Things to do in Nouadhibou
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Nouadhibou
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter, the best window: low twenties by day, cool nights, blue sky and the Banc d'Arguin bird season at its height.
Spring: still cooler than the interior, but trade winds, dust days and desert heat build. Plan wind days as slack.
Summer and early autumn: the coast stays in the mid twenties while the interior passes 40, with humidity, fog and dust, and a dangerous train ride east.
What's on
- Winter migratory bird season, Banc d'Arguin November to March, peak in midwinter
Palearctic migrants fill the park shallows. The reason birders time a Nouadhibou expedition for winter.
- Eid al-Fitr Moveable, end of Ramadan
Multi day family festival closing Ramadan. Services close and road and train travel is crowded. The month varies by year.
- Eid al-Adha Moveable, about ten weeks after Eid al-Fitr
Multi day family festival following the Hajj period. Expect closures and heavy family visiting. The month varies by year.
Best things to do in Nouadhibou
Port Artisanal
The working artisanal fishing port, hundreds of pirogues landing the catch that runs this city, best early morning.
Nouadhibou Fish Market
The market the port feeds, piles of Atlantic fish sold at source prices a short walk from the landing.
Reserve Satellite du Cap Blanc
A small reserve and information centre for the monk seal colony in the cliffs below, seen from clifftops only.
Cap Blanc Lighthouse
The 1910 lighthouse at the tip of the cape, an exterior landmark a few feet from the Western Sahara border.
Baie de l'Etoile
A shallow star shaped inlet on the western shore, empty, bird filled and reached only on established tracks.
Cansado
The calm, sheltered bay district by the mining town, the closest thing Nouadhibou has to a beach hour.
Ship Graveyard
The former ship graveyard site in the bay, largely cleared in cleanup programmes, visited now for the story.
SNIM Ore Terminal
The secured ore loading port at Cansado, viewed from public ground outside the fence only, never photographed.
Where to stay in Nouadhibou
Boulevard Dubai and the airport quarter
top tier comfort, arrivals and departures
The newer business hotel quarter near the airport, with the Valencia apartments, Free Zone and El Medina.
Boulevard Maritime
port, fish market and restaurants
The old traveller boulevard, walkable to the port side of town and the mid range restaurants.
Cansado
calm water and the budget auberge tier
The sheltered mining town bay south of the centre, quieter than the centre and close to the ore terminal shore.
Think twice about
- La Guera and the western side of the Ras Nouadhibou peninsula
Across a closed, mined border with Western Sahara. No crossing there, no wandering off established tracks anywhere on the peninsula.
- Cap Blanc peninsula off established tracks
Within 25 km of the Western Sahara border, with landmines that can shift with weather.
- Port and SNIM installations at night, and as photo stops at any time
Working, secured industrial areas. Photography of ports, military, airport and government installations is forbidden.
- Areas east of the city toward the Mali and Algeria borders and the military zones
Military off limits areas, areas north of the Tropic of Cancer, and areas within 100 km of the Mali and Algeria borders.
Best restaurants in Nouadhibou
Meson Espana
The splurge table: Spanish seafood by the SNIM hospital, the celebration fish dinner of Nouadhibou.
Restaurant La Paillote
A Boulevard Maritime family restaurant for grilled fish and Italian dishes, the reliable mid range dinner.
CASANOVA
A Boulevard Maritime dining room known in directory coverage for grilled seafood and mixed menus for groups.
Monaco
A mid range room mixing seafood and fast food, the practical group lunch when tastes at the table differ.
Restaurant Galloufa
A cheap local restaurant near the Hotel Sahel where train travellers ate well at local prices.
Flamingo
A long hours local restaurant in the hotel quarter for tagines, lunch specials and fresh seafood at cheap prices.
Outdoor things to do in Nouadhibou
Iron Ore Train
One of the world's longest trains, ridden east to Choum in the paid passenger carriage or free in empty ore wagons.
Banc d'Arguin National Park
A UNESCO coastal park of shallows and bird colonies, reached from Nouadhibou only as a two to three day expedition.
Mamghar
An Imraguen fishing village on the park coast, visited as a guided leg of a Banc d'Arguin expedition, not alone.
Centre de Peche Sportive
The sport fishing base at Cansado for charter boats into some of the richest fishing water in the Atlantic.
Best hotels in Nouadhibou
Valencia Hotel & Appartements
The local ceiling: spacious serviced apartments near the airport, with parking, a restaurant and capable staff.
Hotel Free Zone
A four star business hotel for mining and fishing traffic, with a restaurant, terrace and airport transfers.
Hotel El Medina
A smaller mid range hotel near the airport with a restaurant, 24 hour desk and free parking.
Hotel Sahel
The Boulevard Maritime workhorse used by overlanders for years, large rooms and staff who know the train.
Hotel Tasiast
A Boulevard Maritime business hotel named for the Tasiast mine, the mid range fallback when the Sahel is full.
L'Auberge des Dauphins
The budget auberge and camping end of the market, simple rooms and home cooking for desert road travellers.
Is Nouadhibou expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MRU 1,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MRU 3,500 a person |
| Splurge | MRU 7,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Banc d'Arguin National Park: weeks ahead
- Mamghar: weeks ahead
- Centre de Peche Sportive: a few days ahead
- Valencia Hotel & Appartements: a few days ahead
- Hotel Free Zone: a few days ahead
- Hotel El Medina: a few days ahead
- Book Banc d'Arguin and sport fishing days to weeks ahead through the park or a hotel, with boat, fuel and permits agreed in advance.
- Confirm border, park and train conditions locally when planning, when booking and on the day of travel.
Is Nouadhibou safe?
- Alcohol is illegal and importing it, including duty free, is prohibited. There are no legal bars.
- Landmines remain on the Western Sahara border. Established tracks only on the peninsula, at all times.
- Never photograph military, port security, airport, government or religious buildings, and ask before photographing people.
Nouadhibou travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Older guides still sell a ship graveyard of 300 hulks. The big wrecks were cleared and that photograph is out of date.
- Directory listings outlive Nouadhibou restaurants and hotels. Confirm every pick is open that week through a hotel.
- The ore train has no reliable timetable and no services on board. Carry water, food and warm layers yourselves.
Getting around Nouadhibou: public transport and more
- Take negotiated taxis in town and hire a car and driver through your hotel for Cap Blanc and every excursion.
- Walk only the boulevard, the market and the Cansado shore, in daylight. Do not walk the ports at night.
- The Nouakchott road is about 470 km with checkpoints. Allow a full day and travel by day only.
Who Nouadhibou suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | OK |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Nouadhibou your trip
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