mauritania route & other questions
 

looking for a recommended tried and tested route around mauritania; entering from ws and back through ws. Any places i have to see? If you can point me in the right direction or share any info; thanks in advance!

Getting to the richat structure
 

I'll be crossing over into mauritania from WS and staying there for two weeks before making my way back up North. I'm interested in driving to and back the richat structure. I plan on driving to ouadane, staying there for the night and make an arrangement with a local to guide me the rest of the way. If you've done this, feel free to share your experience or if you're in the know i would appreciate your info too.

I've not done it, but I understand there's little evidence on the ground to reflect what it looks like from great altitude.

That's what i concluded watching itchyboots videos. However, ticking off this area would be a memorable part of the adventure.

As Tim correctly says- what you will see is.....sand, rocks, sand and more sand.
Unless your moto can fly...
Locals love tourists as they take you NE of Ouadane to and say ' c'est ici'...:innocent: and take your money!
Then you are left looking at your satnav confused!
A great way to ride in sand and cr+p damaging your travel bike for some 559 kms (could you even ride it...? plus food, water, fuel etc logistics) to see...not a lot!doh:Beach: Still, a chacun son truc!
I've linked up the 6 tracks for a clockwise single one to give you a better idea.

Tons
 

but in which direction?

Here is a taster...
The best moto for this stuff is ... not a ktm or a beemer nor a honda but a camel first or if it's too expensive then a donkey.

Two cities, Nouadibou and Nouakchott.
You can ride on the beach between the two.
Visit Bank d'Argain national park en route.
Stay in Atar, make day trips to see waterfalls.
The rain cave in Terjit.
Chinguetti the ancient city.
Make an oasis tour, Ouadane with the date festival, Rachid, Tidjidja, Tidjit, Kiffa.
Oualata probably out of reach.
If you have the time, go to see the crashed Avro plane on Polisario territory.
SAAF Avro Shackleton 1716 "Pelican 16"
If you like the desert you could spend a lifetime.

Pelican 16 is often limits now afaik, it certainly way at the beginning of the year and I haven't heard the situation has improved

off limits?

Oualata out of reach in terms of time and distance or security concerns?

What areas are a NO GO in western sahara and Mauritania.
 

We're not talking about mali or algeria here so i don't expect too many no go areas, however, to those of you in the know what areas are really a no go, safety wise?

Anywhere within 30km of the berm for the WS. But if you get too close the military will gently escort you away. Otherwise it’s mostly ok with the normal caveats about mines etc.

It’s in the PFZ and not safe anymore with the current friction between Morocco and the Polisario.

Noted. What about east Mauritania, near Nema and the lot? And for the ieds? Where do they tend to be located?

mauritania fuel price + availability + reference ?
 

What's the current/avg fuel price in Mauritania? How available is re-fuelling, i plan on going east (sticking to "roads" no off road tracks) towards Nema & also towards Chinguetti. Any tips on getting fuel there? What website would you recommend for me to stay up to date with fuel prices?

I've been there. While its true that its no where near as visually impressive from the ground, its still interesting. You do need to use your imagination a bit due to the scale, but it does look like _something_ circular.

Here's what it looks like from the inner most ring:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/netlla...7674767220847/

You absolutely don't need a camel to get out there, but its very much a rough track for a long distance, with not much more than nomads here & there.

I'd say its worth it if you've come as far as Oudane. But I wouldn't drive half way across the country just for the Richat.

The eastern border region is supposed to be unofficially off limits, due to concerns about people crossing the border and launching attacks from Mali. Granted its a long long drive that far east, and the "roads" become more of a suggestion than a reality out there.

Can't comment on prices, but fuel is readily available in most "real" towns. Definitely no issues getting it in Chinguetti, or any points west of there along the main road.

I can't seem to find the fuel price. No website has it, and to the few who do, the prices are from 2016 or before...

Mauritania - Gelb er Richat
 

Guelb er Richat

I agree with most of the comments - but if you are interested in geology, in the center are interesting rocks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/726643...7621650762967/

and video
https://up.picr.de/45925965jn.jpg


the pass Thnaye if you drive from the north to the Guelb er Richat (background)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/726643...7621650762967/

https://up.picr.de/45925970qq.jpg

Ursula

Oualata is far east and a bit too close to Mali for comfort.
If it is possible to go there, who knows? Only way is to go that route and talk to the gendarmes and the locals.
Same with the plane - go to Atar and perhaps Zouerat and ask around.
We just turned up in Agounit without notice and were nearly arrested. The startled Polisario captain in charge made a call to hq and then with a smile offered us food and escort to the plane.
https://www.airway.com.br/wp-content...46-653x500.png

Do you happen to know how much fuel is in Mauritania (95 unleaded)? I can't seem to find that info anywhere!

Please remember that Mauritania is a very under developed country, and many of the answers you seek are to be found on the road, not on the internet!

I´ve travelled to Mauritania on my motorcycle last January as part of Sahara Desert Challenge, it started in Portugal and finished in Dakar.

I was riding my '97 Africa Twin which has a tank capacity of 18+5 litres and uses around 5 l/100km on the road, translating into an autonomy of over 400km.

Petrol availability is not guaranteed at regular fuel stations, I could find it only in Nouakchott and Atar. The price per litre was 57 MRU, around 1,50EUR.

Had to then buy petrol from 5l bidons to bridge the gaps at following locations:
Total station at N20° 03.090' W15° 55.274'
Generic shop in Akjoujt at N19° 44.738' W14° 23.089'
Price is subject to negotiation.

An excellent website, regularly updated, is Chris Scott Sahara Overland, see country info.

Piste to Chinguetti, probably my favourite place on this trip:

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...07_145401.jpg0

Good to see info from someone with recent experience CaBRita :thumbup1:

(there was a quite vocal motorcylcing blogger claiming there was no fuel in Atar in Januaray doh)

You're the man! Why is the fuel in mauritania damn expensive? How were the roads like there? I see you're on a compact dirt road; are the roads like this everywhere or are there some tarmac roads?

Fuel prices here: https://sahara-overland.com/mauritania/

See the excellent Sahara Overland website for specific info on Mauritania here

A bigger version of this map can be found there, my photo was taken on the green dashed line between Atar and Chinguetti:
https://saharaoverland.files.wordpre...m111.jpg?w=300

Regarding fuel availability:
My experience on the ground, and learned from other travellers as well, is that the situation is quite dynamic so fill up whenever you can.

The price of fuel is what it is. €1.50 per litre or whatever is about the same as the UK. If you want to get mad about anything, try having a go at the ferry costs of crossing the 13-km gap of the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco. Absolute daylight robbery.

But as far as Mauritania is concerned, it's a few years since I was there, but even in remote places people seem to have private stocks, just ask around Yes, you might pay 50% premium for filling from a bidon but that's something I'm quite happy to do.

Fill up at every opportunity and consider either buying an expensive fuel bladder or risking using a highly dangerous 1.5-litre plastic water bottle (tip the contents into the tank after 30-40km to lessen the risk).

thoughts on fuel bottles vs bladders?

It depends on how strong the bottles are. Don´t forget fuel smells bad, very very bad. If the bottle, container or whatever you use start leaking or get damaged you don´t want the fuel to spill on your clothes or equipment. So you would have to transport the fuel separate from your other stuff.
A couple of drops of fuel on your clothes is not a big deal but if your clothes get soaking wet you can throw them away.

Don´t ask me how I know :)

I would take a fuel bladder.
I was in Mauritania two weeks ago, and I used sturdy plastic bottles (the type where cleaning liquids are usually stored in). This worked fine. But something I didn't realize is how much petrol can actually expand when it warms up. I opened up the bottles to let some pressure out several times. I wouldn't dare to transport fuel in a less sturdy container (for example water bottles).

Maybe it was more psychological, but I still felt pretty uncomfortable driving around with plastic containers containing fuel, even though they were relatively sturdy. Next time, I will get me a fuel bladder, even if it is just for my mental peace.

Great point. Something along the lines of 1% for every 15 to 20 ish deg f?. Fuel bladder can be contracted down. I've got my eyes on the desert fox fuel cell.

Two reasons:

1) Transportation costs. They don't have any refineries that I know of in the country, which means that the finished product (gasoline) rather than the raw ingredient (crude oil) needs to be transported to the country by ship, then overland to the point of sale by road.

2) Sparse population. There's not a heck of a lot of fuel sold in the country, hence, there's not a lot of competition in the industry. The formal fuel stations that exist don't pump huge volumes of fuel, which means that they need to recover their overhead costs in the form of higher price per litre.

€1.50 a litre is not bad, all things considered. That's fractionally less than the average price in continental Europe. Even in Canada, where I live, gasoline sells for about €1.10 a litre (CAD $1.60).

Michael

Wells in north africa?
 

Morocco, Ws & Mauritania - how often will i come across wells? If i do, is it safe to drink the water if i put it through a filter? Any well known wells across these areas?

useful information through flash cards
 

I've already put together a bunch of mechanical flashcards for my motorbike with valuable information + the bikes manual; now i'm onto the more, if you will, 'survival' aspect of things - let me know any useful information you think is worth having in my rucksack

Mauritania and IDP
 

My application for an IDP to the french gov is taking longer than expected. I sent through my application nearly four months ago and there's still some complications and delay time. I'm fine without it for maroc & ws, but what about mauritania?

Hi,

I am assuming you mean International Driving Permit?

In case you are in the Netherlands at some point: Here you can go to any ANWB shop with a passport photo and just get your IDP on the spot. You can do so with any European driving lisence.

I have no official information, but I have travelled to The Gambia recently (i.e. I went through the countries you are going to by motorcycle), and only in Senegal and The Gambia I was asked for drivers lisence. When I showed them the international one they laughed at me, they only wanted to see the national one (German in my case).

I have never used or been asked for an IDP in West Africa.

There's no single answer. Most wells are on the outskirts of small villages/towns, but you may not know they exist unless you know where to look. Water quality/safety is going to be all over the place. Unless you have a filter that removes pathogens, its a high risk. Bottled water is not that hard to find in most "real" towns. I'd not want to rely on finding wells in a country where water sources are limited & difficult to locate, unless you speak the language.

Series of questions concerning mauritania
 

After re provisioning and resting a day or two in Nouakchott I plan on making my way to atar and its surrounding areas. I've got the fuel capacity to make it to atar without needing to re-fuel; if I have the opportunity to refuel before I most certainly will. How accessible is 95 in atar and its surrounding areas?

Once i've travelled through that side of mauri i'll make my way back down to Nouakchott where i'm contemplating travelling east to nema, north to Walatah (if possible) and then west, back to Nouakchott. Safety and fuel availability are my two concerns. I'm willing to accept a certain level of risk; i've read that east mauri isn't the "safest", relative to other places in the country? Quite frankly is this, near 1,000km route (nouakchott to nema) even worth it? Does fuel availability make this route do-able or not?

Thanks, leo.

That sounds like a fascinating route, and I wish I could join you. That said, I've heard mixed info on whether its viable or possible for a foreigner to go that far east and that deep into the desert. This guy seems to have pulled it off early last year, so maybe?

https://wildmanlife.com/

Only one way to find out. Will definitely take a look at his work, it's a great resource.

Having a mission can make the trip more interesting.
Like looking for crocodiles in Sahara.
Iirc they have found 79 locations with relict populations of crocs in Mauretania.
Which is astounding since the rivers and lakes where they once thrived have been gone for thousands of years.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ar...l.pone.0014734
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAYsowaYCV8
Having a croc keyring to show the locals may help you find them
https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/...gX3/s-l225.jpg

I saw them in Mauritania about 5 years ago (includes GPS coords):

https://netllama.linux-sxs.org/pix/t...a/41_info.html

Warning, there was no road to get out there. It was bumping over some very rough terrain for a couple hours (including an ancient lava flow).