6 Days Mauritania Tour – Desert Oases, Ancient Cities & Saharan Culture

Arrive at Nouakchott International Airport, where your guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. Depending on arrival time, you’ll begin a short city tour including the Port de Pêche (fishing port), where hundreds of colorful pirogues land the day’s catch, and the lively Nouakchott Central Market.

Visit the National Museum to see prehistoric tools, traditional nomadic items, and old manuscripts. Final gear checks and logistics will be reviewed for the journey north into the Adrar desert region.

Accommodation: Hotel Semiramis or similar
Meals: Dinner included
Activities: Guided market tour, museum visit, orientation

After an early breakfast, transfer for a short domestic flight (or long overland drive) to Atar, the regional capital of Adrar. From here, begin your journey into the desert, heading east through the Amogjar Pass. En route, stop at ancient rock art sites near Agrour and pass steep sandstone cliffs and palm groves.

Reach Chinguetti in the afternoon and check into a traditional ksar-style guesthouse. Take an introductory walk through the lanes of the old town and visit the exterior of the Chinguetti Mosque, one of the oldest in West Africa.

Accommodation: Auberge La Gueila or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
Activities: Scenic drive, ancient rock art visit, ksar exploration

Spend the day exploring Chinguetti, a UNESCO-listed city that served as a hub of Islamic scholarship and a key stop on trans-Saharan trade routes. Visit one of the town’s private manuscript libraries preserving texts on law, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.

Wander the maze-like alleyways of the old ksar, observing traditional architecture made of dry stone. In the afternoon, take a guided walk into the surrounding dunes and enjoy sunset tea atop a sand ridge.

Accommodation: Auberge La Gueila or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
Activities: Manuscript library tour, desert sunset walk, cultural talks

After breakfast, drive approximately 90 km to Ouadane, a once-flourishing trade city founded in the 12th century. Explore the vast ruins, including the remains of mosques, homes, and granaries built into a desert hillside.

Stop for a picnic lunch in the shade of a palm grove or by the wadi. Learn about the region’s role in salt trade caravans and how environmental pressures caused its eventual decline. On the return, make time for photo stops of the striking Saharan plateaus and dry riverbeds.

Accommodation: Auberge La Gueila or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
Activities: Historic site visit, desert drive, cultural narration

Depart Chinguetti and head south toward the oasis village of Terjit, located in a narrow canyon with date palms and natural springs. Upon arrival, take a short walk through the palm groves and enjoy a traditional Mauritanian lunch served picnic-style near the spring.

Relax in the shaded oasis, then enjoy tea with a local nomadic family who’ll share insights into desert life, traditional foods, and the importance of oases in Saharan travel.

Later in the day, continue to Atar for overnight.

Accommodation: Auberge Azougui or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
Activities: Oasis walk, traditional tea ceremony, nomadic visit

After an early breakfast, return to Nouakchott either by short flight or overland vehicle (based on your package selection). Upon arrival, if time permits, enjoy a final stroll at the beach or return to the craft market for souvenir shopping.

You’ll then be transferred to Nouakchott International Airport for your outbound flight.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included
Activities: Scenic return, craft market stop (time permitting), airport transfer