Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
than sandy tracks (at best). Police checkpoints abound; make your own form
(fiche)
to
hand over. List all the personal details from your passport (including visa number), home
address, occupation and parents' names, plus your vehicle's make, colour and registration
number. Make plenty of photocopies.
Consider renting a 4WD and driver if you want to reach more remote parts of the coun-
try. The standard Toyota Hilux usually costs around UM21,000 per day for the vehicle,
plus petrol.
MINIBUS & BUSH TAXI
Minibus routes stitch together the main towns and cities linked by tarmac roads. Where
tarmac is replaced by
piste,
the bush taxi
(taxi brousse)
- often Mercedes 190s and
Peugeot 504s - take over, along with pick-up trucks for the rougher routes.
TOURS
There are numerous travel agencies in Nouakchott that offer tours around the country, but
it's not a bad idea to arrange a tour with a more regional-focused company - eg in Atâr for
the Adrar or the Tagânt. If there are at least four travellers, prices should average around
UM20,000 per person per day.
TRAIN
The Nouâdhibou-Zouérat train is certainly an epic adventure (see boxed text,
Click here
).
It's an iron-ore train with no passenger terminals, but it's become a passenger train for
lack of better alternatives. The trip takes 16 to 18 hours, but most travellers get off at
Choûm (close to Atâr), 12 hours from Nouâdhibou.
