Backpacking In Mauritania 🇲🇷(and Western Sahara🇪🇭!): Top 11 Sights In Nouadhibou

“Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (at the end of the line)” – The Travelling Wilburys.

I had backpacked quickly through the Mauritanian oceanside city of Nouadhibou in 2022 after completing the textbook Mauritania Iron Ore train journey. That was a trip of a lifetime, and who knew that 2 and a half years later, I’d be back. Back here, on the streets of Nouadhibou! Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you…

Nouadhibou is not typically a backpacker’s dream, and usually it’s best to pass swiftly in and out. Or so it seemed…but you forget the magic here in this city. Consider the history and the present, there’s more than first met my Nouadhibou eye in 2022…

• Nouadhibou is an important and vital port city for Mauritania.
• Nouadhibou is on the border with Spanish Sahara, Western Sahara and Morocco (depending on your political standpoint).
• Nouadhibou is where the Sahara Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean.
• Nouadhibou has the western most point of Saharan Africa.
• Nouadhibou is where the sun sets in Africa for the final time, twice a year.
• Nouadhibou is the entry point to Mauritania for those backpacking south from Morocco.
• Nouadhibou is the exit point from Mauritania for those backpacking north to Morocco.
• Nouadhibou has Ras Nouadhibou, a unique peninsula where you can just stroll across the border between two countries and nobody cares. Dig some of that.

This time, December 2024 on my return to Mauritania, I spent a couple of nights here by staying at the lovely Villa Maguela and we toured the city’s sights. I was camping out in a tent and backpacking on wacaday minibuses like old times.

Officially this was my third time in Mauritania as I had transited here in 2016 on the Lost Luggage challenge with Money Supermarket. I fakepacked it the first time!

But in 2022, I realpacked it by visiting Adrar, Atar, Sahara Desert, Choum, Nouadhibou and Nouakchott.

In 2024 I did something a bit different. We’d head to a Spanish Restaurant (the plan), cross on the peninsula into the former Spanish Sahara and go to the western most tip of Saharan Africa! When your vibrant backpack ends up in Nouadhibou, here are 11 textbook sights I enjoyed and recommend.

1.Cap Blanc, White Cape – the most westerly point of Saharan Africa

Stick this place on your list. It’s epic. It’s inspiring. It’s all you dreamed of as a kid. Check my photos and video of Cap Blanc and you’ll get it.

Put simply, Cap Blanc is the western most tip Of Mainland Saharan Africa. It straddles 2 countries here – Mauritania and Western Sahara. Or three in essence, given Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara. Or historically for the buffs, Spanish Sahara, where a spooky link was to arrive, later.

To get into Cap Blanc, you pay an entrance fee of 2000 Ougidas, 5 Euros. You also have to show your passport and you MUST go back the same way as officially you cross into Western Sahara here. We were officially in Spanish Sahara for about 30 minutes – there is a ghost town of La Guera here and while we saw some of the buildings, there are Moroccan border guards watching but actually, it’s calm and free.

This cape is a sealed off nature reserve which itself is ironic given there are seals here of an endangered species.

2.Saharan Africa’s most westerly Lighthouse.

Saharan Africa’s most western lighthouse is here too, and of course it’s on the Ras Nouadhibou also at Cap Blanc. You’re killing a few birds on one stone. We paid a driver, Umar to take us all the way out here, it’s at least a one hour drive on dodgy roads way west of downtown Nouadhibou.

Officially this Lighthouse is on the Mauritania side although just a few metres behind it, and you’re in Morocco / Western Sahara.

3.Iron Ore Train Ending Point.

My first proper trip to Mauritania was in 2022 when I rode the iconic Iron Ore train through the desert. It was a phenomenal journey of 16 hours overnight and I did it alone as the only tourist. Here in 2024, we went to the end of the line and saw some of the train carriages and the line that leads all the way from Zouyerat to the sea, the Atlantic Ocean rather.

4.Fish Market.

As well as iron ore and some tourism (believe me, only “some” – infrastructure for tourism here is seriously lacking), fish is a massive indstry. There’s a fishing harbour, loads of fishing boats and of course the fish market. We even had fish for dinner to celebrate Marek’s birthday at the Hostel Villa Maguela.

5.Atlantic Ocean.

We stayed at the Hotel Villa Maguela right by the Atlantic Ocean. For views and a swim, this was perfect. Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, this is one of the most magnificent places to view the Atlantic Ocean,

6.Western Sahara Border.

A novelty here in Nouadhibou is that the city is on a peninsula which Mauritania shares with Western Sahara, or if you like Morocco, and historically Spanish Sahara. There’s a ghost town called La Guera on the Spanish side, the buildings are abandoned.

We decided not to cross the border officially on a day trip to save money. As for some reason, Mauritania refused to give us a double or multiple entry visa on arrival. It would have meant forking out another 55 Euros for a completely new visa – as of 2024 for some reason they didn’t issue multiple entry visas.

However, we were able to cross the border anyway past the entry point to Cap Blanc as there’s a loophole! Once you pay into Cap Blanc at the barrier, you show your passport and there is an agreement to go back to the same side you came in by.

So like, back in 2017, I was back in Western Sahara again, if only for about 30 minutes. Back in 2017, I crossed from Morocco into Western Sahara, I backpacked El Aaiun and stayed at the Hotel Jodesa. Here, in 2024, I simply dandered across the border, admiring the views then dandered back.

7.Spanish Shithole Restaurant: Restaurant Galloufa

Mauritania is a “dry country” in more ways than one. It’s not just a lack of water in the deserts here, it’s an Islamic Republic which means a strict no alcohol policy here. A loophole somehow allows under the table alcohol to be served to non-Muslims, at a price. It won’t be obvious where to buy alcohol but as this is a border city to Spanish Sahara, local knowledge made us aware that The Spanish Restaurant sells alcohol, as does the Chinese Restaurant on the same street.

It was the day after Marek’s birthday and the plan was to have dinner here and the only alcohol in Mauritania (outside the Chinese restaurant). My plan was to do that and then write a “Thirsty Thursdays: Drinking In A Spanish Restaurant In Mauritania” or “Friday’s Featured Food: Dining In A Spanish Restaurant In Mauritania”. But screw that shit. No chance. After going into the below restaurant, I asked TWICE (at the bar, and to a waitress) if taking photos and making videos was okay and they both said YES!!!

So I started to make a nice video for my blog and my YouTube and TikTok channels whoch was to promote their business for free, when a nasty rude guy went nuts at me – so angry he was. I turned the video off and decided – no more photos, no more videos and no more promotion. I heard later that guy was the owner!! What an asshole – if the owner acts like that to customers and people promoting his business then fuck them. I spent zero money in here and don’t recommend it at all – absolutely SHIT customer service and liars who said I can take photos and make videos and then banned it. Luckily, they didn’t notice Marek taking a few, hence there are a few on this post to prove that such a shit place exists. What a shame this shithole will never get a standalone blog post for free promotion on Don’t Stop Living.

“I’ve got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you” – Therapy?

8.Mosques.

Of course there are loads of mosques all over Nouadhibou. I saw at least 10, but only photographed two of them. I didn’t go inside but in an Islamic Republic, I’d be a fool not to include at least one Mosque in my top 11 sights.

9.Stade Municipal De Nouadhibou.

As a football fan, I went to check out the main city football stadium here. A geek fact is that this stadium is the most westerly professional football stadium in Saharan Africa! Saharan Africa is home to 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco.

Sadly it wasn’t open to go inside, nor was there a match on. The capacity has been increased to 10,300 since the most recent renovation. The stadium is used by the local team, FC Nouadhibou.

10.Camel Meat Butchery

The first time I tried camel meat was at Iran away in 2013, for Christmas dinner in Shiraz. We also rode on camels in the desert in Mesr, Iran.

Then we famously had a total camel meat feast in Saudi Arabia when I worked at the Hotel Show in 2018 whilst also backpacking Saudi Arabia Away. The national animal of Mauritania is the camel – they are everywhere especially in the deserts. Like Australia with the kangaroo, they also eat them. Check out the butcheries.

The night before we arrived, our hostel held a camel meat dinner which we missed sadly. However, not to be outdone by the camellic loss, instead we bought some camel milk, which I think is delicious – similar to cow milk but thicker, greaser and slides down the gullet in a more fat feeling way.

11.Barber Shop

I wouldn’t normally backpack a barber shop, nor include it in a textbook top 11 but this one has to be in here!! I think it might be the first time even a barber shop or a hairdressers made my textbook top sights post!!!

My travel mate Marek got a full service of haircut, beard trim and wash at Barber Shop, Nouadhibou!

All of these sights can easily be backpacked in one day. Find a driver in town to do it. We were in the Spanish Restaurant bar and we asked the staff if they knew a guide who could take us. A Spanish lady came over and she quickly found us a local driver called Omar. He’s in some of the videos. Tourism hasn’t taken off big time in Mauritania and while I tried to help the locals and local tour companies, I found – they don’t really like bloggers, nor want us to help. This post is mostly for other tourists just to show you what you can do in Nouadhibou in a few days. After that, head south to Nouakchott or into the desert at Choum, Chinguetti and Atar.

Here are some videos from my time backpacking in Nouadhibou, Mauritania: