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. Tour orientation and overnight.

Hotel: Hotel SUNSET 4*

Day 2 NOUAKCHOTT CITY TOUR

A full city tour of Nouakchott, whose name is said to derive from the Berber for “the place of the winds,” one of the largest cities in the Sahara. Visit the craft market, the grand mosque with its twin minarets, and the National Museum with its ethnographic and anthropological collections. Continue to the lively camel market and the main city market, then drive to the fishing port, where the return of the pirogues in the late afternoon is an unforgettable spectacle. Return to your hotel for overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Hotel : Hotel SUNSET 4* 

Day 3 NOUAKCHOTT → ATAR (~430 km)

After breakfast, drive to Atar, capital of the Adrar region, passing nomadic encampments along the way. Atar is an ideal place to break the long desert drive; explore its small market and a museum with a well-preserved collection of artifacts and paintings. A short drive reaches Azougui, once a base of the Almoravid dynasty, whose territory stretched from the Ghana Empire to Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula in the 11th century. Transfer to your accommodation for check-in, dinner and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Hotel: Hôtel Étoile du Nord 

Day 4 ATAR → AFRICA’S EYE → OUADANE (~280 km)

Begin with a drive to Guelb Er Richat, the “Eye of Africa,” a vast circular formation that resembles a blue eye from the sky. Once thought to have an asteroid impact, it is now believed to be uplifted rock sculpted by millennia of erosion. Continue to the ancient city of Ouadane, a former stop on the trans-Saharan caravan route that carried salt from the mines of Idjil. This UNESCO World Heritage Site holds many well-preserved and fascinating ruins. Drive to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Hotel: Auberge Vasque 

Day 5 OUADANE → TENEWCHERT OASIS → CHINGUETTI (~100 km)

Drive to Chinguetti, the seventh holy city of Islam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in the 13th century. This medieval Berber town was the meeting point of several trans-Saharan trade routes and is considered by many the “jewel of Mauritania.” Admire its Saharan architecture and its celebrated minaret, the second oldest in continuous use in the world. The Friday Mosque dates to the town’s 13th-century founders, and its ancient libraries preserve a remarkable collection of Islamic manuscripts, including Ould Habott, the largest in Mauritania. Transfer to your accommodation for check-in, dinner and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Hotel : Auberge des Caravanes 

Day 6 CHINGUETTI → AMOGJAR PASS → TERJIT OASIS → ATAR (~240 km)

Begin with the spectacular canyon and mountain views of the Amogjar Pass, the setting for the French film “Fort Saganne.” Explore caves with ancient Neolithic rock paintings depicting a once-green landscape of giraffe and antelope. Cross the oasis of Mheirith and the White Valley to reach Terjit, the most beautiful oasis in Mauritania, where thermal springs and shaded pools nestle in a gorge — a rare chance to “swim in the desert.” Return to Atar for check-in, dinner and overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Hotel: Hôtel Étoile du Nord

Day 7 ATAR → NOUAKCHOTT (~430 km)

After breakfast, drive back to Nouakchott. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Hotel: Hotel SUNSET 4*

Day 8 NOUAKCHOTT → DEPARTURE

After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport at least three hours before your flight.

Meals included: Breakfast