Visiting Mauritania can be a deeply enriching experience, especially for travellers interested in unique landscapes, ancient history, and Saharan culture. However, it’s important to be well-prepared. Here are 8 essential things you must know before traveling to Mauritania:
1. Electronic Visa Requirement ✈️
As of January 2025, you are required to apply for an e-visa before traveling to Mauritania. You can read our Applying for a Mauritania Tourist Visa guide to learn about the visa application process and visa fees.
Tip: Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your date of entry.
2. Safety First 😷
Be sure to check and follow your government’s travel advice on visiting Mauritania. Many of the major highlights of Mauritania lies in the Sahara regions involving overnight camping beside massive sand dunes and exploring ancient cities along the Trans-Saharan caravan trade route. It is important that you hire an experienced driver with a well-maintained vehicle for your trek. The Sahara is MASSIVE and it requires both skills and experience to navigate through it properly. This is why we highly recommend visiting Mauritania on a private tour so all of these logistics are taken care of and helps to minimize your risks during your vacation.
You can also read our Is It Safe to Travel to Mauritania? article for helpful safety travel tips.
3. No Alcohol and Pork 🙅♂️
Mauritania is an Islamic Republic, which means alcohol and pork are forbidden in the country. Passengers caught attempting to bring alcoholic drinks or pork products into Nouakchott International Airport, including alcohol bought duty free on an inbound flight, may be subject to immediate fines, confiscation, and/or incarceration.
The sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited by law in Mauritania. However, you may still find a few select clubs and restaurants that will have alochol available. Keep in mind that these alcoholic beverages may not be served legally.
4. It Can Get HOT in Mauritania ☀️
Approximately three-fourths of Mauritania is desert or semi-desert. The Mauritanian Sahara awaits with its massive sand dunes, friendly nomads, huge herds of camels, and beautiful rock formations. A trip to Mauritania is not complete without visiting the desert.
While you can obviously visit it anytime of the year, it is wise to avoid the months from March to June, where it can be extremely hot with temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F)!
November to February are the ideal months to visit Mauritania where you can expect milder temperatures and cooler nights. It’s also wise to bring lightweight, breathable clothing, sun protection, and drink plenty of water. Read our article The Best Time to Visit Mauritania for helpful tips to decide which month to travel to Mauritania.
5. Languages 🇲🇷
Arabic is the official language in Mauritania, and French is commonly used as a foreign language, especially in administration. Hassaniya Arabic, which is the Mauritanian dialect of Arabic, is widely spoken in Mauritania. Several minority languages including Wolof, Pulaar, Soninke, and Bambara, are spoken by the ethnic minorities living in Mauritania.
Very little English is spoken in Mauritania, so learning a few basic Hassaniya phrases will help a lot. If you’re traveling with us on a private tour, then your guide will be more than willing to teach you. As a sign of respect, your linguistic attempts will be met with delight. You won’t be able to find Hassaniya Arabic on Duolingo, so we’ll give you a quick language lesson here to get you started:
- Salaam Alaykum (sa-lem a-lay-kum) – Hello (literally: “Peace be upon you”)
- Walaykum Salaam (wa-lay-kum sa-lem) – Response to Salaam Alaykum (And peace be upon you too)
- Yak la bas? – How are you?
- Yak el kheir? – Is everything good?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – I am fine
- Zina – Nice / Good
- Shukran – thank you
6. Cash is King 👑
Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRU) is the national currency in Mauritania. But it’s not as simple as that because there’s the old Ouguiya and the new Ouguiya. Let us explain:
In 2018, a new Ouguiya was introduced which revalued the old currency at a rate of 1:10. This new Ouguiya is worth ten times the value of the old Ouguiya. Some vendors still quote prices based on the old denomination out of habit. This can be confusing as a product worth 100 Ouguiya in the new currency may be quoted as 1000 Ouguiya. Locals can distinguish between the two currencies since they have a good idea of the price range for most items. Tourists will have a harder time, but your tour guide can assist if needed.
Mauritania is a primarily cash-based society, so we recommend you use cash instead of traveller’s checks or credit cards. Aside from carrying Mauritanian Ouguiya, we also recommend carrying extra USD or Euros throughout all your travels.
Currency Exchange – You will find banks and ATMs only in the larger cities throughout Mauritania. Before you travel, ask your bank if there are any international ATM withdrawal fees or transaction fees. Currency exchange kiosks are available but only in larger cities. Since you will likely begin your tour in Nouakchott, we recommend you withdraw or exchange sufficient Mauritanian Ouguiya in Nouakchott that will last for the duration of your tour.
Credit Cards – Credit cards are rarely accepted in Mauritania. Only a few select hotels in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou will accept credit cards.
Departure – It is prohibited to import or export the Mauritanian Ouguiya currency. At the end of your tour, you can either use your remaining Mauritanian Ouguiya for tipping, exchange it to a hard currency, or you may spend it at the café and duty-free shop located at the airport. It is possible a customs officer may ask and check for any remaining Mauritanian Ouguiya at the airport.
7. Get Ready For a Digital Detox 📵
Data service is generally pretty good within city limits. Larger cities such as Nouakchott, Chinguetti, Ouadane and Nouadhibou will have decent 4G service without issue. However, outside of those places, and between all those places, you will likely not have any service. At times, you may get glimmers of cell service, but very seldom data service.
If you’re traveling with us on a private tour, we can arrange to have a portable WiFi router in your vehicle to have internet access. You might also be interested in other options to get cellular coverage in Mauritania.
Roaming Internet – Check with your phone provider for international and roaming charges.
eSIM – While some eSIM providers offer data packages in Mauritania, our customers have reported that it does not work very well.
Local SIM Card – It is not always a quick and easy process to acquire a local SIM card. Local telecom providers require the customer to register in-person with their IDs. This is possible to arrange if time permits in your tour itinerary but be aware that this could be a very long and tedious process which only takes away from your time to explore the country.
8. Tea is the Heartbeat of Daily Life 🫖
Drinking tea is an integral part of life in Mauritania, so you should also expect to drink many cups of tea. Mauritanians can drink tea any time of the day and will typically drink tea several times each day.
The tea making process is a highly tuned process that is very captivating to watch. Typically, tea leaves in a tablet-like form are dropped into a water-filled kettle, which is then put on a stove or over coals to boil. Fresh mint and sugar are added. Once the tea is brewed, the tea maker will pour the tea from a great height into another pot. It is poured back and forth many times before being served to the guests. This pouring back and forth is done to aerate the tea to create a frothy foam on top.
It is common to be served at least three glasses of tea. There is a saying that the first glass is bitter like life, the second strong like love, and the third gentle like death.
Other Things to Know When Traveling to Mauritania
Are there other things you want to know that are not mentioned?
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