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MAURITANIA TRAVEL TIPS
A collection of important information that can make your trip more enjoyable.

Situated in West Africa, Mauritania has borders with Algeria to the northwest, Mali to the east and south, Senegal on the southwest and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. There are three distinct geographic regions in Mauritania; a narrow belt along the Senegal River Valley in the south, where soil and climatic conditions permit settled agriculture; north of this valley, a broad east-west bank characterised by vast sand plains and fixed dunes held in place by sparse grass and scrub trees; and a large northern arid region shading into the Sahara Desert and characterised by shifting sand dunes, rock outcroppings and rugged mountainous plateaus with elevations of more than 1,500 ft. The country is generally flat and the coastline indented; the Senegal River and its tributaries are the only waterways.

General Information:
Inhabitants: 2.9 million (2003 estimate).

Population growth rate: 2.9%

Total area: 1,030,700 km²

Density: 3 per km²

Border: 5,074 km (Senegal 813 km, Mali 2,237 km, Algeria 463 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km).

Coastline: 754 km

Highest point: Kediat Ijill 910 m

Lowest point: Sabkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m

Arable land: 0.48%

Capital: Nouakchott

Languages: Hassaniya Arabic (official), Wolof (official9, Pulaar, Soninke, French.

Religions: Sunni Islam.

Visa and passports:
At the present time there are no clear-cut rules on visas to Mauritania. But French, Italians, and West Africans can enter without one. Everyone else will have to experience a system not too accustomed with issuing visas. Applying is best done from home, but can theoretically be done in all embassies (which are few, and only in large countries, and in Mauritania's neighbouring countries). Time used for issuing, price, rules of calculating price (per entry, or per days in the country), validity of the visa, are decided just as much on your charm as on your nationality.
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Safety & Health:
Mauritania is not a dangerous country, people are very friendly, and the thought of injuring you or stealing from you, is not even crossing their minds. But Nouakchott is getting more and more of big town problems, and drug abuse among boys and young men, can change their personality. You could feel relaxed in most of the country, but take normal precautions in the capital. Mauritania is not the best place to get sick, especially outside Nouakchott. Most smaller places have not even the simplest health station, but the country is getting more and more pharmacies. Make sure that you have the best possible conditions in your traveller's insurance before you set out. Be careful with the water, it's often not very fresh. Tropical diseases represent only a small problem in the north, but beware in the south. Hepatitis, malaria, tuberculosis, and brucellosis, are diseases of Mauritania, but are quite rare. The major threat to your health are bad vehicles, being used fearlessly in the desert and on narrow roads. the other problem is when brave adventurers run out of water right in the middle of nowhere.

Climate:
Almost all the year through, Mauritania is very hot, and with extremely little rain. As the country is very dry, it is still surprisinly bearable. In some areas in the south the climate stays more or less the same all the year through. Summers in the capital, Nouakchott, are not all that much warmer than the winter season, but there is more chance of rain during the summer. Mid-summer is a difficult time in most of Mauritania's interior, but life is still acceptable in oases, where shadow is arranged, and where cool springs can make this season almost very pleasant. The greatest problem is not really the high day temperatures, but the fact that summer does not manage to bring night temperatures down below 20°C. It is difficult to recommend specific times of the year, and regions. Winter is surely the time when most will find Mauritania at its most pleasant, but as stated above, certain areas offer pleasant stays even deep into the summer season.
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Getting there:
To and from MOROCCO:
There is only one border crossing between the two countries, and this is on the road going south from Dakhla to Nouadhibou in Mauritania. This border crossing is hardly administered by Moroccan officials. While Moroccan police control you frequently on the route along the Atlantic sea, there are only Mauritanian officials down here. Getting from Dakhla 350 km north of Nouadhibou is the main obstacle. You need an official permission, and you have to go in caravan under military protection. There should not be all too many problems getting this permission now, though. Getting back from Mauritania is more problematic, and you might be forced to do this in the dark, choosing a route unprotected by the few guards. Once on the Moroccan side, problems will occur. As you have no valid stamp in your passport for entering the country, expect to spend a couple of days in custody. But you will not be even close to getting killed or tortured.
To and from ALGERIA:
At date, the one road connecting Mauritania and Algeria is closed for foreigners, in virtually for all without a very good reason for going this way. The reason for this is the presence of Polisario, the liberation army of Western Sahara (territory occupied by Morocco from 1975) in the Algerian city of Tindouf, close to both Mauritania and Morocco. Even if conditions are quiet down here now, the political situation remains heated.
To and from MALI:
There are presently two border crossings between Mauritania and Mali, one south from Ayoun el Arous, the other south of Nema. There are no operating stations along the eastern frontier, but as this is a vast area, little populated, and only partly controlled, crossings can be done by the brave. Problems when meeting the first settlements and their officials, should be possible to overcome with different kinds of persuasions.
To and from SENEGA:
After settling conflicts of the 80s, connections between Mauritania and Senegal are now resumed on the 5th year. People can cross the Senegal river virtually anywhere, but vehicled transportation must be done at Rosso, more or less in the middle between Nouakchott and Dakar.
To and from SPAIN:
Getting room on one of the ships running between The Canaries and Nouadhibou, is clearly the cheapest way of getting to Mauritania for Westerners. But some patience, and negotiating is needed to convince Russian and Korean captains that letting you stay on their ship almost for free is a good bargain for them.
INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES:
Going by air to Mauritania is clearly the first choice of most. But connections to this densely populated country, are few. Paris and Brussels are as far as I know the only countries outside Africa, serving Nouakchott. Inside Africa, less than 10 airports are connected to Nouakchott, and in all cases, 1- 3 times a week. Inside Miftah Shamali's region, there is a plane once a week going Algiers- Casablanca- Nouakchott, and back. From Europe, prices are usually around US$1,000 for a return ticket.

Eat and sleep:
Finding a room for the night should not be a problem in most places, even if some towns have no hotels. But paying could represent more of a problem. Prepare to pay US$20 for the most basic room. Good standards are within reach as soon as you pay more than US$100 a night. Nouakchott and Nouadhibou are the only places with more than one hotel, Chinguetti, a tourist trap by Mauritanian standards, has only one.
Eating is better, in terms of price. You should be able to get around on US$7 a day for food, but this involves a bit of Mauritanian fast food. Nouakchott and Nouadhibou have some nice restaurants, doing mainly foreign cuisines, like Chinese, Lebanese, and Moroccan. Eating here is quite reasonable, and a three course meal shouldn't set you back more than US$7- 10. Apart from this, Mauritanian food has been considered as dull and not tasteful, but the situation has been improved in recent years by better system of food distribution all over the country.
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