More Mauritania

August 10, 2026Bimbling Beck

As part of our northerly journey we were re-entering Mauritania. After making a new friend (Issa) in Nouakchott back in April, he invited us to spend some time together to explore more of his country. We were sad to have missed so much after chickening out of taking the iron ore train. This would've taken us 450km east, across a section of the Sahara that is otherwise impassable by bicycle. With Issa's help, and that of our driver Mossaa, we were able to reach these parts of the country on our way back up. Mossaa (and his HiLux) kindly closed the loop for us—which was one hell of a drive through dunes and corrugations at 43ºC—and returned us to the border post a couple of days ago.

Here's a photo blog post featuring the best bits of our trip in Mauritania. In summary, we saw out-of-this-world landscapes, redefined our ideas of remoteness once again, and experienced some cultural gems.

Day 1 Parc National du Diawling to Rkiz

We'd made arrangements with Issa to be picked up from Keur Macéne which meant cycling from the national park entrance to the village. Upon leaving our camp spot we were forced along a diverted route due to flooding on the traditional route (it's rainy season). This meant we had a much longer ride than we initially planned along both dirt tracks and newly surfaced road to reach our rendezvous point.

A Toyota pick-up drives along a dirt track road, kicking up yellow dust — Trying to work out if our bikes would fit in the back of a Toyota pick-up on the route to Keur Macéne

After a long ride we were reunited with Issa and loaded the bikes as securely as we could into the truck. Secured with straps, netting and strategically placed luggage we crossed our fingers for an uneventful journey! We were heading to Rkiz, Issa's village and where he went to school.

A white Toyota pick-up with a full cargo bed covered in a blue tarpaulin and netting — They're in! Good luck bikes!

Beck sits on a golden sofa with two men and Sam dressed in traditional Mauritanian daraas — Mossaa, Issa, Sam and me in the salon at Rkiz

Day 2 Lake Rkiz and Djokha

A day of relaxing was very much welcomed after a long day of travelling. Just outside the town of Rkiz, we drove through rice fields watered by canals from Lake Rkiz.

A green field of tall vegetation — Rice fields of Rkiz

The green forest vegetation along the edge of Lake Rkiz is called Djokha and here we rested under the shade of a Khaima (traditional tent) on mats, eating camel liver and fat, grapes, and drinking sweet Mauritanian tea.

A row of traditional fabric Mauritanian tents with open sides in a forest — The Khaima tents beside the lake

Beck sits on the floor of a traditional Mauritanian tent

A metal box is open with a gas stove, bottles of water and tea making equipment surrounding it — The all important 'tea box' containing a gas stove, glasses, tea and teapot

A large green lorry filled with huge bags of rice travels through the forest — Lorries filled with rice on their way to Rosso (Senegalese border) along dirt and sandy roads

A man stands in a shallow lake with a fishing basket — The lake provides opportunities for fishing and a watering hole for donkeys, cattle, goats and sheep

A small herd of brown and white Mauritanian cattle drink in a lake

Day 3 Rkiz to Moudjéria

Breakfast was Aish, a dough made of wheat bran which was then mushed by hand into a bowl of milk. It was very much like Weetabix but with an earthier background flavour and sweetened with a large dose of sugar or honey.

A small round ball of brown dough in a bowl of milk — Aish - a dough ball in milk

Beck eats some Aish, a mix of dough and milk from a bowl — I'm a bit unsure about the Aish due to my general dislike of milk!

After this hearty breakfast we set off on a long journey to our next destination. The first section was off-road along stoney tracks and the recent rains had brought some life to this part of Mauritania. The landscape stretched out in front of us and was reminiscent of an American 'prairie' that we had seen in films.

A steep dirt track drops down onto a wide open area with scattered trees and a thin covering of grass — The landscape to the east of Rkiz after the rains

Medium sized trees stand in brown water — The rains had brought some much-needed water. Here we saw a Greater painted-snipe feeding in the shallow pool

After reaching a surfaced road, we stopped for lunch in Bogué near the Senegalese border. Sitting under a Mbar with open sides and a corrugated tin roof, we ate a shared plate of meat and rice...and sweated! It was in the high 30s and with no breeze, it was hot. We climbed back into the air-conditioned Toyota and made the rest of the long journey to Moudjéria.

A white Toyota Hilux vehicle parked on a road with large sand dunes behind

As we approached Moudjéria, the cliffs behind the town rose up. We were captivated after not seeing large hills or mountains since mid-March...

White sand dunes in the foreground and a brown cliff-face in the background at sunset — The white dunes outside of Moudjéria at sunset

Day 4 Moudjéria

We were grateful for some air-conditioning in the hotel at Moudjéria and as morning broke, we ate our bread, jam and honey.

A small town in Mauritania with brown and cream buildings and large hills behind — Moudjéria

A short distance from and halfway up the hill behind the town is a small oasis. For the day, we rested here with the very welcome breeze sweeping through the windows. Our driver Mossaa cooked us a delicious lunch of meat, vegetables and rice on charcoal. We chatted, relaxed and admired the amazing scenery.

Issa sits in the entrance of a small stone building with blue shutters surrounded by date palms — The oasis above Moudjéria

A view down a rocky valley towards Moudjéria — Views down to Moudjéria

Issa makes Mauritanian tea — Tea time is all the time

A small stone building sits in a collection of date palms in a rocky valley

In the late afternoon we headed back down into the town where we visited the home of Issa's family.

Sam and Issa stand beside a small stone building — Issa and Sam at his family home

A derelict large stone building — An old building in Moudjéria

Day 5 Moudjéria to Tidjikja

Upon leaving Moudjéria we headed up the hillside towards Tidjikja and the views were incredible.

A winding mountain road through a red, rocky landscape — The winding mountain road out of Moudjéria

A view from a rocky cliff to a small Mauritanian town beneath shrouded in desert dust — Moudjéria from above

The Mauritanian landscape continued to change and unfold as we travelled north east. From sand dunes, to rock fields, to towns and oases.

A surfaced road through a desert landscape with sand either side and scattered trees — Sand

A Mauritanian town sits beneath a large sand dune viewed across a rocky plateau — Rocks

Viewed from the car, groups of boys on donkey carts travel through a flooded street — The rains had already made an impact and flooded some of the town's streets

Along the route, we stopped off to give a helping hand to a driver who had a burst tyre in the middle of nowhere and needed a lift, by lorry, into town. We arrived at an auberge with little lodges and settled down for the afternoon. Sam made a new musical instrument and we were given a whole box of absolutely delicious yellow dates.

As the temperature cooled, we were invited to take a tour of a local date farm where we learnt more about growing date palms and their care. In the middle of the desert, it was a green and lush oasis.

Clusters of dates on a tree covered in green mesh — Red dates grow from a date palm

Beck and Sam stand beneath a date palm tree

The doorway of an abandoned and derelict house with a moroccan teapot discarded — An abandoned village near to the date palm farm

A colourful lizard with a blue head and a red and yellow striped back on a stone wall — A Boulenger's Agama

Day 6 Tidjikja to Aoujeft

Every day there were new landscapes to see as we headed towards the Adrar region along roads that don't exist on Google maps. Passing through small villages, there were lots of opportunities to stop and admire the landscape around us (before quickly getting too hot and jumping back into the pickup).

A sand valley bordered by green palm trees

A mud brick house with dried palm fronds and materials as a roof

A window with wooden shuttered in a mud brick wall

Beck and Issa stand on a sand dune whilst Beck takes pictures

Late in the evening at the accommodation we were treated to some amazing female musicians who sang and drummed. I was given a Melefha to wear and was encouraged to dance with the women!

Beck dances whilst dressed in a Melefa, traditional Mauritanian dress — Time for a dance!

Later that night, we heard some odd froggy sounds coming from the nearby pools. Sam went out to record them as accompaniment to the drumming, clapping and singing across the way.

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Music and frogs

Day 7 Aoujeft to Atar

After some breakfast of n'chu, a watery, milky, warm, millet drink, we set off on a drive to Chinguetti through more dramatic landscapes and past traditional palm-leaf homes.

Sam stands on the top of a rocky ledge overlooking a sandy valley

A traditional, circular Mauritanian building made from stone with a palm leaf roof

The city of Chinguetti was filled with beautiful stone architecture, old libraries and culture.

A cluster of densely packed stone buildings in disrepair — The Old Town of Chinguetti

A girl and boy walk past an open door in a whitewashed stone building

Detailed stonework and window frames at an auberge in Chinguetti

A wall with decorative clay plastering on the outside of the building

An old book written in Arabic held in gloved hands

Day 8 Atar to Terjit to Atar

From Atar, we sought relief from the heat by travelling to Terjit, a popular oasis where Mauritanian and foreign tourists come to relax, eat and paddle in the cool spring waters. As we walked up the mountain above the oasis, the stones sang beneath our feet.

Date palm trees nestled in a rocky valley with a large stone cube carved with people's names

Sam bends over to look at some rocks on the side of a hill — Sam's found some rocks to record

As the sun started to set, the mountains loomed large around us on our return journey to Atar.

Large, flat-topped mountains rise out of a sandy landscape

Day 9 Atar to Boulenouar

This was a big day for all of us! We visited two places on our list, the Choum Tunnel (which didn't turn out to be very acoustically exciting, unfortunately) and Ben Amera - an enormous monolith in the desert.

A pick-up and person stand in the entrance to a dark tunnel — Choum Tunnel

The top of a blue-ish grey monolith — Ben Amera

Beck stands in front of a huge rock in the desert — Aisha, a smaller monolith seen as the 'wife' of Ben Amera

After departing from Ben Amira we (well, poor Mossaa) had a 400km off road desert drive, which was both exhilarating and terrifying in parts when we got stuck for a brief period in the sand...

A cluttered shelter made from iron railway tracks with fabrics draped over — Our lunch-time shelter in 43 degree desert heat.

A view through the windscreen of a pick-up with no road through the desert — No road!

On arrival in Boulenouar, we returned to an auberge we had visited back in April, only to find that we'd arrived in time for a bike race and an evening of traditional Mauritanian music. It was incredibly special and the best way to spend our last night in Mauritania.

Day 10 Boulenouar to the border

Just outside the border, we unloaded our bikes, reattached our luggage and with some sadness we said our thank yous and goodbyes to Issa and Mossaa, before we made our way towards Morocco. An amazing Mauritanian adventure!

Issa stands in Mauritanian dress in a rocky valley — Issa at Terjit

A Mauritanian man sits in the driving seat of a pick-up truck — Mossaa, our driver

Beck and Sam sit together wearing Mauritanian dress — Our final night in Mauritania

We learnt many things on this trip, which we will continue to cogitate. We certainly had it reaffirmed that we really rather like cycling. We longed to do so on many occasions in the landscapes we crossed (if not so much in the heat). Aside from the 400km desert section at the end (and a 50km section on Day 3) it was all doable on our bikes, but more research and adventurousness would be required to realise that some of the routes even existed...

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**note: we have asked Issa if he knows the names of the various musicians included in this post. We will include these later if we hear back

Revisiting and reframing

We have „hauled ass“ (trucking term) across and out of the Sahara!

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