Mauritania Iron Ore Train, craziness in a nutshell

A backpacker’s wet dream is to ride the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania. Climbing Ben Aisha was just a light challenge. Since I saw that Against the Compass had put this trip on their expeditions, I wanted to do this crazy trip. The comfort is non-existent, but the experience is something you should do at least once in your lifetime. Also, the day before we boarded the train, we had a picnic lunch by the monolith Ben Aisha, something I will never forget.

Ben Amera and Aisha 

This is the name of two great monoliths in the Sahara Desert. Much like the rest of Mauritania, they are not easy to get to. If you’re headed to this region, you want to set aside a day to visit these fascinating rocks, each with its surprises. Ben Amera is the world’s second-largest rock (monolith), just after the red Uluru in Australia. We stopped first by Ben Amera, which was an impressive sight. It has a little rubble on the top and around the bottom, but the rest looks smooth, like the loose parts glided off.

After seeing Ben Amera, we headed for Ben Aisha, a few kilometres away. The two monoliths look quite alike from a distance, apart from Ben Amera being bigger. I asked the driver to stop when we got closer to Ben Aisha. I wanted to walk the last kilometres to where we would have lunch. The vanguard had already set up tables under an overhang, in the shadow. While eating, our guide said that some tourists on her trips had tried to reach the top, but they had not managed, which set my will to have a go.

The hike

The picture above of Ben Aisha was first seen when we had walked a quarter-round around the monolith. And I have to say, nature can offer some surprises sometimes. I started the hike by myself, and I did find a shoulder of the mountain that looked very manageable. So I started my way upwards. When I was halfway up, I could see some from the group come around the corner, but couldn’t tell who they were. When I was almost at the top, there were some big rocks where I could find shade, and I sat down and waited for them to come up. It was the two youngest in the group, so we all went up the last metres together. And marvel at the fantastic view from 360 degrees.

Windy under the stars

After our hike to the mountain top, we rested in the shade again. A bit before sunset, we drove to a place in the desert, not too far from Gare de Choum, where we were going to board the train around four or five in the following morning. We had dinner there, and then we just had to wait. We were handed out our mattresses and were resting under the stars. At first it was pretty warm, but as it got dark, the wind started, and it became colder. We were recommended to bring sleeping bags, but I had only brought an emergency bag in a kind of foil. It got warmer, but made so much noise in the wind, so I could hardly sleep.

Gare de Choum

Finally, we got ready to board the Iron Ohr Train. It was pitch dark, so we all had our headlights on. When we arrived at the station, no one was there. We could hear the train in the distance and hear it start to slow down. This train can be up to two kilometres long, so it takes quite some time to make it stop. The station can hardly be called a station, but at least this was where it was supposed to stop. We were divided into two groups and would enter two carriages.

When the train finally stopped, I could imagine we were almost in the middle of the train. In the dark, we ran out to two of the first carriages we saw, but someone else was already in one of them. So, we ran further back and found two empty wagons after each other. They never know how long it will stop, so everything must go quickly. We climbed up, and our drivers, who would not join the train, stood on the ground and handed us some carpets and mattresses to sit on. We also got some food and water. And soon the train started to move. Still, it was an hour to sunset.

It did not come as a surprise that this would not be a comfortable ride. However, the sunrise and the enormous, flat, barren landscape were overwhelming. We tried to flatten the iron ore a bit, but it was hard, and soon we became filthy. When we signed up for this trip, we were four-faced with up to twenty hours on the train. Some changes had been made, so we entered the train later on the line and only rode for nine to ten hours.

An experience for life

This is maybe one of the craziest things I have done in my life, but I loved it. It is almost impossible to explain how it felt. I felt childish, but I am young only once! We passed a few small villages and waved to the people passing by. We stopped up for an oncoming train. Ultimately, the journey went relatively fast, and we started to get closer to Nouâdhibou, Mauritania’s second-largest city. It is situated on a long, very narrow peninsula, and this strip of land is divided between Mauritania and Western Sahara.

Nouâdhibou

When we arrived in Nouâdhibou, our drivers were waiting for us and took us to the hotel, where we could get a good shower. It had been a fantastic end to the trip in Mauritania. The next morning, we drove back to Nouakchott, and on the way, we had lunch on the beach. It had been a very nice group to travel with, and the guides and the rest of the crew made the trip perfect.