Current info on Mauritania
 

Hi,

I am looking for current information on travelling in Mauritania. Preferably from people on the ground or with recent travel experience. Most information available seems to relate to transitting to either Senegal or Mali. I am however looking on doing some of more traditional routes:

- Railroad piste (Nouadhibou - Atar)
- Guelb el Richat loop
- Atar to tidjika piste.

Reading around the first two should be no problem. Not to sure about the piste to Tidjika.

Would love to get some up-to-date feedback.

Planning to go in the near future.

Thanks a lot!

Just got this from Jamie D at Bike mag (aiming for Cape Town on a clapped-out Tengai - see current issue).

Mauri border no problem at all. Visas available and very straightforward. The expensive caveat being they cost twice as much as Rabat (€120). [I think Rabat is the same price. CS] The security in Mauri is seriously tight though. I took a detour down to Nouabhidou for a night and had run out of fiches long before Nouakchott. Every checkpoint warned me not to leave the main road and not to stop for anyone without a uniform. Very professional, serious and helpful. Not that I saw another tourist in the whole time I was there…
Best of Mauri for me was the final run down to Diama through the Diawling national park. Fast and easy dirt roads with warthogs sauntering along next to me (possibly chasing me with intent to maim), and my first beer for 2000km waiting on the other side of the Senegal border.

Arrived today in St Louis, it seems.
He's heading as far as the bike lasts without a carnet which will get interesting.

Hi Chris,

Do you think Tidjika Nema is always too dangerous now?

RR.

I don't suppose the piste is particularly risky, but Nema is a bit far east for comfort, especially if they are attacking Nara.

More realistically I wonder if it might be the police who restrict you from going beyond Tichit.

Thanks Chris, I'm going to wait before new plans in the area:(

RR.

Hello,

normaly we always travel in Morocco in January but next year whe want to go further south, with a day of 4 Mauritania, what do you think of the safety ?
route (after the western Sahara)
railroad piste,
Atar to Tidjikja
and then to Nouakchott, and back north to Morocco?

we travel on 650single's

regards,

jacinto