Mauritania

Arabic is the official language. Most people speak Hassaniya, the local Arabic dialect of the western Sahara. French is widely used in business, government, hotels and shops. Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof are spoken in the south, along the Senegal River.

English is rare, even in tourist services. A few words of French or Arabic help a lot. Many signs are in Arabic script, often with French alongside.

• SIM cards: the three mobile networks are Mauritel, Mattel and Chinguitel. Buy a local SIM at an official shop in Nouakchott or Nouadhibou.
• Coverage: mobile data works in towns and along the main roads, but there is no signal across much of the desert. On remote trips, your guide is your main link to help.

• Medical care: facilities are extremely limited outside Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. Clinics may ask for cash payment. Get travel insurance that covers medical evacuation.
• Medicines: many medicines are hard to find or fake. Bring enough of your own for the whole trip.
• Water: do not drink tap water. Use bottled or treated water, and carry plenty on desert trips.
• Malaria: the risk is high all year in the southern provinces. In the north it is high from July to October and low the rest of the year. Ask a travel clinic about tablets.
• Yellow fever: you need a vaccination certificate if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. The vaccine is advised for travel south of the Sahara, but not for trips only in the desert.
• Other risks: dengue and Rift Valley fever occur. Use insect repellent and cover up at dusk.
• Heat: summer temperatures in the desert are extreme. Travel in the cooler months, drink often and protect yourself from the sun.

Most visitors need a visa. Since 5 January 2025 you can no longer get a visa on arrival: you must apply for an e-visa online before you travel.

• How to apply: use the ANRPTS e-visa portal, run by the national agency for population registration and secure documents. Apply well in advance.
• Paying the fee: you pay the visa fee on arrival, in exact cash, in euros or US dollars. No change or receipts are given.
• Print it: carry a printed copy of your e-visa to show on arrival.
• Passport: it must be valid for at least six months after your arrival date.
• Yellow fever: bring your certificate if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk.
• Customs: importing alcohol and pork is illegal. Bags are scanned on arrival at Nouakchott airport, and vehicles may be searched at land borders.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

Mauritania is an Islamic republic, and religion shapes daily life and the law.

• Alcohol and pork: both are illegal for everyone, Muslim or not. Do not bring them into the country — they are confiscated, and you can be fined or arrested.
• Dress: dress modestly away from the beach. Women should cover their shoulders and avoid short skirts. Men should not wear shorts or sleeveless tops. Loose, long clothes are also best against the sun.
• Ramadan: during the holy month, do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public during the day, including in a car.
• Religion: only Islam is recognised. Trying to convert people is illegal, and blasphemy is a serious crime.
• Photography: always ask before you photograph people. Never photograph government or military sites, or police and soldiers.
• Greetings and tea: greetings are long and polite; take your time. If you are offered tea, accept it — it is served in three glasses, and leaving early can seem rude.
• LGBT+ travellers: same-sex relations are illegal, and the penalties are severe.

On public holidays, government offices and banks close and many shops shorten their hours. The Islamic holidays move each year with the lunar calendar, and the government often declares extra days off shortly before.

Many shops and offices close for Friday midday prayers and during the hottest part of the afternoon. During Ramadan, opening hours change and most places to eat stay closed until sunset.

Distances are huge and roads are few. Most visitors join an organised trip with a local guide and a 4x4, which is also what governments advise outside towns.

• By road: paved roads link Nouakchott with Nouadhibou, Atar and Rosso. Shared taxis and minibuses run between towns; they are cheap but crowded and poorly maintained.
• Desert trips: from Atar, guides run 4x4 and camel trips to Chinguitti, Ouadane and the oases of the Adrar.
• By air: domestic flights link Nouakchott with Nouadhibou and some other towns, and save a long drive.
• Iron ore train: the SNIM railway runs 704 km between Nouadhibou and the mines at Zoueratt, via Choum. Its trains are up to 3 km long, among the longest in the world. Some travellers ride on top of the ore wagons for free; the heat and dust are extreme. Most of the route runs within 25 km of the Western Sahara border or through Tiris Zemmour, where the UK advises against all but essential travel.
• Borders: the main crossings to Senegal are at Rosso (a river ferry) and Diama. Border formalities can be slow, and officials may ask for payments.

Mauritanian food is simple and filling, built around rice, couscous, mutton, goat, camel and fish. Lunch is the main meal, eaten in the early afternoon, often from a shared tray. Dinner is usually late. On the coast and in the south, rice with fish, close to Senegal's national dish, is everywhere. In the desert, expect couscous, grilled meat and dates. Roast lamb (méchoui) is served for guests and celebrations.

Tea is the centre of social life. Strong green tea with mint and lots of sugar is poured from a height to make foam, and served in three rounds. Camel milk and zrig, a sweet drink of milk or curds with water, are popular. Alcohol is illegal, so there are no bars; drinks are tea, juice and soft drinks.

Visitors eat mostly in hotels, guesthouses and simple local restaurants. In the desert, your guide or cook usually prepares meals at camp.

The coast

• Nouakchott is the capital and the main arrival point. Visit the busy fishing beach when the boats come in, the National Museum and the markets.
• Nouadhibou is the country's second city and fishing port, on a long peninsula. Nearby Cap Blanc protects a colony of Mediterranean monk seals.
• Banc d'Arguin National Park is a huge coastal park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where more than two million migrating shorebirds spend the winter. Imraguen fishing villages lie along its shore.

The Adrar

• Adrar is the main region for visitors: a desert plateau of dunes, canyons and oases.
• Atar is the region's main town and the base for desert trips. Nearby, the palm oasis of Terjit has springs in a narrow gorge, and the Oued Amogjâr valley leads up onto the plateau.
• Chinguitti is an old caravan town with a stone mosque and family libraries of ancient manuscripts. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ancient Ksour, with Ouadane, Tichitt and Oualata.
• Ouadane is a ruined stone town on a cliff edge, at the end of the road east.
• Richat Structure is a giant ring of rock, 40 km across. Its shape is clearest from the air. It lies east of Ouadane, in an area where the UK advises against all but essential travel.
• Aouelloul crater is a small meteorite crater southeast of Atar.
• Ben Amera is Africa's largest monolith, next to the iron ore railway, about 60 km west of Choum. It lies close to the Western Sahara border, where the UK advises against all but essential travel.

The south and east

• Rosso is the border town on the Senegal River, with a ferry to Senegal.
• Tijigja and Tichitt are old towns in Tagant. The UK advice excludes the roads to them, but advises against all but essential travel to much of the surrounding province.
• Oualata is the fourth ksar of the UNESCO site, famous for its painted houses. It lies in the far east, where the UK advises against all travel.