Mauritania, once well off the map for most travellers to Africa, and still rarely covered by the media, can come as a surprising discovery. The last decade has seen a steady expansion of tourism, encouraged by the country having the only useable trans-Saharan driving route, a physically comfortable, dry climate, the wide-open landscapes of the Sahara and the pleasantly laid-back Mauritanians themselves. . .
The majority of visitors who have taken time to get to know Mauritania have been French or Spanish; if you follow their example, you’ll discover a country with dramatic scenery and a complex history and culture that takes in rock paintings, medieval mosques, alluring ancient caravanserai oases and a deep-rooted class structure. The new Nouadhibou-Nouakchott highway has also made the migrant bird breeding sanctuary of the Banc d’Arguin National Park more accessible. Other attractions, such as Tichit and Oualata in the far southeast, are hard to reach and subject to increasing security threats. . .
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Links we like
SU Mauritania Stanford University’s annotated links for Mauritania. Good place to start.
Mauritania.mr Decent French-language information site, though with a strong official line.
TerreMauritanie.com Tourism site with up-to-date info on accommodation options, in French.
This page last edited 9 June 2011 © Richard Trillo and Emma Gregg
First-Time Africa: know before you go 