So you want to visit Mauritania but you’re not sure where to start? Joining a group tour is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to enjoy the country. And, naturally, we think our tour is the best Mauritania group tour out there, especially for the price! Read on to find out why you should book a Mauritania group tour with Saiga.
1. Help with the Iron Ore Train
At the top of many people’s reasons for wanting to visit Mauritania, is riding on top of the Iron Ore Train. It’s an epic journey across the Sahara unlike anything else you’ll ever experience. You’ll pass dunes and desert monoliths, and will sleep under a huge night sky with almost no light pollution. You’ll brave the elements by riding on top of the iron ore itself, which makes for epic photos, and an unforgettable experience.
Recently, the mining company has made it more difficult to ride in the open-air carts. This has always been illegal, but was mostly tolerated previously. This is why having a guide to help you navigate the system can be crucial. You can read our blog about the recent crackdown here:
Can you still ride the iron train in 2025?
Most of our group will prefer to ride on top of the ore, but for those that want a slightly more comfortable but still very cool experience, we also offer the option of riding with the locals in the passenger car on any of our tours.
Not only do we help with the logistics of actually getting on the train (without getting arrested), but we provide mats to put between you and the ore, and fluffy blankets to keep you warm during what will undoubtedly be a very cold desert night. We’ll also throw some coals down in the ore in order to make some hot tea to warm us up!
In addition to help with the train itself, we’ve also got a comfortable place to wait for the train in someone’s home, out of the sun (and away from the excitable Choum children, that seem to inhabit the town en masse). There will be mats to nap on if the wait is long, and of course a toilet. And we’ll have each other to help pass the time! At the other side of the journey, you’ll also have drivers waiting for you to take you to a comfy hotel bed and a much needed shower! They will also have transported your luggage, meaning you do not need to bring anything with you on the train beyond what you need for the journey.
2. Limited Infrastructure
One of the major problems with independent travel in Mauritania is the lack of infrastructure. And with so much Saharan sand, even the infrastructure that is in place can sometimes have piles of sand that will obstruct driving. Even many of the roads in the capital, Nouakchott, are sand-covered. Visiting many popular destinations in Mauritania, like the old town of Chinguetti and Tergit Oasis, will require some amount of off-roading. While you can hire a 4x4 vehicle, only drivers with experience driving in sand should attempt to drive in Mauritania.
Of course, there are many excellent drivers for hire in Mauritania, but one of the benefits of joining a group tour is that you know you will be getting drivers we’ve vetted who know the routes and the dunes like the back of their hand. And you get to share the cost of the drivers with others! Because 4x4 vehicles are necessary, you are only in a car with a few people at a time, which can be a great way to get to know your fellow travellers. You’re bound to have something in common – you both wanted to visit Mauritania, for example!
3. Companionship
I find that with group tours, the people are just as important as the place, and you end up remembering both equally. It turns visiting a country into a full experience. Our tours tend to attract like-minded people of all ages and backgrounds, and I’ve seen wonderful friendships bloom on each tour. Often, talk will start out travel focused – that’s why you’re all there after all! Someone is bound to have travel tips for a destination you’ve been dreaming of visiting, or notes to compare about a country you’ve both visited. By the end of the tour, conversation has expanded and many people know each other very well.
If any of your Mauritania plans involve leaving the capital, you can expect some long drives. Don’t count on having great cellular reception out in the desert, so having other people to talk to can be a great way to pass the time.
Having a group with you provides comfort in the fact that if anything goes amiss, you’ve got others there to go through it with. Maybe the train is delayed by 6 hours – you’ve got people to commiserate with! Maybe your vehicle gets stuck in the sand – you’ve got other vehicles on the road with you to pull over and help dig you out!
4. Experienced Guides
As you’ve probably gathered by now, experienced guides and drivers can be crucial to navigating Mauritania’s roads (and lack-thereof) as well as the famed Iron Ore Train. For all of our tours, not just Mauritania, we only have Saiga guides who have training and experience traveling in the country for the tour they are guiding. You will never have a guide who has not previously been to the country they are supposed to be guiding a tour for! When you choose a tour company, you want to be sure you are in good hands. We also have an extensive local Saiga team on the ground that can prepare us with the most up-to-date information on everything from train times, to road closures, to visa updates.
On any of our Mauritania group tours, you will have a Western and a local guide, and all of our tours are led in English. Your guides will provide you with in-depth knowledge of every place you’re visiting. They will be able to answer your questions, help with any problems, and provide recommendations. Their main goal is making sure you have a great experience!
5. Takes the planning out of your hands
Planning a trip can be fun, but with a country like Mauritania, the information available for planning a trip can be limited. To plan a trip yourself, you’ll need to turn to online forums where people have offered travel advice. Too often, you can run into conflicting opinions or outdated advice, leaving you confused or potentially in a bind. By joining a group tour in Mauritania, you leave everything up to an experienced team.
Of course, we still value your time and travel desires. We consider ourselves very flexible when it comes to planning people’s travel, and we’re quite happy to help make the tour work for your needs where possible. If you want to arrive early, or even late, we can usually make it work. If you just want to join for a few days, then leave after the train, we can make that happen. If there’s an activity you don’t want to participate in, we will never pressure you to do anything you don’t want. If there is a meal you want to skip, you’re more than welcome to, which is why we don’t include most meals – why pay for something you might not eat, right? We like to say we provide group tours for people who don’t like group tours!
Joining a group tour is an excellent idea for travel in Mauritania! If you’re considering joining us on a group tour in Mauritania, take a look at our tours
here
. If our dates don’t work for you, we can always arrange a private tour. As always, if you have any questions about a Mauritania tour, or any of our other destinations, send us an email at [email protected].