MAURITANIA

June 2010

Currently no visas are issued at the Moroccan border.
In all cases better to get your visas in Rabat.

Mauritanian ouguiya exchage rates

Price of fuel
Petrol about 2265 UM/litre; diesel 253 UM/litre. More in Atar, bit more still in Chinguetti and a bit more again in Oudane (hand pump). In Nouakchott petrol is 265 oogs, diesel is 225.

Costs
Moderate

Useful languages
French, Arabic

Visas:
Baring temporary closures for security reasons or corruption, I5-day visas are sometimes issued at the Morocco-Mori border for 20 euros. Extensions for up to a month and with multiple entry (Ie: you can use them to go to Mali and back) are available in Nouakchott at N°18 5.4' W15° 58.2' for at least 5000 oogs in 2 hours (and, I hear, also in Nouadhibou police station).

Single and multiple entry visas for 30 days are also available in Rabat (not Casa) at:
6, Rue Thami Lamdawar
Rabat-Souissi
N33.98064', W06.83074'
Tel:00212-37656679 / 00212-7656678 /
Fax: 00212-37656680
email

Apply Monday to Thursday 9-11am, early is best, and collect at 4pm same day. Single entry: 150DH/€15 (quoted in April), double entry valid 3 months about 700DH (6 month/multiple also available). You need 2 photos, a copy of your passport, and 2 copies of this form, (or they will have them there). For photos and copies there is a supermarket at the cross roads about 100 metres away (N33.98217, W6.82924).

The Mali embassy is in the same street, 100m away.
7, Rue Thami Lamdaouar
Rabat-Souissi
GPS N33 58.7' W06 50.0'

There is also a Mali embassy in Nouakchott - visas issued in as little as an hour.

From Mali northwards into Mauritania
One reads in Jan 2009: ... at Nioro they are no longer issuing visas at the border... you can get a visa at Bamako near the Chinese Embassy on Rue Kolikoro. You need 4 photos; ready next day for 20,000 CFA.
But, March 2009: "...we got turned back trying to enter Mauretania at Nioro ... we tried Kayes - Kiffa [to the west] no problems."

Border formalities from Morocco
Having come across the 5kms of rubble road from where the tarmac ends out of Morocco (N21° 21.8' W16° 57.6'), you get to the newly-opened buildings at the start of the Mauritanian tarmac (N21° 20.0' W16° 56.8') where you get stamped by the Gendarmerie (free but a present is often requested). You then buy a visa if necessary (see above) or have your pre-obtained visa stamped in at the Police.
Next, get a white A4 30-day temporary vehicle import form (Engagement sur honneur - 10 euros). Then optionally buy official currency if you didnt buy black in No Man's Land.
You can then buy insurance. It took us a while to get all the paperwork and windscreen stickers and cost us 4300 oogs for 10 days in 2006.
If you want you can also get a forward-dated 'Carte Brun' here for the ECOWAS West African countries (not Mauritania). This is regional motor insurance, similar to the regional laisser passer 'local carnet'.

Note that in 2009 they now search your vehicle a little more thoroughly and may not take too well to cheaper Moroccan petrol in jerricans or alcohol.

I am also informed there are now over a dozen checkpoints on the road from NDB to NKT which added up to 3 vehicle searches for one guy. It's possibly in relation to the security measures mentioned here but the situation is said to be more intimidating in a than a couple of years ago, with a demand for 'presents'. So if you're new to the area, brace yourself; it's less bad in West Africa, although it did not stop the brazen kidnapping mentioned at the top.

In February 2007 a guy was killed and another badly injured but a landmine while needlessly straying east just a couple of kms from the unsealed track through No Man's Land. Full story and maps for clarification here. Locals (possible evading the border) were also killed in this way in 2009.

Nothing doing exit or entry wise with Bir Mogrein exit to northern Western Sahara or Algeria (long time closed). Bush tracks south into Mali can be sandy with deep ruts - hard work in a 2WD in the 'high grass' season or in the wet season.

Desert pistes
Now that the road is sealed, a lot of people shoot through Mori and don't give it a chance. Others recognise that these days it's the only real Saharan country left where you can drive anywhere you dare without a mandatory guide (make the most of it while you can, it won't last). The run along the railway to Choum is a good introduction to desert driving with easy navigation and some extended dune bands. Nothing too steep but it gets soft and tussocky so for these sections motorbikes may find it easier on the coarse gravel between the rail tracks; no sleepers (see link to updated account at the bottom). The Adrar plateau between Atar, Ouadane and Tidjikja offers some great opportunities. Tracks are rare on the long piste following the Dhar Tichit escarpment between Tidjikja and Nema. Full details of these tracks and more in the book.

North of the Adrar is little explored and possibly risky (smuggler/bandits) - expect checkpoints and nomadic encampments on the way to Chegga fort where Mali and Algeria meet. In late 2006 we drove direct from Oudane east to Bordj Moktar in Algeria and beyond - a technically easy if very remote 2000km off-piste traverse that is also not without risks in northern Mali. 

A fiche - basically your passport detail - will be useful you speed things up at the many checkpoints. You can adapt this one formatted for Western Sahara - or get plenty (a couple of dozen) of photocopies of your passport photo- and visa page.

The Route R2 update from the border via Choum to Atar (520km, p.468 in the book) is available to download here.