Mauritania - West Africa - page 555

THE ADRAR
The Adrar is the undoubted jewel in Mauritania's crown. It's epic Saharan country, and
shows the great desert in all its variety: the ancient Saharan towns of Chinguetti and
Ouadâne, mighty sand dunes that look sculpted by an artist, vast rocky plateaus and mellow
oases fringed with date palms. For desert lovers, the Adrar is a must.
BEN AMIRA
Big rocks don't come much more awesome than Ben Amira. Rising 633m out of the desert, it's Africa's biggest
monolith, and in size is second only to Australia's Uluru (Ayers Rock). It's clearly visible from the train between
Nouâdhibou and Zouérat, but if you have a 4WD it makes a brilliant one-night camping trip from Atâr.
There are actually two granite monoliths. Ben Amira is the largest, with slightly smaller Aïsha to the west. While
Ben Amira is more massively spectacular, Aïsha holds a delightful surprise of her own. In December 1999, a sym-
posium of 16 international sculptors was held here to celebrate the millennium, turning many of the boulders at the
base of Aïsha into art. The natural shapes of the rocks were reinterpreted as animals, birds, faces and abstract cre-
ations. It's a wonderful spot, all the more so for being completely unheralded by its surroundings.
The monoliths are 4km north of the train track between Nouâdibhou and Choûm, at Km 395 (Ben Amira village
sits next to the tracks here). The route is sand rather than gravel piste . Aïsha is 5km west of Ben Amira. To find the
sculptures, head for the eastern side of Aïsha, where it appears to join a lower mound made of giant 'melted' rocks:
the sculptures are here.
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Atâr
POP 25,000
With the grandiose Adrar on its doorstep, this secluded town in the middle of the desert is
an excellent place in which to organise camel or 4WD forays into the dunefields.
A large rond-point (roundabout) marks the centre of Atâr and the market is just north of
it. You'll find several bureaus de change, telephone offices and internet cafes on or around
the main drag.
Activities
There are over a dozen agencies in Atâr that can arrange camel rides or 4WD tours , so shop
around. The main costs are the vehicle and driver, so trips are a lot cheaper if you're in a
group. Count on paying up to UM21,000 per day for a Toyota Hilux plus petrol. Add about