A country · 17 places · 4 regions
Mauritania, all of it.
17 curated places across 4 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.
Mauritania reads below in 4 chapters — Adrar, Nouakchott-Nord, Hodh Ech Chargui and Nouakchott West — in any order you like.
Chapter I · Adrar · 5 places
Adrar
A palm-filled oasis wedged in a narrow canyon of the Adrar plateau, where warm and cold springs seep from the rock into shaded bathing pools. Simple mat-tent camps beneath the date palms make it a classic Sahara overnight stop.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter II · Nouakchott-Nord · 3 places
Nouakchott-Nord
The National Museum of Mauritania in Nouakchott preserves the archaeological and ethnographic heritage of the country, with displays on prehistory, the ancient caravan cities and the nomadic Moorish way of life. Its collection includes stone tools, pottery, jewellery, weaponry and objects from the Saharan trade. Exhibits document the desert oases and the traditions of the Bidhan and Haratin peoples. Set in the planned centre of the capital, the museum is a key institution for understanding Mauritania's deep Saharan past and its bedouin culture.
✦ November–February · $
Chapter III · Hodh Ech Chargui · 1 place
Hodh Ech Chargui
A remote World Heritage caravan town in southeastern Mauritania, famed for houses decorated with distinctive white geometric wall paintings. It was the southern terminus of a major trans-Saharan trade route.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter IV · Nouakchott West · 1 place
Nouakchott West
The easternmost of Mauritania's ancient caravan towns, Oualata is renowned for its houses painted with intricate red and white murals. It marked the terminus of a major trans-Saharan route from the Sahel.
Regions of Mauritania
Every place in Mauritania
17 places, one country.
Terjit
Adrar, Mauritania
✦ November to March, during the cooler desert season · $
Diawling National Park
Trarza, Mauritania
✦ November to March · $
National Museum of Mauritania
Nouakchott-Nord, Mauritania
✦ November–February · $
Marché Capitale, Nouakchott
Nouakchott, Mauritania
✦ November–February · $
Banc d'Arguin National Park
Mauritania, Mauritania
✦ October–April · $$
Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata
Mauritania, Mauritania
✦ October–April · $$
Nouakchott
Nouakchott-Nord, Mauritania
✦ November to March, when desert heat eases · $
Richat Structure
Adrar, Mauritania
✦ November to March, when desert travel is safest
Ben Amera
Adrar Region, Mauritania
✦ November to March, in the cool desert season
Chinguetti
Adrar, Mauritania
✦ November to February · $
Ouadane
Adrar, Mauritania
✦ November to February · $
Atar
Adrar Region, Mauritania
✦ November to February · $
Oualata
Hodh Ech Chargui, Mauritania
✦ November to February · $
Grande Mosquée de Nouakchott
Nouakchott-Nord, Mauritania
✦ November–February
Adrar Plateau
Adrar Region, Mauritania
✦ November to February
Ksar of Ouadane
Adrar, Mauritania
Ksar of Oualata
Nouakchott West, Mauritania