Mauritania Popular Places to Visit

Koumbi Saleh

Few towns in Mauritania have been as important in their history as Koumbi Saleh, located south of Timbédra. Only 35 km from the Malian border, the town belongs culturally to the historically diverse Sudan, which was the center of various African empires. As the presumed capital of the Ghana Empire, the city was embedded in the extensive network of trans-Saharan

Guelta Metraucha

The Guelta Metraucha is one of the few places in Mauritania where you can find the rare West African crocodiles. For decades, they were considered extinct in the country, and it was not until 1999 that they were rediscovered. According to estimates, only 300 specimens live in all of Mauritania today. 70 km east of Kiffa is the village of

Zoueratt

Zouératt is the capital of the northern region of Tiris Zemmour and one of Mauritania's most important economic centers. This is solely due to iron ore mining, which is carried out in the vicinity of Zouérat in mines such as F'dérik and Rouessat. Before mining of raw materials, the town of 40,000 inhabitants was insignificant. Today, iron ore, which accounts

Tagant Region

The Tagant region is named after the Tagant Plateau, which in turn derives from the Berber term for forest. The stony plateau is located in the western Sahara in southeastern Mauritania and is besides Adrar the only one in the country. The landscape is characterized by arid desert climate. Apart from rocks and shifting sand dunes, however, there are also

Daiwling National Park

The Diawling National Park is located in the extreme southwest of Mauritania on the border with Senegal, which is marked by the river of the same name. In this case, nature conservation does not end at the state border - since 2005, Diawling and its Senegalese counterpart, Djoudj National Park, have formed a transboundary biosphere reserve. Through the Ramsar Convention,

Banc D'arguin Parc

Banc d'Arguin Banc d'Arguin is one of Mauritania's two national parks and the only place in the country with UNESCO World Natural Heritage status (since 1989). The coastal area between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou is extremely diverse in flora and fauna - apparently endless sand dunes, a breathtaking mudflat landscape and, last but not least, the 8 km long Arguin sandbank that

Nouadhibou

Economic heart with beautiful harbor Nouadhibou is the economically most important city in Mauritania. Its Port Minéralier south of the city is used to ship the iron ore that the train brings three times a day from the mines of Zouérat and the surrounding area. In addition to the export of iron ore, gold, copper, petroleum, gypsum, salt and steel, fishing

Nouakchott

Nouakchott has been Mauritania's capital since its independence in 1960. With more than one million inhabitants, the city on the Atlantic coast is by far the largest in the so-called Bilad Elmourabitoune. The country's second largest port is also located in Nouakchott. Characterized by the coastal climate and northern trade winds, temperatures are comparatively mild; the hottest time is between

Guelb Richat

Guelb richat The heart of the Sahara lies near two valleys. Or in other words: Richat Structure is only 30 km away from Ouadane. Guelb (from Arabic qalb: heart, center) is the Saharan name for an inselberg, an elevation in the middle of flat land. The Richat Structure is a ring mound of sedimentary rock measuring 45 km in diameter. Its

Tidjikja

Tidjikja is neither the largest city near the Tagant Plateau (Moudjeria) nor the most beautiful one (Tichitt). It is also not a former capital of a former great empire (Aoudaghost) and does not have distinctive ruins (Ksar el Barka). No rock paintings can be found here (Akreijit) and also no crocodiles (Guelta Matmata), but: Who wants to get to know