Mauritania

Entry requirements

Mauritania's visa policy has changed as of January 2025. Most travellers will need to apply for an E-Visa here. It is normally approved within 1-3 business days, although delays can happen at any time due to corruption and the fact that tourism is really not a large priority for the government. If you are looking for a quick way to get your visa approved, it may be best to try to find a contact within the country and ask.

The country's currency is the Mauritanian ouguiya (pron. oo-gee-ya), denoted by the symbol "UM" or "أوقية‎‎" (ISO code: MRU). It was revalued in Dec 2017: 10 old UM (ISO: MRO) = 1 new UM (MRU). Prices are occasionally still written in the old MRO system, especially in restaurants and hotels that cater to Westerners, so don't be put off by the seemingly high prices.

Make sure to have plenty of passport copies for travelling between towns. It’s not uncommon to give away up to 5-10 passport copies a day to police at checkpoints.

By taxi

Taxis are normally available at airports. Negotiating a good fare requires solid Arabic and/or French skills.

Arabic is the official language of Mauritania. The Modern Standard dialect is the main language of the government, whereas the Hassaniya dialect is the local vernacular. Hassaniya Arabic contains many loanwords from various Berber languages and differs significantly from Modern Standard Arabic.

The area near Western Sahara is heavily mined, and travel through this area is highly inadvisable. Border areas lining Algeria and Mali are notorious for banditry. The single paved road coming from Morocco is perilous, having been the site of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) kidnappings. If you must travel on this path, it is best to do so in a tight caravan. In other areas, one should avoid flaunting wealth or expensive wares. Daunting though it may seem, a bit of research and common sense will ensure a pleasant trip in Mauritania.

For the majority of Westerners, the local water in any part of the country (including Nouakchott) is not safe to drink. Visitors should drink only bottled water if they don't have access to some type of water purifying or filtration system. The Sahara is a very dry climate. You may become dehydrated quite easily, and not be aware of it. The best rule of thumb is to be sure that you have urinated three times each day, at reasonable intervals. In the hottest part of the year, this might mean drinking several litres of water each day.

There are three operators of GSM networks: Mattel (excellent English website), Mauritel Mobiles and Chinguitel. Prepaid plans are available for three of them. 3G/4G is available and data speeds are good.

Learn Salaam alaykum and use it when greeting people. If you are a man, don't try to shake hands with a woman, and vice versa (note that some African women will not have a problem with shaking a man's hand, but it is best to not try to initiate contact, just follow their lead). You can, however, say hello and touch your hand over your heart.