Mauritania Travel Diaries

Cabano Coast, Region Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 23:59:26 +0000

Cabano coast is maybe around 2 kilometres from Nouadhibou. It’s a place where uncommon rock contruction meets the sea.
Cabano is also the place of mystery meetings here in Nouadhibou for white moors. There are a few shacks where local males take their mistresses away from the city eyes…

If you go for a walk on the sea shore you’ll notice a few little fishermen villages.

Directions: After the airport walk 1 kilometre heading the coast.

Another view of the coast. Now only water and a fishermen little boat. Its possible that he’s under water catching some things i don’t know the name in English sorry… very informative this tip right? It lives for the image of course…he he ;o)

Hotel Bab Sahara in Atar, Adrar Region Sahara Desert, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 01:30:13 +0000

My stay in Bab Sahara was incredible. It was like a sunshine on my heavy trip coming from Terjit. I left Terjit in the morning and I had a problem with my car. The oil pump had broken and the car was loosing oil like hell. It was kind of funny cos as we got to the city entrance, we had to show our passports (the usual passport control), and the policeman very stresses said, hey go go and fix your car, your getting yourself into trouble if you ‘ fix it quick. Go away. hehe. So we went to find Bab Sahara. We arrived in Bab Sahara and were very welcome. The hotel has this amazing relaxing environment given by its dutch owners.

Unique Qualities: Tents, small houses also can be rented. The price for each person sleeping on the tents are of 1500UM or 5 euros. very cheap for a hotel this quality. You have everything cleaned which is hard to find in Mauritania. Kitchen also available, resting area, all in one. Very nice indeed.

The owner help me fixing my car. Very nice person. Once i told him, you have a very nice hotel here. He said no, I have my house, this is not a hotel its my house. So that’s why the quality of this place here in Atar is explained. Thank you for the amazing staying.

On the picture you have the resting area of the camping. Very relaxing environment with some books and paintings. Picture with Xana, Patricia and Eric having their breakfast.

Atar, the city of Sahara in the center of the country heading Chinguetti

Joao Leitao — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 01:26:48 +0000

Adrar Region. For me one of the most beautiful regions in whole Mauritania. Atar is a big city, Mauritanian standards of course, which consists on a very imporatant point in the commerce of the region. Atar serves the city of Chinguetti which lies 80km away inside the desert.

I made Atar 3 times already. Once coming from NKT for my first time where I had to leave some baggage at a friends house to make possible to go with my car to Chinguetti (after all i didn’t have to cos the road now is pretty good), another one on my way from Chinguetti and another time almost 2 weeks after coming again from NKT going North to the Moroccan border after Bir Moghrein 900km distance.

The Town
well, the town is like a ghost town but with people. can you imagine that? Adrar region is a very hot area so the sun is always present. As every single town in Mauritania, the streets are full of sand. Mauritania is the country of sand, once called by french “Le Gran Vide” the big void. On the picture you have the city centre. This is the main crossroad. From here either you can go to Chinguetti going right, going right to the Hotel Bab Sahara and forward to NKT.

People
People are for me, one of the nicest things to explore in other countries.
Kids in Mauritania always try to get something out of you. They can actually turn violente if you dont give somehing. Try to interact with locals and drink Mauritanian tea which is served 3 times. They make this special tea with foam on top, almost like a cappucino with green tea.

Mosque in Port, Nouadhibou, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:11:42 +0000

This is a very unusual mosque for what I’ve seen. Its inside the port of this big enterprise called SOPAC PP, the first fish exporter in Mauritania.

Islam is the official religion of Mauritania. Despite ethnic and cultural differences among Mauritanians they are all bound by a common Muslim attachment to the Malekite sect. Its a country with 100% Muslims.

Airport Tracks, Nouadhibou, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:09:18 +0000

Indeed unusual is to pass an airport track by foot. It’s very easy here in Nouadhibou. Just go to the Numerowat district and in direction of the ocean pass the fence without the guard sees you and you’re there. If someone asks what is your business there just say you’re heading Cap Cabano and you had no idea how to reach it. Of course this tip is under Dangerous Places cos it is in fact and everyone knows it already. Just to reminde a nice way to get to Cabano Bay!

Senegalese Fishermen, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:06:23 +0000

You can find Senegalese or “Fulani” fishermen everywhere due to big amount of senegalese people living in Mauritania.
Senegalese are the only ones taking care of fishing in the country. Of course the companies they work for are owned by white moors. The work force is only by Senegalese.

Ship Cemetery, Cansado Bay, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:03:52 +0000

Cansado Bay, 10km from the city centre is a must in the city. There are just a few interesting things to see here in Nouadhibou, so you have to come to this beach and enjoy the old boats. In terms of environment is obviously not correct but since the boats are already there just enjoy the dead and lost boats. Interesting to notice is that by the fat boats are there, a whole new Ocean Ecosystem was created and fishes make the boats their house.

Map Trarza Region, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 08:19:18 +0000

Other Links to Useful Maps and Info on Trarza Region, Mauritania:

http://www.maplandia.com/mauritania/trarza/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trarza

http://gps.codes-sources.com/region_villes_liste.aspx?CC1=MR&ADM=06

http://www.confluence.org/region.php?id=916

Map Inchiri Region, Mauritania

Joao Leitao — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 08:07:36 +0000

Nouadhibou, city Northern Mauritania border with Moroccan Western Sahara

Joao Leitao — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 02:24:14 +0000

Nouadhibou its the first city after the border with Moroccan Western Sahara. From here arrive by land hundreds of stolen vehicles, man slavering and all kind of goods, even vegetables can be passed illegally at the border.

Nouadhibou is a place never constructed to fit the needs of tourists.

What to say a bout this city…what to say about Mauritania in general… its indeed a different country from whatever you’ve been used to. Its full of poverty, racial conflicts, garbage and worldwide mafia.

There’s this huge worldwide terrorist organization that is very active in this city, more than in the capital which the presidential control is bigger. This organization which i don’t have the need to write the name is very powerful here in Nouadhibou and takes control of almost every single facility related to Islam. Huge and good quality mosques (Mauritanian speaking of course) are visible and you even notice the leaders mansions near by with grand cars BMW and big expensive SUVs 4 wheel drive cars at their door, in a country that the normal salary is not more than 15000 UM, about 40- 45 euros, which usually 6000 go to pay the monthly rent of a single room no electricity and proper toilet facilities.
Specially here in Nouadhibou, various organized mafia groups and underground organizations find refuge to make business. Korean, Russian, Chinese, Nigerian, Senegalese and also White Moors underground organizations are settled here with their business of drugs, prostitution, car export, fish export, guns and even man slavery working at day light.

There is much to see inside the city of more around 60,000 people, but the nature here is great.
Nouadhibou like many desert cities, is large, and comes in three parts. The first is the new quarter of Numerowat in the north, with mess of construction sites. This is where the majority of people live. The various quarters of “Numerowat” are identified by robinets (premiere robinet or deuxieme robinet etc) according to the nearest public water standpipe, which come at 500 metre intervals along the asphalt road to downtown Nouadhibou.

Downtown is “Ville”, with all the usual services and shops and the city main market. On the south side of town, a full 10km from the city centre, is the iron ore company’s dormitory town of Cansado.

Nouadhibou is stretching along a thin peninsula running out from and parallel to the mainland in southern direction. Everything is more or less sand, shaped by the wind, meeting the sea in several bays without any vegetation destroying your impression of really being in Sahara.