Mauritania, one of the least visited countries in the world.
Mauritania is in western Africa; however, most people can not place it on the map or have ever heard of it. This makes me sound like an expert, which I am not. However, in my search for interesting and sometimes unusual places to explore, this was straight up my street. There is no denying that the Iron Ohr train is a prominent Instagram hit. Another thing that made this trip easy is that Against the Compass, my favourite Spanish travel company, arranges tours here.
Entering Mauritania
My stay in Mauritania lasted only eight days, and when I came home, I thought this was just stuff for one post here. However, when I started to pick out pictures that brought memories, there was no doubt that I must at least make three posts: this one as an introduction, then about the deserts and oases, and finally, the ride on the Iron Ore Train.
From January 1, 2025, Mauritania started a new system for getting a visa online. This is, of course, a good thing and probably makes it easier for tourists to enter the country. However, it seemed like it still suffered from startup problems. You apply on their homepage, and they are extremely picky about the sizes of documents and pictures you send in. You do not get a confirmation that you have applied, and they will not send you an answer when you have received the visas. Therefore, you have to go in and check it every day. In many cases, they are also very slow, so several in my group did not get it in time to board their journey to Mauritania. Several had to rebook their flights, and three did not join us in time.
Short history lesson
Mauritania’s history may be traced back to ancient civilisations, which were influenced by nomadic cultures, Islamic conquests, and colonialism. In the 15th century, European countries like the Portuguese, Dutch, and last but not least, France, saw an interest in Mauritania’s coastline. The French colonial power of Mauritania began in the nineteenth century and became independent in 1960. Today, relics of the country’s past may be seen in old sites such as Chinguetti and Ouadane, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Chinguetti, the city of Libraries.
This city is in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Once, it was a major centre for Islamic scholarship. Chinguetti developed one of the Islamic world’s most important centres for religious research. The city became well-known for its libraries, which housed old manuscripts, and its Islamic institutions, madrasas. We visited this library, and an old man showed us manuscripts and told us about traditions, like the force feeding of young baby girls. This tradition was that fat girls were beautiful, lasting until about the middle of the last century.
Noaukchott, the capital
It is not nice to say that a country’s capital is boring, but unfortunately, Nouakchott does not have much to offer tourists. There is not much going on here, and the Grand Mosque is one of the main attractions. Of course, this one is not open for non-Muslims. We went to the fish market by the harbour, and all the boats, both on shore and out in the bay, were a nice sight, but the actual market does not appeal as a tourist attraction. The camel marked, on the other hand, was much more appealing. I have been to the camel market in Nizwa, Oman, with a few camels for sale. Here in Nouakchott, there were thousands.
My journey through Maritania will follow in the next post.
