Join GLT in the adventurous Mauritania! 🇲🇷

Girls LOVE Travel is ecstatic to work alongside Mudita Adventures to bring you a bucket-list trip to Mauritania, featuring the infamous Iron Ore train ride across the Sahara desert!

Mauritania is one of the final frontiers. It is one of the least visited countries in the world- home to ancient holy cities, nomadic tribes, and the one of the most hardcore travel experiences of your life- the Iron Ore train through the Sahara Desert. 

This is an ACTIVE trip. If you have any questions involving the physical requirements of the trip, including hiking, climbing, etc. Please reach out to us. 

Check out this blog post about the Iron Ore train experience!

Due to the nature of this trip- travel medical insurance is REQUIRED for all participants. 

Our team uses and loves Trawick International, and recommend them for all of our guests. Many of their plans for one week of medical coverage start at approximately $10.  

They also offer trip coverage for cancellations, luggage loss, etc for an extra cost

Your spot is held when we receive your nonrefundable deposit of $500 upon sign up. Please note that this deposit is not transferable once received. 

Final payments are due November 15, 2022. 

In the event you have to cancel, here is the cancellation policy: 

From now until 75 days before the trip (November 15), only the nonrefundable/non-transferrable deposit ($500) will be held.

From 74 to 60 days before the trip (November 16 to November 30)= 50% of the package price will be held ($1,650)

From 59 days until the trip date (Dec 1 until January 29)- 100% of the package price will be held ($2,300)

It is the responsibility of the trip attendee to reach out in the event of a cancellation and make their payments on time. Girls LOVE Travel reserves the right to hold payments according to the cancellation policy above to pay our vendors to make this trip happen. 

In order to ensure you do not miss any parts of the tour- here are recommended times for your flights.

ARRIVAL FLIGHTS: 

Arrive to Nouakchott (NKC) before 2pm in order to go through immigration, transfer to the hotel, and check in/settle in before the welcome group dinner. 

DEPARTURE FLIGHTS: 

Depart from Nouakchott (NKC) AFTER 5pm on the last day. We will arrive back to Nouakchott around 1pm (ish), so later is better. Just in case!

Flight tip: many of Mudita Adventure's previous guests have connected through Casablanca, Morocco/Europe for flights. This may help you plan out your flight plans!

Arrive in Nouakchott anytime. I’ll be there at least 1 day early.

Group dinner to see old friends who have traveled with me before and new crazy people who like to spend their vacation time in places like Nouakchott! Alcohol is strictly illegal. But, I know my way around this city, so we may even find a little bar from our friends ‘in-the-know’. 

Included meals: none

It’s our first full day in Mauritania’s capital. Culture shock. This is what travel is all about. We’ll check out the city, a museum, the administrative center.

Lunch on the beach and a visit to the local fish market. One last dinner & sleep in civilization before we head off to the desert.

Included meals: Breakfast

We hit the road today. 450km, so 5 or 6 hours inwards into the Sahara. We’ll reach one of Mauritania’s absolute gems, the Terjit Oasis. Palm groves, cooling water. Like something from a cartoon as a kid. 

Here we’ll bed down in our tented accommodation, have dinner under the stars and soak up just where we are in the world.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Get breakfast and brace yourself for an action-packed day. 

We start with exploring the White Valley, via the epic Tifoujar mountain pass. Reaching the Oasis of Toungad, where we’ll stop for lunch before heading deeper into the Mhairett Oasis later in the afternoon.

Soon we’ll reach the Ancient Dynasty of Azougui where we can visit the ruins and chill in the Palm Groves. 

Then back to our tented accommodation for the night.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

First, a little-known secret of Mauritania, the Rupestrian Paintings in Agrour Cave dating back THOUSANDS of years. Then we’ll move on to Fort Sangenne.

Up next is Islam’s 7th Holiest City, and a World Heritage Site, Chinguetti. We’ll visit the Medina, the Ancient City, followed by the ancient Mosque and library of the old city.

We’ll have sunset in the sand dunes of Chinguetti and sleep just outside the town itself.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

What can I say? Today we make our way towards the depths of the Sahara, to Choum, and the train tracks that mark our pick-up spot.

After lunch, we’ll prepare ourselves. Lined up, and relaxing. Waiting for the noise of the train approaching. 

When you hear the sound of the train in the distance, its go time!  Get your bags ready, your calf muscles prepped. Once the train pulls in, we’ll be hopping up the carriage, 4 to a carriage, to claim our spot for the night. Digging holes in the corners to bed down in. 

Photo time, earphone time, goggle time. It’s a beautiful, winding, loud, and epic journey through the Sahara. I don’t want to say too much, you’ll experience it soon enough. Just epic.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Early arrival into the port town of Nouadhibou. Here we’ll have an early check-in to our hotel for a WELL EARNED shower. You’ll be filthy from the iron ore- but it will be WORTH IT!

If we have time after the train, we’ll pay a visit to the old mining district, have lunch on the Bay of Nouadhibou, and dinner & overnight in the hotel. 

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

That’s the end of the line, but you will have your memories forever!

For those with return flights from Nouakchott, we have a bus transfer back to the Capital City, it takes about 6 hours or so. 

Depending on your flight time, you can stay an extra night or leave the same day, we can help organize extra nights as needed.

Included Meals: Breakfast