November 2008 - Mauritania was under pressure and blacklisted by certain agencies and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We could not let things deteriorate without reacting. We needed to make a statement and organize a truly singular journey. The idea of crossing Mauritania from east to west, like all those grains of sand driven by the trade winds, came to mind. To lead a team from the eastern part of the country, departing from Chinguetti, to tread the sands at the far west, in Banc d'Arguin, and stop the journey when sandals touched the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, was, beyond the travel itself, a powerful symbolic idea.

Damien, an experienced Hommes et Montagnes guide, had the pleasure of guiding this mehara journey, from the confines of the Adrâr to the Saint Jean peninsula. 

Our Détours Mauritanie Voyages agency continues along the path we had all traced; you will now find our great journeys and also a wide range of trips to discover or live with passion your Saharan experience in Mauritania.

Sylvain - July 2019

The account below is narrated by Yves and Nickie who were part of the expedition.

Here is the lovely formula found by Damien, the guide and designer of this journey "Hommes et Montagnes", to sum up our Mauritanian expedition. The initial idea is simple: to depart from Chinguetti, in the Adrar Mauritanien, and reach Banc d'Arguin, approximately 600 kilometers further, at the edge of the Atlantic.

The map is interactive: it is possible to zoom as you wish. The markers represent alternately the midday stops or the evening camps.

The reality of the route is somewhat more complex in that it had never been accomplished, neither by a group of walkers nor even by our caravaniers who set out into the unknown: they have never reached the sea and after only two or three days of walking they will be in "terra incognita". They are worried, not for themselves, as they are hardy Saharans, but for their meharis: will we regularly find the pastures they need? Because we must cross some large sand seas before reaching the Atlantic!

Besides Damien and the group of 13 walkers (2 Swiss, 3 Belgians and 8 French), the caravan consists of 7 Mauritanians (guide, cook and camel herders) and their 32 camels. These latter are tasked with carrying our baggage, three weeks of water and provisions, and possibly the walkers, each with their own mount. The Moorish guide, Mohammed Salem, is experienced: his father, who was Theodore Monod's habitual companion, brought him on the great scholar's final expeditions. It was he who gathered the camels and camel herders necessary for our crossing.

Mohammed Salem

The account that follows is a simple transcription of the notes I recorded each day on a small dictaphone either during the midday break or in the evening in my sleeping bag under the stars. No great literature therefore, just some raw impressions and anecdotes.

Thanks again to all the relatives, friends and colleagues who, at my retirement, participated in financing this journey and allowed me to realize this old dream of a caravan!

Day 0 - November 22, 2008:

* Here we go!

I'm on the TGV passing by the end of Avenue du Mail in Angers, less than a kilometer from home. The train was about half an hour late, which shouldn't be a problem as I have some time at Orly. Nickie shed a little tear, which didn't help me leave... but anyway, adventure awaits!

* Orly, 8:45 PM: travel complications continue as the plane is announced with a 40-minute delay. I hope there won't be any issues with my connection in Casablanca.

Day 1 - November 23, 2008:

* Three in the morning: we've just landed in Nouakchott. Super quick formalities even if baggage will probably take a while. Then, we'll try to sleep a bit before taking the 4x4s to the Chinguetti oasis, our starting point...

* Quarter to five: I think I spoke too soon. After being one of the first off the plane, I retrieved my baggage right away but one of our group members can't find his bag. There's a joyful chaos at the airport and we wait around...

* Here we are Sunday morning, around eight thirty, nine o'clock, I've just had breakfast. Summary of the night: we waited a long time for baggage that never arrived, so one of our unfortunate friends is left with just her carry-on. At five in the morning, we drove through Nouakchott. Stopped by police a few hundred meters from the hotel, armored cars and everything... discussions... we pass.

We're at a nice hotel since Hommes et Montagnes no longer has a small guesthouse available; there's something of a crisis here due to the tourist kidnapping issues Mauritania has experienced. I shared a beautiful room with Jean-Marie from Toulouse. We slept three short hours and I went for breakfast, with the hotel owner who was there at the same time. I unfortunately glanced at the TV that was humming above our heads and he immediately ordered the volume turned up full blast, which somewhat ruined my breakfast!

* While packing my bag this morning, I find a lovely little pink sticky note: "I love you, kisses, Nickie". I put it in my toiletry bag to see it every day...

* Before leaving for Chinguetti, we accompany Damien who is going to get supplies for our expedition. It's a chance to see a bit of the city and visit the large, lively and exotic market. There's a lot of traffic, Nouakchott has really changed a lot in recent years: cars everywhere, honking, a terrible noise...

 The market in Nouakchott.

* 1 PM: leaving Nouakchott. After passing the customs checkpoint, we've been at the police one for a quarter hour. Let's hope the gendarmerie isn't posted two kilometers further because we haven't reached Atar yet!

A checkpoint...

* 3:30 PM: here we are, after 300 kilometers of monotonous stony plain, arriving in sight of Akjoujt, the only town between Nouakchott and Atar. We're stopped by another police control. We should soon be able to have lunch...

 On the road...

* 4:30 PM: we're still at Akjoujt. Lunch was quick given the local resources: a small box of milk and a packet of crackers for me, some Pringles for others. I shared my apricots before they became completely dry and full of sand. Damien went to try to make photocopies because we've passed so many checkpoints that the ten police lists he had prepared are already used up and if he has to rewrite everything each time, we won't get very far!

 Stop at Akjoujt.

By the way, we found traces of Bin Laden: he runs a barbershop in Akjoujt!

* 7:30 PM: we only just arrived in Atar. A somewhat triumphant arrival insofar as we left one of our 4x4s broken down at the bottom of a wadi, which obviously poses a small logistical problem for getting to Chinguetti, our destination for this evening.

We're at Salima's guesthouse, which belongs to the agency that works with Hommes et Montagnes, in a strange atmosphere: night has fallen, no electricity in the city, no tourists since there are no longer charters to Atar, shops closed... it's a bit gloomy. We'll have a good cup of Moorish tea anyway before heading to Chinguetti because we're still not in bed tonight!

* Midnight: we arrived at the Chinguetti guesthouse around 10 PM. After dropping our bags, having a good meal and a quick wash, it's time for bed because we're starting tomorrow.

I found a third little love note from Nickie. Each time it's a nice surprise. Are there any more well hidden? Given the size of my bag, I should find them all soon!

Day 2 - November 24, 2008:

* Right out of bed: what time is it, 6 AM maybe? I spent much of the night awake (went to bed too late? travel excitement?) but all is well. In the guesthouse courtyard, several Toyotas with their roof tents (another dream, for later). The rooster crows, the little birds too, the sun rises over the neighboring cemetery.

 The Chinguetti guesthouse.

* 10 AM: the caravan is almost ready (32 camels to load!). We've just taken a little tour of Chinguetti, a bit depressing because there are no more tourists so we only meet a few merchants who assault us whining. And the sand continues relentlessly invading the city...

 Chinguetti.

It's already getting warm because despite an overcast sky the sun is beating down. All the camels are bleating, unhappy about the heavy loads being put on their backs, the caravan should be moving soon...

 Before departure.

* This time we're really off. I'm alone on top of a dune, behind a tuft of sbott, for a little technical break. I took advantage of the fact that most of my companions decided to ride their camels, which took quite a while, to get ahead. They're far behind me but the pack camels are ahead and I'm following their tracks.

In the dunes...

* I forgot to mention that this morning I had the pleasure of meeting Mohammed Salem again, our caravan guide from last year, and then, right at the start, the other Mohammed, "the cook" who hugged me after recognizing me and it was nice to see him again after the good times we shared together last year. Otherwise the sun is often obscured which isn't so bad because I realized, a bit late, that I hadn't brought sunscreen. So we'll try to start gently on that front and I'll need to cover my arms at the midday break.

* After my bathroom stop, I find myself completely alone. I can see neither the two walkers who were close to me, nor the baggage caravan ahead, nor the riding camels behind. We're walking along the edge of the Ouarane sand sea, in the batha. Sometimes I can see in the distance, from the top of a dune, the rocky ridge of Zerga, where we'll camp tomorrow evening, which should be about fifty kilometers from here. Chinguetti has disappeared behind me. Sometimes I see the top of the TV relay mast but nothing more. Come on, let's keep going...

* 7 PM: the first half-day is complete. I found the caravaniers again at the midday break. After the siesta, I bought two necklaces, probably for Romy and Juliette, from a woman who came to visit us with her wares.

The merchant.

After we resumed, given the heat, I had my first riding experience, quite good actually even though my camel isn't always obedient. When it joined the group of Moorish camels that had stopped, it actually took the initiative to lie down rather abruptly. I took advantage of that to get down because my backside was really hurting!

As always the saddles aren't very comfortable, they're rustic wooden saddles, and I finished the rest of the route on foot.

My Moorish saddle.

With our late start, we only covered about twenty kilometers but the Zerga ridge still got considerably closer.

After a good Moorish tea, everyone found a little bedroom in a corner of the dunes. On the program, a little wash. I put on a fleece because the wind picked up and it got a bit cool. The sun disappeared which isn't so bad for my arms already nicely tanned...

Damien explained the route to us, at least in broad strokes since it will depend mainly on the pastures we find for the camels. No marked trails, we'll navigate by the sun, compass and of course depending on the terrain. So we don't know exactly which way we'll go or how long it will take to reach the sea which is supposedly our final objective.

* Last recording of this Monday: it's a little after 9 PM, still windy, even in my dune hollow, which I'm trying to shield with my camel saddle and my bag. Gradually the lights go out around me. I can see the lights of Chinguetti on the horizon. I think this night is going to be good because I'm a bit sleep-deprived!

Day 3 - November 25, 2008:

* Noon: quite a lot to report since I haven't had time to record since yesterday evening.

First of all, hardly were we in bed when the wind picked up and the rain started falling. After several light showers it apparently calmed down... in any case I "turned over" in my sleeping bag, and around 4 AM I think, it rained again. Plus, the wind had completely shifted, making my little makeshift windbreaks useless. Not ideal for a first night under the stars!

Everyone ended up getting up well before sunrise and gathering their more or less wet belongings. Breakfast was quick because there was terrible wind and we were mostly eating sand. The more prepared among us even put on swimming goggles, which wasn't a bad idea given how much sand the wind was carrying!

Upon waking...

So we left right away to do 4 and a half hours of walking. As the crow flies, we only covered a difficult 17 kms, in reality much more because there's no question of going straight through the dunes and everyone has their technique for finding the most favorable passages.

Grueling, grueling! I thought we'd never make it. Moreover, there were only three of us walking this morning, the others having mounted their meharis...

Good, now we're here, the wind has calmed down nicely and there's sun from time to time. Mohammed has prepared us a good hibiscus juice which will help us rehydrate properly. I've also just done a good stretching session and my legs are already feeling much better. That said, I'm not sure if I'll walk this afternoon... not sure... maybe a little camel ride... we've already done a big stage!

Ready to continue...

The Zerga ridge is now perfectly visible, just a few kilometers away.

Otherwise, worth noting is that my bag got lighter yesterday, because when I stopped for a quick bathroom break near a bush I also had a drink and forgot my water bottle. No question of going back for it during the break, it's too far away! I had a small water bottle, someone lent me a second one, it's not a big problem. On the other hand, I picked up two little "Mokhtar" (Mokhtar is the name I gave to a beetle I brought back from Libya, which sadly died after a few months in Anjou) just in case I don't find any later. These little companions won't make my bag any heavier!

* 7 PM: the stage ended around 6 PM at the Zerga ridge. The camp is set up almost at the end of the ridge, about 1 km from where I camped last year with Nickie and the same Mohammed Salem, very exactly where we had crossed an immense herd of camels near a rocky cirque.

 Arrival at camp.

We're a bit further in a wadi and I've positioned myself as usual against a small dune.

I'm sitting with my headlamp, I've had tea and done a little wash with a wet cloth, which does feel good, and we're waiting for dinner time.

This afternoon everyone arrived quite tired, even the "camel riders" actually. So we had a fairly long siesta. I finally mounted my beast again, this time with a much more comfortable saddle and there I think I could stay on for hours. There are two types actually and the others are really awful. They're apparently meant for the small modules, but for me it's a disaster! I'm also starting to know my animal better, which I've nicknamed Jean-Mouloud: I feel we're going to make a good team together.

We had a good laugh on the camels and the caravan of 32 camels and 21 people makes an impressive group when we all march together.

The clouds accumulated again as we had decent weather after this morning's storm. I'm a bit worried it might start up again tonight but the prospect of setting up tents doesn't appeal to anyone, me first. We'll try our luck, we'll see...

Day 4 - November 26, 2008:

* 7 AM: day is breaking but the sun is still behind the mountain. We got up at 6 AM, after a pretty good night for my part, even though falling asleep at an unusual hour is still a bit difficult. A good opportunity to observe the countless stars, especially since it didn't rain as we feared despite the occasional passage of large clouds. This morning the weather is lovely. We had a very good breakfast, no sand this time, the atmosphere in the group is excellent... and Damien just gave the departure signal with an authoritative whistle... See you soon!

* 9 AM: the sun is starting to get quite hot. We're in the vast plain that extends westward after the very tall dune that was the endpoint of our trip last year. In this plain, there were enormous herds of camels last year but since rainfall has been relatively abundant over the entire region this year, the herds aren't here.

 I think I've been inducted into the group because this morning when I delivered my bag a bit late to the camel herders, I heard someone say we might have to take away my medal! Which made me understand with pleasure that I must have earned one, and that the group of "seasoned" adventurers, very united by numerous previous trips, had been observing and apparently deemed me worthy of joining the club!

* After the traditional midday meal (hibiscus juice, vegetable salad, fruit and tea) I had a good nap in the shade of an acacia. The two Mohammeds (the guide and the cook) came to join me and quickly fell asleep too. The camels are being loaded for the afternoon stage.

The sky is entirely blue, it's 30°C, a very light breeze: perfect conditions for walking. We covered 17 kilometers "GPS as the crow flies" this morning, we're making good progress. Mid-morning, we climbed a bit to cross to the other side of the Adrar plateau.

Crossing the plateau and arriving at camp.

Only notable incident: we almost lost Eric (our Swiss friend) who followed a nomad thinking he was one of our camel herders, but we found him fairly quickly.

* I'm tucked into my sleeping bag for the last little message of the day. It must be just after 8 PM... The sky is magnificent, I just saw a shooting star pass and I made a wish.

This afternoon we walked quite a bit and also rode the camels a bit on a large plateau leading to the oases south of the Adrar. I practiced some Arabic with Sidi, who like the other camel herders doesn't speak a word of English.

Sidi.

Day 5 - November 27, 2008:

* 9:30 AM: I'm walking on the stony plain. We've just passed the superb Mhaireth oasis which stretches along a wadi at the bottom of a canyon. We descended on one side and climbed back up a bit further on the other, in magnificent scenery.

So what can I say? The night was quite good: I fell asleep around 10:30 PM, and woke up when Orion was right above me (4 AM?). Actually it was the camels that woke me with their cries and agitation because, lacking comfortable space, I was sleeping, like everyone else, fairly close to the camp. The camel herders go fetch them, sometimes quite far away even though they're hobbled, and round them up very early because loading 32 animals takes a long time.

The weather is magnificent and at this hour it's getting quite warm. We came to a small break because as every day we got up before 6 AM for a 7 AM departure in the cool of the morning, the sun rising a bit after we start. Quite a few people on camels but I'm part of the 3 or 4 who are walking.

 Stone plains, oases, dunes... the whole package this morning!

* I just realized it's Thursday and that in our previous trips with Nickie, we had two days left. We were beginning, despite ourselves, to talk about the return. Here, there are more than two weeks left, not counting the prospect of not going back to work on Monday, and that's very nice even though we often think of those who stayed at home! At this hour, Nickie must be at school...

* Noon: Meal break and siesta near a rocky shelter under which I find quite a lot of flint shards. Probably an old arrowhead and tool production site. Nearby, some rock paintings, quite degraded but still showing a little red cow drawn on the ceiling, a moving testament to a time when grasslands stretched here.

We still walked well this morning but only until 11 AM. So we'll resume early.

* Short day actually as we stop at 5 PM, having found excellent pasture for the camels. Given the large healthy tufts of sbott, the camel herders prefer to stop because their main concern is to spare their animals, not knowing what we'll find further on. We have water and food for the people, but it's not possible to carry fodder for all the animals for three weeks...

This stop allows us to organize the bags in daylight and get a bit cleaned up.

 Evening camp

By the way, no pharmacy needed since we left. I don't have blisters with my walking sandals and I think I'll keep wearing them as often as possible, even on rocky terrain. The 7 or 8 pairs of socks in my bag will probably stay there.

Quick anecdote: I overheard a conversation between two of my companions, one saying to the other "I've done almost 5,000 kms with". I understood from the rest of the conversation that they were comparing the quality of their shoes!

I'm not at that level yet!

Another anecdote, this time about the caravan: this evening one of the oldest camel herders, called the "Chibani" (the old one in Arabic), spotted not far from us a nomadic camp where only women remained. He headed off accompanied by lots of ribbing from his companions. He hasn't come back yet and we understood that such "visits" happen fairly regularly. We know that customs are quite free in this country despite certain Islamic rigidities...

* 9:30 PM this Thursday evening: I'm in my sleeping bag and there's a little crisp breeze. I tried to find a rock to shelter behind and I put my bag in front of my head. We're in sight of Oued El Abiod which we'll tackle tomorrow to reach the Tifoujar pass where we're supposed to retrieve Graziella's bag which finally arrived in Nouakchott and then Atar.

Day 6 - November 28, 2008:

* At siesta time: pretty average night because the wind picked up and sand flew around. Fortunately I took precautions yesterday evening: the bag and the big rock protected me quite well. What bothered me most was the sound of wind in the acacias. Well, sleeping from 9:30 PM to 6:30 AM this morning gives plenty of sleep time. Plus there's always a little siesta where you can potentially catch up.

The morning routine is now well established: wake up a bit before 6 AM, pack up belongings, prepare the day's bag with the water ration. Bags need to be ready for the camel herders to load before breakfast. Departure at seven o'clock, and you can't dawdle watching the sunrise because if you take 2 minutes' delay you'll have a hard time catching up with the group... I know from experience, it happened to me!

 After walking nearly 2 hours on the plateau we descended into Oued El Abiod through a canyon ending in a large dune about 300 meters high that overlooks the village and the palm grove. Then we crossed the wadi where I met 5 little boys from Tifoujar who accompanied me during the crossing. Since they were learning French at school we did some knowledge exchanges: they taught me some Arabic and I taught them some French. I took a photo of the group and as always it was a big hit when they saw themselves on the screen.

 After saying goodbye, we climbed up the famous pass and after wallowing quite a bit in the sand, we found the plateau again and the hard surface of the stony plain on which we made good progress. In total we did 4 and a half hours of walking this morning. After the usual meal, I settled under an acacia for the siesta. An itinerant merchant came by with some trinkets: where do they come from like this? In any case, I bought a little necklace from him after the usual lengthy haggling during which he told me his name was Mahmoud. His sales pitch? "Mahmoud crushes the prices" of course!

The sky was rather gray this morning and the wind fairly strong but it dispersed the clouds and the sun reappears, the light is bright again.

I don't intend to ride camels today because my backside was slightly damaged by yesterday's ride and it needs rest.

 The Tifoujar pass.

* After dinner: we ate a bit later this evening and I'm going to bed when it's almost 10 PM!

This afternoon the sky cleared completely and, as we're heading southwest, we had the sun straight on us during the whole walk. We crossed a wadi, then a very rocky stony plain for two and a half hours at good speed, as many were mounted on their camels. Finally we descended into a wadi from which we can see the Amatlich sand sea, our next objective.

I shaved this evening and for the second time, with just one glass of cold water for soap and rinsing: for a few days of beard, it's little and it scrapes hard! Apparently tomorrow we'll be able to find a bit of water for a better wash.

Graziella did indeed retrieve her bag and generously distributed many candies and chocolates which notably improved our meals.

After a good dinner, a little lesson on the stars by Régis, and off to bed!

See you soon for week 2!