Few destinations on earth feel as untouched as Mauritania. This seven-day journey carries you from the windswept Atlantic capital of Nouakchott deep into the heart of the Sahara — across golden dunes and ancient caravan routes to the fabled Berber cities of Chinguetti and Ouadane, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Stand at the rim of the Richat Structure, the great “Eye of the Sahara”; wander libraries that have safeguarded priceless Islamic manuscripts for seven centuries; cool off in the palm-shaded springs of Terjit; and share sweet mint tea beneath a vast canopy of desert stars. It is a rare and rewarding adventure into one of Africa’s last great frontiers.
PLEASE NOTE:
IMPORTANT BOOKING CONDITIONS
A minimum of two (2) travelers is required for this tour to operate at the listed twin-share price.
Solo travelers are not eligible for twin-share pricing unless traveling with a confirmed roommate.
A booking with only one traveler will operate only as a Private Solo Tour, priced at 1.5× the published twin-share rate.
We do not match or assign roommates under any circumstances.
If no roommate is confirmed 60 days before departure, a Single Room Supplement of USD ???? will be charged.
Bookings confirmed at the twin-share price without a confirmed roommate may require a price adjustment or cancellation in accordance with these terms.
Upon arrival, you are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Nouakchott, the capital and largest city of Mauritania. After a brief orientation, the remainder of the day is at leisure to settle in and rest ahead of your Saharan journey. Overnight in Nouakchott.
Hotel: SUNSET 4*
After breakfast, set out on the scenic drive north to Atar, capital of the Adrar region, passing nomadic encampments scattered across the desert plains along the way. On arrival, explore Atar’s lively market and its small museum, home to a well-preserved collection of regional artifacts and paintings. A short drive continues to nearby Azougui, once a stronghold of the Almoravid dynasty, whose 11th-century empire stretched from the Ghana Empire across to Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula. Transfer to your hotel in Atar for check-in, dinner, and overnight.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Hotel: Hôtel Étoile du Nord
This morning, drive to the remarkable Richat Structure, widely known as the “Eye of the Sahara” — a vast circular formation that resembles a deep blue eye when viewed from above. Once believed to be an asteroid impact crater, it is now understood to be a deeply eroded geological dome, sculpted over millions of years. Continue to the ancient caravan city of Ouadane, once a key staging post on the trans-Saharan trade route, where caravans carried salt from the mines of Idjil. Today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this evocative town is filled with beautifully preserved stone ruins. Arrive at your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Hotel: Auberge Vasque
Depart Ouadane and journey toward Chinguetti, pausing at the palm-fringed Tanouchert oasis, a tranquil desert haven where nomadic families still tend their date groves. Continue to Chinguetti, revered as the seventh holy city of Islam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in the 13th century. Once a thriving center of trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship, this medieval Berber town is often called the “jewel of Mauritania.” Admire its distinctive Saharan stone architecture and its celebrated minaret, believed to be the second oldest in continuous use anywhere in the world. Visit the ancient Friday Mosque, built by the town’s founders in the 13th century, and step inside one of Chinguetti’s storied desert libraries, where priceless Islamic manuscripts are preserved — among them the renowned Ould Habott collection, the largest in Mauritania. Transfer to your hotel for check-in, dinner, and overnight.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Hotel: Auberge des Caravanes
This morning, take in the dramatic canyon and mountain vistas of the Amogjar Pass — the striking backdrop for the French epic film “Fort Saganne,” starring Gérard Depardieu, was filmed. Explore nearby caves adorned with ancient Neolithic rock paintings that depict a once-green Sahara teeming with giraffe and antelope. Journey on across the Mheirith oasis and the White Valley to Terjit, widely regarded as the most beautiful oasis in Mauritania. Tucked within a sheltered valley gorge, its natural thermal springs and palm-shaded pools invite you to “swim in the desert” — a refreshing and unforgettable experience prized by all who visit. Return to Atar for check-in at your hotel, dinner, and overnight.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Hotel: Hôtel Étoile du Nord
After an early breakfast, begin the return drive to Nouakchott for an afternoon city tour. Nouakchott — whose name is said to derive from the Berber for “place of the winds” — is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. Highlights of the tour include the bustling craft market, the grand mosque with its twin minarets, and the National Museum, with its rich ethnographic and anthropological collections. End the day at the lively fishing port, where the return of the wooden pirogues at dusk is a spectacle in itself, before transferring to your hotel for overnight.
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Hotel: Hotel SUNSET 4*
In the morning we will visit the markets and the museum, after lunch there will be enough time for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean and a visit to the bustling fishing port, at night transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Continent Tours, Inc. (“Continent Tours,” “we,” “us”) provides travel planning and booking services. By booking with us, you (“Traveler,” “you”) agree to these Terms & Conditions.
1. Scope of Agreement
These Terms & Conditions apply to all tours, safaris, travel programs, and related services arranged by Continent Tours and published on our website, proposals, invoices, and brochures. No modification shall be valid unless made in writing and signed by an authorized officer of Continent Tours.
2. Booking, Deposit & Final Payment
A reservation is confirmed only upon receipt of the required deposit stated on your invoice. Final payment is due by the deadline stated on your invoice (typically no later than 45 days prior to departure). Bookings made within 45 days of departure require full payment at confirmation. Failure to make timely payments may result in cancellation with applicable penalties.
3. Pricing, Currency & Surcharges
All prices are based on current exchange rates, tariffs, taxes, and supplier costs. Continent Tours reserves the right to adjust prices prior to final payment due to supplier cost increases, government taxes or fees, tariffs, or currency fluctuations.
4. Cancellations & Refunds (Land & Air)
All cancellations must be submitted in writing and are effective upon receipt. Because travel services are contracted and prepaid in advance, cancellation penalties apply regardless of reason (including illness, medical issues, family emergencies, visa issues, employment changes, or personal circumstances) and may reach 100% as departure approaches. No refunds are provided for unused or declined services once travel has commenced.
Land & Tour Cancellation Penalties
• 75+ days prior to departure: 10% of tour cost or $400 (whichever is greater)
• 74–61 days: 15% of tour cost or $500
• 60–36 days: 20% of tour cost or $750
• 35 days or fewer: 100% of tour cost (no refund)
Airfare
Airline tickets are subject to the carrier’s rules and are typically non-refundable once issued. Change or cancellation fees are determined by the airline and are the traveler’s responsibility.
5. Travel Insurance (Strongly Recommended)
Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended and is the traveler’s sole protection against financial loss arising from trip cancellation, interruption, medical emergencies, evacuation, baggage loss, or airline disruptions. Travelers who decline to purchase insurance assume full responsibility for all related costs and remain subject to all cancellation penalties described herein.
6. Changes Requested by Traveler
Any change requested after booking confirmation may incur additional fees imposed by suppliers and/or Continent Tours. Changes may be restricted or not permitted within 35 days of departure.
7. Changes by Continent Tours
Continent Tours reserves the right to modify itineraries, accommodations, transportation, or tour components when necessary due to circumstances beyond our control. Reasonable substitutes of comparable value will be provided where possible.
8. Air Transportation
Air transportation is subject to the terms, conditions, and liability limits of the operating carrier. Continent Tours acts solely as a booking agent and is not responsible for airline schedule changes, delays, cancellations, overbooking, or baggage handling. Airline liability for passengers and baggage is governed by international conventions and carrier tariffs. Any claims must be made directly with the airline.
9. Supplier Responsibility & Third-Party Services
Continent Tours acts solely as an agent for the traveler in arranging transportation, accommodations, activities, and other travel services provided by independent third-party suppliers. Continent Tours does not own, operate, or control any supplier and is not liable for their acts or omissions. All services are subject to the supplier’s terms and conditions and applicable liability limitations.
10. Force Majeure
Continent Tours shall not be liable for failure to perform due to events beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, government actions, pandemics, civil unrest, or transportation disruptions. Refunds are limited to amounts recoverable from suppliers.
11. Traveler Responsibilities: Documents & Entry Requirements
Travelers are solely responsible for obtaining valid passports, visas, vaccinations, and any other required documentation. Passports should be valid for at least six (6) months beyond return. Continent Tours makes no representations regarding entry requirements and is not responsible for denied entry or travel disruptions due to documentation issues.
12. Health, Fitness & Assumption of Risk
Travel may involve inherent risks, including physical activity, remote locations, wildlife encounters, limited medical access, and environmental hazards. Travelers acknowledge these risks and voluntarily assume full responsibility. Travelers represent that they are fit for travel and do not have any condition that could pose a risk to themselves or others.
13. Luggage & Personal Property
Baggage and personal effects are carried at the traveler’s risk throughout the program. Airline and internal flight baggage restrictions vary and must be verified by the traveler. Continent Tours is not responsible for loss, delay, or damage to personal property.
14. What Is Not Included
Unless expressly stated, tour prices do not include passports, visas, vaccinations, travel insurance, excess baggage fees, optional activities, early check-in or late check-out, beverages, personal expenses, or gratuities.
15. Claims, Complaints & No Refund for Unused Services
Any issues must be reported immediately during travel to allow an opportunity for resolution. No refunds are provided for unused services once travel has commenced.
16. Photography & Marketing
Photographs and videos may be taken during tours for promotional purposes. Travelers who do not wish to be included must notify their guide at the start of the trip.
17. Single Room & Solo Traveler Terms
Single occupancy is subject to availability. Solo Traveler programs are priced for one traveler and are not subject to single supplement adjustments. Solo Travelers are subject to the same cancellation and amendment policies as all bookings.
18. Passenger Conduct & Right to Refuse Service
Continent Tours reserves the right to refuse service or remove any traveler whose conduct, condition, or behavior is deemed disruptive, unsafe, or detrimental to the enjoyment of others, at the traveler’s sole expense and without refund.
19. Arbitration; Class Action Waiver; Pennsylvania
Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms & Conditions, the travel program, or services provided by Continent Tours shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, administered under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) then in effect. Arbitration shall be conducted on an individual basis only; class actions and consolidated claims are waived. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
20. Severability
If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
6 nights hotel accommodation
Roundtrip airport/hotel transfers
Transportation in private vehicle
International airfare and any airfare
Meeting and assistance upon arrival and departure
Admission to listed sites
Cost of visa
Gratuity to driver and guide
Beverages, laundry, phone calls and other items not listed
6 breakfasts
4 lunches
5 dinners
Experienced English-speaking tour guide
Mauritania
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