Travel to Mauritania

Mauritania: travel information

How to get to Mauritania

Airplane

Mauritanian Airways has its main office at Nouakchott International Airport. This airline offers regular flight connections to Paris, Dakar, Abidjan and Nouadhibou. Connections to and from Algiers are also provided by Air Algérie and to and from Paris by Air France.

Ship

The main shipping port is Nouâdhibou. Nouakchott also has a port.

Buses and Taxis

There are currently no bus connections between Mauritania and Morocco, although the Moroccan national bus company CTM is planning one. This should lead from Dakhla to Nouakchott.

Especially from Camping Moussafir in the north of Dakhla or from the Mauritanian embassy in Rabat, drivers can be hired to take you across the border. The cost is at least 250 dirhams per person. Back you will find drivers in front of some hotels in Nouadhibou. Bush taxis operate between Senegal and Mauritania. These drive from/to Dakar and St. Louis to/from Rosso, from where the ferry continues. From there, another bush taxi takes you to Nouakchott. Trucks that run between Kayes and Selibaby run to/from Mali.

Car traffic

Mauritania can be reached by land – from Western Sahara, Mali or Senegal. The connection from the Western Sahara includes an unpaved section of about 4 km between the Moroccan and Mauritanian borders. The earlier mandatory convoy in Western Sahara has now been lifted. However, one should remember that the border area between the two regions is still mined. We therefore strongly advise against leaving the lane.

Tarred roads lead from Dakar in Senegal to Nouakchott and from Mali and Western Sahara to Mauritania. The latter route may not be safe enough. The Route du Mauritanie through Algeria is also no longer passable.

International insurance is compulsory for foreign drivers traveling to Mauritania with their own car. This should also be available in a French translation. Those who do not have such an insurance must take out one on arrival or in Nouadhibou. You do not need a Carnet de Passage. If you lose your own vehicle, a police report should be drawn up, otherwise the high customs clearance fees have to be paid upon departure.

Railway

There is no cross-border railway connection in Mauritania.

Travel in the country

Flights

Domestic flights operate between Nouakchott and Nouâdhibou and other major cities.

Bus

Mauritania has a national bus network. An air-conditioned coach runs daily between Nouadhibou and Nouakchott. In total, it takes about 6 hours for this trip.

Railway

The most important railway line and transport connection within the country leads from a mine in the north of Mauritania through the Sahara (via Choum and Zouérat) to the port city of Nouadhibou. Such a trip is very advisable because you are then traveling on a train that is said to be the longest in the world. The powerful locomotive pulls more than 150 wagons behind it and through the dust of the country. Almost all cars are used to transport goods. There is only one passenger compartment, which is mostly hopelessly overcrowded. But it is possible to ride in one of the cargo holds – an adventure in itself that is also completely free. However, because of the dust, you should definitely take a scarf or something similar to cover your face.

Ferry connections

There are ports in Nouâdhibou and Nouakchott. There is also ferry traffic on the Senegal River.

Car traffic

The road network of Mauritania covers a total of around 8,000 km. Paved roads connect Nouakchott with Rosso in the south, Néma in the southeast and Akjoujt in the north of the country. Another road leads east to Mali. The remaining roads are sandy tracks and can only be used with four-wheel drive. Some roads are impassable during the rainy season and there is a problem of quicksand in the dry season.

An international driving license is recommended for independent driving in Mauritania.

International license plate

According to Abbreviationfinder, the international license plate of Mauritania is:

RIM

Mauritania: entry and exit requirements

Formalities, visas

To enter Mauritania, tourists need a valid passport, a visa and a return flight or onward travel ticket. When entering from a yellow fever infection area, a valid yellow fever vaccination must be proven.

Visa department of the Embassy of Mauritania

Kommandantenstrasse 80

10117 Berlin

Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 206 58 83

Email: ambarimbonn@aol.com

Issuing of visas in Austria and Switzerland

See below Representation of Mauritania in Austria and Switzerland.

Currency

The national currency of Mauritania is:

Ouguiya (1 Ouguiya = 5 Khoums).

Madagascar and Mauritania are the only two countries in the world whose currency is not based on the decimal system. So an ouguiya does not consist of ten, but of five khoums.

  • Import and export of local currencyThe import and export of local currency is prohibited.
  • Importing and exporting foreign currencies Foreigncurrencies can be imported without restriction, but there is an obligation to declare. The export may only take place in the amount of the declared amount minus the converted amounts.

Goods, souvenirs

Cheap goods, souvenirs

Typical souvenirs are dyed leather goods, engraved silver objects and silver jewelry, carpets and wood carvings as well as Neolithic arrowheads, awls and pottery from the Tagant region.

Import

conditions 200 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 g tobacco can be imported duty-free from Europe. The importation of 2 liters of wine and 0.5 liters of alcohol over 22% are permitted for personal use. However, this must be declared upon entry. The import of weapons and drugs is strictly prohibited. Hunting weapons may only be imported with prior authorization. Otherwise there is a risk of considerable trouble.

Mauritania: travel medicine, vaccinations and warnings

Visit Countryaah for a full list of Mauritania embassies and consulates in each country around the world.

Infectious Diseases

In Mauritania, the following infectious diseases are to be expected in Germany or Central and Northern Europe:

  • Malaria: With the exception of the northern areas, there is a year-round risk of infection with malaria in the country. About 80% to 90% of the infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana.
  • Amoebic dysentery
  • Bacterial agitation
  • Schistosomiasis
  • cholera
  • Intestinal infections caused by contaminated food or water, including amoebas, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
  • Guinea worm infection
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Polio, polio
  • Kala-Azar
  • Leishmaniasis
  • tetanus
  • rabies
  • typhus
  • Tick bite fever

Vaccination recommendations

  • Diphtheria – a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Polio, polio – vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Tetanus – a vaccination against tetanus should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Rabies – but only for high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals.
  • Typhoid – but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.

Compulsory vaccination

For all persons older than one year and arriving from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory.

Yellow fever vaccination for children

In most of the countries where a yellow fever vaccination is mandatory, this also applies to children over one year of age, in some countries even from six months. It should be noted that vaccination against yellow fever had a number of side effects, such as encephalitis. Around two-thirds of those affected were children under six months. Therefore, under no circumstances should children under this age be vaccinated. But children under one year of age should also not be vaccinated if possible. If in doubt, yellow fever infection areas must then be avoided. Any vaccination against yellow fever may only be carried out in specially authorized yellow fever vaccination centers!

Malaria prophylaxis

When traveling in the country it is advisable to undergo malaria prophylaxis. However, if the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least have a “stand-by preparation” with you.

Mauritania: Diplomatic missions

Representations of Mauritania in Germany

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania

The embassy building of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is only a few 100 m from the Springer high-rise. The Zimbabwe Embassy is also located in the building. The building originally dates back to before World War II and was used by the GDR publisher Volk und Wissen until the fall of the Berlin Wall. After the fall of the Wall, the building was redesigned and got its current appearance. The embassies of Zambia and Uganda are located in the same building – but with a separate entrance on Axel-Springer-Straße.

Kommandantenstraße 80/corner Axel-Springer-Straße

10117 Berlin

Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 206 58 83

Email: ambarim.berlin@gmx.de

German representations in Mauritania

Embassy in Nouakchott

PO Box 372

Nouakchott

Tel: 0022 – (0) 2 – 525 17 29

0022 – (0) 2 – 525 10 32

Email: info@nouakchott.diplo.de

Austrian representations in Mauritania

The responsible embassy is the embassy in Morocco in Rabat

Honorary Consulate in Noukachott

Rue Mamadou Konaté, lot V10

Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nouakchott

Tel: 0222 – 525 4970

Email: consulautrichemauritanie@yahoo.com

Representations of Mauritania in Austria

Responsible is the Embassy in Berlin

Honorary Consulate in Vienna

Opernring 21/9

1010 Vienna

Tel: 0043 – (0) 1 – 587 58 71

Swiss representations in Mauritania

The Switzerland has in Mauritania on any message, but is represented by a consulate. The embassy in Senegal is responsible:

Embassy of Switzerland in Senegal

Rue René N’Diaye Intersection Rue Seydou

Nourou Tall

Dakar

Tel: 00221 – (0) 33 – 823 0590

Email: dak.vertretung@eda.admin.ch

The Swiss Embassy in Senegal is still responsible for:

  • Gambia
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Cape Verde
  • Mali
  • Mauritania

Consulate of Switzerland in Nouakchott

Ilot C Extention, Lot No. 41

Mauritania

Tel: 00222 – 524 2866

Email: awaled@amami.mr

Representations of Mauritania in Switzerland

Embassy in Geneva

Rue de l’Ancien-Port 14

1201 Geneva

Tel: 0041 – (0) 22 – 906 1840

Email: mission.mauritania@ties.itu.int

Travel to Mauritania