Explore Mauritania

Day 1 ARRIVE NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA

Upon arrival, you are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Nouakchott, the capital and largest city of Mauritania. After a brief orientation, the remainder of the day is at leisure to settle in and rest ahead of your Saharan journey. Overnight in Nouakchott.

Hotel: SUNSET 4* 

Day 2 NOUAKCHOTT | ATAR ~ 430 KM

After breakfast, set out on the scenic drive north to Atar, capital of the Adrar region, passing nomadic encampments scattered across the desert plains along the way. On arrival, explore Atar’s lively market and its small museum, home to a well-preserved collection of regional artifacts and paintings. A short drive continues to nearby Azougui, once a stronghold of the Almoravid dynasty, whose 11th-century empire stretched from the Ghana Empire across to Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula. Transfer to your hotel in Atar for check-in, dinner, and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Hôtel Étoile du Nord 

Day 3 ATAR | RICHAT STRUCTURE | OUADANE ~ 280 KM

This morning, drive to the remarkable Richat Structure, widely known as the “Eye of the Sahara” — a vast circular formation that resembles a deep blue eye when viewed from above. Once believed to be an asteroid impact crater, it is now understood to be a deeply eroded geological dome, sculpted over millions of years. Continue to the ancient caravan city of Ouadane, once a key staging post on the trans-Saharan trade route, where caravans carried salt from the mines of Idjil. Today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this evocative town is filled with beautifully preserved stone ruins. Arrive at your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Auberge Vasque 

Day 4 OUADANE | TANOUCHERT OASIS | CHINGUETTI ~ 100 KM

Depart Ouadane and journey toward Chinguetti, pausing at the palm-fringed Tanouchert oasis, a tranquil desert haven where nomadic families still tend their date groves. Continue to Chinguetti, revered as the seventh holy city of Islam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in the 13th century. Once a thriving center of trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship, this medieval Berber town is often called the “jewel of Mauritania.” Admire its distinctive Saharan stone architecture and its celebrated minaret, believed to be the second oldest in continuous use anywhere in the world. Visit the ancient Friday Mosque, built by the town’s founders in the 13th century, and step inside one of Chinguetti’s storied desert libraries, where priceless Islamic manuscripts are preserved — among them the renowned Ould Habott collection, the largest in Mauritania. Transfer to your hotel for check-in, dinner, and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Auberge des Caravanes

Day 5 CHINGUETTI | AMOGJAR PASS | MHEIRITH OASIS | TERJIT OASIS | ATAR ~ 240 KM

This morning, take in the dramatic canyon and mountain vistas of the Amogjar Pass — the striking backdrop for the French epic film “Fort Saganne,” starring Gérard Depardieu, was filmed. Explore nearby caves adorned with ancient Neolithic rock paintings that depict a once-green Sahara teeming with giraffe and antelope. Journey on across the Mheirith oasis and the White Valley to Terjit, widely regarded as the most beautiful oasis in Mauritania. Tucked within a sheltered valley gorge, its natural thermal springs and palm-shaded pools invite you to “swim in the desert” — a refreshing and unforgettable experience prized by all who visit. Return to Atar for check-in at your hotel, dinner, and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hotel: Hôtel Étoile du Nord 

Day 6 ATAR | NOUAKCHOTT ~ 430 KM CITY TOUR OF NOUAKCHOTT

After an early breakfast, begin the return drive to Nouakchott for an afternoon city tour. Nouakchott — whose name is said to derive from the Berber for “place of the winds” — is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. Highlights of the tour include the bustling craft market, the grand mosque with its twin minarets, and the National Museum, with its rich ethnographic and anthropological collections. End the day at the lively fishing port, where the return of the wooden pirogues at dusk is a spectacle in itself, before transferring to your hotel for overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast and dinner

Hotel: Hotel SUNSET 4* 

Day 7 NOUAKCHOTT | DEPARTURE

After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight, arriving at least three hours before departure. End of services.

Meals included: breakfast