Sahara Traverse Mauritania
9 Days
Min 7 max 12
€1,650 per person
A Desert Hiking Tour in Mauritania
In Northwest Africa, in the Mauritanian heart of the Sahara, the urban and infrastructural world gives way to the silent desert landscape, a million stars, and even more grains of sand. There’s no point in rushing here, because life is guided by the rhythm of nature. You won’t find mass tourism here, but rather nomads who move with their homes and camels from spring to spring and from oasis to oasis. We’ll set out in search of the Sahara’s wild roots and make a traverse on foot through the Adrar.
Together with the desert nomads and their camels, we’ll set out on a multi-day trek from the historic city of Chinguetti—once an important center of Islamic learning—straight across the desert. Through endless sand dunes, ridges, and oases. We’ll pass through ancient caravan villages and oases. Along the way, we’ll camp in the wilderness—sometimes near a nomad camp, sometimes in the middle of “nowhere.” Rugged and serene.
The days are filled with activity and encounters with people who live in harmony with the extreme climate. The nights are filled with campfires, tea, and stargazing. As time slows down and the routine of Western life gradually fades away, a space opens up that fills with the vastness of the desert, the simplicity of a humble life, and a great deal of wonder. Our nomad guides lead the way, and for those who pay close attention, the desert is surprisingly vibrant. It’s an experience you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else—and the ultimate setting for an adventurous group trip. Welcome to Mauritania.
5.0 (60 reviews)
Theme & Level of the Sahara Group Tour to Mauritania
Wild Roots is the theme of this group tour through Mauritania: a journey to a place where nature and culture are inextricably linked. We live like and alongside the desert nomads and travel on foot through the Sahara and the Adrar.
Every day, we hike for about six to seven hours. Sometimes we trudge through the sand, scramble over rocks, or walk past oases. A good level of fitness and experience with longer hikes in hilly terrain are recommended. Experience with (wild) camping or a Wild Human trip is a plus, but not required.
Impression
Your guide on this trip
Jan Bakker
Expedition leader and author of hiking travel guides. Can spend hours with topo maps of distant, wild mountains. A great passion for underexplored adventure destinations such as Iraqi Kurdistan, Tajikistan and Uganda, where he currently lives with his family.
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Experiences
Practical
Cost
Cost includes:
- 8 nights in guesthouses and camping in the desert
- breakfast lunch and evening meals
- use of Rewild group camping equipment
- local nomadic guides and camels
- Rewild Mountain Leader
- local transport
- 24-hour back up support from the Netherlands
Not included are any personal expenses, such as drinks at restaurants and bars, your flight to Nouakchott, a visa that you arrange yourself (50 euros in cash), tips for the local team, and travel insurance. We recommend purchasing travel insurance through the NKBV.
Logistics
We recommend Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca: outbound flight on Saturday, January 30, 2027, on AT851 (AMS 6:00 PM → Casablanca 9:45 PM), followed by AT511 (Casablanca 10:45 PM → Nouakchott 1:40 AM, Saturday night into Sunday). Return flight on AT520 on Saturday, February 6 (Nouakchott approx. 7:55 p.m. → Casablanca approx. 10:40 p.m., overnight stay in Casablanca) and then AT850 on Sunday, February 7 (Casablanca 11:30 a.m. → AMS approx. 3:15 p.m.). You’ll be traveling on your own and at your own expense; we’ll coordinate flight times via a WhatsApp group. Local transportation is included in the price.
Nutrition
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in the price. Personal expenses, such as drinks at restaurants and bars, are at your own expense.
Travel guarantee and booking
The departure of this trip is guaranteed from 7 people. A maximum of 12 people can join the trip. This trip is a package tour and to comply with the legally required guarantee on package tours, Rewild uses the guarantee of VZR Garant. You can find the conditions of this guarantee scheme on the website of VZR Garant.
Insurance
To participate in Rewild trips, you must be insured for activities in mountainous areas off the beaten track. You can inquire about this with your current insurance company or purchase travel insurance from the Dutch Climbing and Mountaineering Association.
Conditions of participation
By participating in a Rewild trip, you accept the general travel conditions, as found at the bottom of the website. The cancellation policy is also explained here.
Packing List
Mauritania Travel Itinerary
Day 1
Travel day and arrival in Nouakchott
The journey begins in the capital of Mauritania, where the desert meets the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll be picked up at the airport and spend the night in a simple, traditional auberge. Your senses are already on this journey.
Day 2
Walking to the holy city
We leave the city and head inland. The road gradually gives way to sand and silence. Not far from Chinguetti, we get out for a walk of a few hours, to enter this legendary city through the desert. Chinguetti is a city of sandstone and memories—once a bustling center of Islamic scholarship. We explore the narrow alleys, the centuries-old library with its calligraphic manuscripts, and the ancient mosque that seems to rise from the dunes. We spend the night in a traditional auberge.
Day 3
Start of the desert trek
We meet our local team—the camel herders and their dromedaries—and then the journey begins. Gently rolling dunes, interspersed with acacia trees and weathered rock formations, lead us into the desert. We’ll be trekking for about six hours today, with a long lunch break in the shade. We’ll sleep on the sand, under a sky full of stars, surrounded by a crackling fire and nomadic tales.
Day 4
In the rhythm
We walk toward the high dunes of Lemkhaleg. The sun is blazing, and the sand changes color. We follow the contours of the land, wave to a shepherd in the distance, find water at a deep well, and spend another night sleeping in the wild.
Day 5
Across the Sahara
We head to Zarga, where we climb up through a mountain crevice to a view that only the desert can offer: rolling dunes stretching to the horizon beneath a blue sky. Down below, among the rocks, shade and lunch await us. Our route winds around the massif and leads us to a new campsite near Tichilit.
Day 6
Toward the nomadic region
After breakfast, we resume our journey. Passing through the Zarga Dunes, we reach the bed of the Oued Irat. Hopefully, we’ll meet a nomadic family here who are traveling through this area.
Day 7
Wonder Tour
Today we walk along Oued Irat, where there is a surprising amount of life. Low bushes, palms, flowering greenery – a vivid contrast to the sand. At the M’Haireth oasis, we cross a rougher section to Ichif: a dune landscape that seems to dance in the evening light. We’re setting up camp among the dunes.
Day 8
The reward
We make our way through narrow mountain passes to the famous oasis of Tergit. After days of sand and dust, running water here feels like magic. We rest under date palms, have lunch at a local inn, and enjoy the contrast between barren and green, dry and flowing. Afterward, we’re picked up by 4×4 and return to Atar for one last night at a traditional inn.
Day 9
Travel Day
We drive back to Nouakchott, having lunch on the beach along the way. Sand gives way to sea, and city sounds. In the evening, we say goodbye to the desert. What remains: dust in your shoes and fond memories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about our trips, practicalities or our story? In these frequently asked questions, you’ll find the answers quickly and easily.
When is the best time to visit Mauritania?
The Sahara Traverse takes place in late January and early February. During this time, temperatures are more suitable for an active trip through the desert than during the hot summer months. Read more about the best time to visit Mauritania, including the climate by season and what to expect in terms of clothing. The next trip will take place from January 30 through February 7, 2027.
How difficult is the trek through Mauritania?
During the Sahara Traverse, we hike for about six to seven hours each day through the Sahara and the Adrar. We hike through sand, over rocky terrain, and past oases. A good level of fitness and experience with longer hikes in hilly terrain are therefore recommended. Experience with wild camping is a plus, but not required.
Where will we stay overnight during the Sahara Traverse?
During the trek, we camp out in the wild in the Sahara. Sometimes we spend the night near a nomad camp, and sometimes right in the middle of the desert. These overnight stays are part of the adventurous and intimate nature of this trip.
How big is the group?
The Sahara Traverse is a small-group tour with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12 participants. We trek through the desert together with local guides and nomads.
What makes this tour of Mauritania different from a regular tour?
The Sahara Traverse is not a traditional tour where you mainly travel by vehicle from one sight to another. Most of the experience consists of a multi-day trek through the desert. This allows you to experience the landscape much more intensely and visit places that are often skipped on a regular tour.
Is Mauritania a good destination for a group trip?
Yes. Precisely because large sections of the route pass through remote desert areas, traveling in an organized group is a practical way to explore Mauritania. During the trip, you’ll travel through the Adrar and the Sahara alongside the other participants, the Re-Wild tour guide, and local guides.
What makes traveling throughMauritania special?
Mauritania is clearly not your run-of-the-mill destination. Here, you’ll travel through a desert region that few others visit—where the landscape is desolate and tourism is nonexistent. Large parts of the country consist solely of vast desert landscapes, and the Adrar region in particular clearly demonstrates just how diverse the Sahara can be, with sand dunes, rocky plateaus, and green oases alternating with one another.
But a trip through the Sahara in Mauritania isn’t just about the landscape. It’s a place steeped in history and tradition. The local way of life and the nomadic Saharan culture also make Mauritania unique. Along the way, we’ll pass small settlements, ancient trade routes, and places like Chinguetti: a historic desert city that served as an important center for trade and knowledge for centuries. The Sahara Traverse Mauritania is not a tourist tour of famous sights, but a trek where you’ll experience what it’s like to live in the desert for several days with a camel caravan. It’s the perfect setting for an active group trip filled with hiking, nature, and culture. That’s why it’s officially approved as a Rewild adventure.
