blanche

Thanks whiskey, that's rather more useful than some posts!!

I was looking on google maps at your reference to Amatlich and noticed an extraordinary rock feature to the NNW about 250 miles at Zouerat. It's about 10miles across and next to the N1.
Anyone know what it is and can it be reached these days?
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  #15  
Old 4 Oct 2013
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Two examples of the dunes of Western Sahara. Not big big big, but interesting anyway ...



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