Between 1961 and 1963, the mining company ‘Société Anonyme des Mines de Fer de la Mauritanie’ commissioned the construction of a standard-gauge railway line, initially 652 km long, from the Atlantic
The trains are hauled by two to four diesel locomotives. There are plenty of photo opportunities, not least because of the enormous length of the trains, which can weigh up to 17,000 tonnes. Simply spending the night in the desert, far removed from any civilisation, and watching a freight train in the distance as its headlights cut their way through the sand dunes is an incomparable experience.
We will also experience an
We haven’t planned any sightseeing on this trip. If anyone would like some, please let me know. This could be organised at the end of the tour, but it would again involve long drives through the desert.
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Date |
Itinerary |
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09.01. |
Individual flight to Gran Canaria, hotel on site. Please note: the flight schedules for January 2027 for the flights to Nouadhibou have not yet been published; there may be changes to both the flight date and the itinerary! Currently they say they’ll fly on Tuesdays and Sundays. |
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10.01. |
Connecting flight to Nouadhibou, hotel in Nouadhibou |
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11.01. |
We take a quick look around the town and visit one of the country’s two churches. Subject to approval: a visit to the repair workshop in Nouadhibou, where the unloading facility is also located. In the afternoon, we drive to the ‘station’ in Nouadhibou, where the passenger carriage at the rear of the ore train is loaded. We follow the train as far as the Boilenoir oasis before returning to our hotel in Nouadhibou. |
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12.01. |
Today we set off to meet a loaded ore train, which we will encounter somewhere along the route in the desert. At the few stations along the way, we will enquire about the positions of other trains. The trains cover much of their journey at night, so trains can be observed in the Nouadhibou area, particularly in the mornings and evenings. After several hours’ drive through the desert, we will pitch our tents in the middle of the desert. Overnight stay in basic tents. |
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13.01. |
An empty train is due to reach Ben Amira in the morning. We will chase it to the mining town of |
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14.01. |
The trains are loaded at the loading facilities in Zouérate, El Rhein and M’Haoudat. It is difficult to say whether any of the facilities are out of operation; we will find out once we are there. Photography around the mining towns and a visit to the small locomotive depot. Alternatively: a visit to the aircraft wreck, about a two-hour drive from Zouérate – a South African military aircraft of the Avro Shackleton type named “Pelican 16”. In the late afternoon, we will follow a loaded ore train into the desert, where we will also spend the night. |
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15.01. |
Today we’ll focus on taking photos along the line between Choum and Ben Amira. About halfway between Choum and Nouadhibou, we’ll set up camp in the desert and spend the night there. |
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16.01. |
We’ll set off on our return journey, following a train to Nouadhibou. In the late afternoon, the empty ore train carrying passengers should pass us in the opposite direction. Hotel in Nouadhibou. |
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17.01. |
Today we’ll catch our return flight. Anyone who wishes can enjoy a few relaxing days on Gran Canaria before heading back to the cold weather at home. With connecting flights from |
When the railway opened in 1963, it ran entirely within Mauritanian territory. However, this route required the line to pass through a mountain range via a tunnel. Following the nationalisation of the line in 1974, an agreement was reached with the neighbouring country of
The loading port at Cansado is situated on the Ras Nouadhibou peninsula and is known to railway staff as Point Central, or simply PC. Here, trains can be turned round via a turning loop. This is almost always carried out by a local shunting locomotive; the mainline locomotives are returned to the depot after the journey.
From Nouadhibou, the line runs approximately 460 km eastwards before turning north at Choum. At Zouérate, a 70-km branch line was later built from F’dérik to Guelb and M’Haoudat to connect the mines there to the railway.
Two pairs of trains run regularly; during periods of increased demand, there may be three or even four pairs per day. In addition to the ore trains, a weekly water supply train runs to Zouérate, which is filled at the Boilenoir oasis. Passengers are allowed to travel on the ore wagons, which can be a very dusty affair depending on the type of ore being transported. Nevertheless, on all trains you can see people travelling on the ore wagons, some with animals or goods. Currently, one passenger carriage is attached to the rear of one train pair. These are the V3 and M4 trains, which have a fixed timetable but are often delayed by hours:
Travelling on the freight wagons is free of charge. Camels destined for the abattoir or lorries are loaded onto flat wagons at the rear of the train. Some trains also carry a carriage for SNIM staff and SNIM also has a passenger transport subsidiary called TFM. A double-decker carriage and Czech passenger carriages were procured for tourist services. There was also a separate division for the tourism sector, known as SOMASERT.
The four different ways to travel on the trains are:
The passenger carriage is very often overcrowded and in very poor condition; travelling in it is no pleasure! The FS17 service carriage is reserved for management. All service carriages are air-conditioned, but the passenger carriage is not. Travelling on the ore wagons is frowned upon for foreigners, but it can be arranged. It is a very gruelling way to travel. The trains run for at least 16 hours through the cold night; you are just as exposed to diesel fumes, ore dust and desert dust as you are to the scorching sun by day and the chill of the night. As you can well imagine, there isn’t a shower facility every 100 kilometres in the
The FIAT double-decker railcar is parked in Zouérate, just like the two Krupp cranes.
In Zouérate, you can expect at least one or two trains arriving from Nouadhibou and two departing trains during daylight hours. In addition, there are services between the four loading points and the water trains.
In Nouadhibou, apart from the arriving ore trains and the associated shunting movements, there is very little railway activity during the day.
The variety of locomotives in the fleet is rather limited. For some time, the old SD40-2s were preferred to the new SD70ACS models with three-phase power transmission. These six new 3310 kW EMD locomotives initially had unresolved problems with their turbochargers, but now that these have been sorted out, they pull the bulk of the traffic.
The line speed is 50 km/h; the track is currently designed for an axle load of 26 tonnes. Further upgrading to 30 tonnes is almost complete, and two additional passing loops have already been created for this purpose and the daily running of the construction railcars may affect the timetable.
The northern part of
The town of
We’ll be travelling long distances in four-wheel-drive vehicles along unpaved tracks and off-road. The two long journeys will take ten hours without any photo stops. We’ll be provided with plenty of water, tea and food. however, technical problems that need to be resolved in the desert may extend our journey time. There are virtually no toilet facilities along the way. Anyone needing to relieve themselves will therefore have to do so in the desert, where there are usually no bushes to hide behind (though there are dunes and hollows). There is no access to medical assistance between the two end points, which is why the trip is only suitable for people in reasonably good health. Any medication you require must be brought with you.
The trains, even those with a fixed timetable, run to transport ore and the ore couldn’t care less when or where it arrives. This also means that delays are unpredictable. These can last several hours and may ruin any hopes of taking photos, but they can also open up new opportunities. There is no guarantee regarding the number of trains, their journey times or their stops at stations and passing loops. We will be kept informed of developments by the railway staff.
Temperatures will be pleasantly warm during the day (around 20 to 30 degrees) and quite cool at night, when they may drop to twelve degrees. Rain is unlikely.
It can get very dusty in places near the trains, so you should bear the wind direction in mind when choosing a spot to take photos and of course you should take every opportunity to protect your camera equipment from dust!
To obtain the visa, we need to send a copy of our passport to
Although we only promise half-board, full board is planned in
Health risks: There is a moderate risk of malaria and dengue fever in Nouadhibou, particularly if (contrary to expectations) it should rain. You are unlikely to encounter any mosquitoes in the desert itself, but this may be the case in Nouadhibou, so it is important to wear long clothing and use a mosquito net. I do not consider prophylaxis to be advisable – but I am not a doctor (I have simply travelled to malaria-affected areas very often). The tap water is not safe to drink; please drink only (sealed) bottled water!
There are a few ATMs scattered around the country that even accept European EC cards. However, you shouldn’t rely on this, nor on the fact that credit cards are accepted. It is therefore a good idea to carry a certain amount of cash with you in case you want to buy something (note: you can’t buy anything in the desert). Drinks must be paid for in local currency. Exchanging Euros and US Dollars is straightforward and can be arranged by our guides. Anyone who doesn’t want to buy anything or doesn’t have any unusual drink requests (the 1899 Château Lafite-Rothschild won’t be served anyway as
Please note that the hotels, buses, trains – in fact, everything we will encounter – are by no means EU or US-compliant. That is precisely why we are travelling there. We will be travelling to a country where environmental protection and accident prevention are virtually unknown. We would like to expressly draw your attention to the dangers that may arise from using the railways or being in their vicinity. We recommend taking out overseas accident insurance, travel cancellation insurance and the essential overseas health insurance. Neither FarRail Tours nor the local organiser accepts liability for accidents of any kind, damage, loss or inconvenience, additional costs, etc., which may arise, for example, from necessary rebooking or delays affecting individual modes of transport.
This trip is an adventure. A trip full of surprises in a very foreign country, but it offers breath-taking photographic opportunities found nowhere else on the planet often in quite stunning light and against incredible back drops. Within railway photography, it’s quite literally unique and not to be missed!
| Mauritania | ||
| Sahara-Express: Desert Diesel | 15 to 22 participants | £2,910 |
| 09.01.2027 – 17.01.2027 | 9 to 14 participants | £3,020 |
| Single room surcharge | £205 | |
| Registration Deadline: 01.10.2026 | ||
The price includes
Not included are
