Mauritania
The Iron Train
experience.
- Duration
- 7 days
- Group size
- 15 travellers
- Next departure
- 26 Mar – 2 Apr 2027
- From
- €1,890
No payment is required to request your place. Once your availability is confirmed, your spot will be held exclusively for you for 72 hours. If we don't hear back from you within those 72 hours, the spot will become available again.
Fifteen strangers. One rusting iron train. Seven hundred kilometres of Sahara with nothing between you and it.
This isn't a desert tour with a Wi-Fi-equipped 4x4 and a buffet at sunset. This is Mauritania — one of the least visited countries on earth, and home to one of the strangest, most extraordinary train journeys you can take.
You'll ride in open iron ore wagons through the Sahara after dark, sleep somewhere between a bed and a sand dune, eat what's put in front of you, and end up covered in a layer of red dust you'll still be finding weeks later.
It's a small group, on purpose. No influencers, no itinerary designed for a highlight reel — just a handful of people who'd rather find out what happens than watch someone else's video of it.
What this trip is actually about
The Iron Ore Train
Ride through the Sahara after dark in open wagons built for ore, not passengers. One of the longest trains on earth — and one of the strangest ways to cross a desert.
Chinguetti
A centuries-old caravan town on the edge of the dunes, once a pilgrimage waypoint to Mecca — now slowly being reclaimed by sand.
Deep desert roads
Long, rough, empty tracks where the landscape changes by the hour and the only traffic is the odd herd of camels.
A camp under a stupid number of stars
No light pollution for hundreds of kilometres. Just sand, silence and a sky that makes you feel appropriately small.
A group that becomes a story
Fifteen strangers at the start. By the end, the kind of people you'll message for years about "remember when..."
Day by day
The route
The shape of the trip below — the confirmed day-by-day itinerary from our local operator will replace the placeholders here before booking opens.
01
Arrival in Nouakchott
Land in Mauritania's capital and meet the rest of the group. Meeting point, transfer and first-night accommodation.
02
North into the desert
Leave the city behind and head north, the landscape turning from coast to open desert with stops and driving time.
03
Chinguetti
Arrive in Chinguetti and settle in. Visit the old town and explore its historic streets. Climb the surrounding dunes, with a 4x4 drive for the desert experience. Visit one of Chinguetti’s famous traditional libraries. Overnight in Chinguetti.
04
Chinguetti → Tewnchert → Ouadane → Atar
Start early in the morning and drive toward Ouadane through the desert. Pass through Tewnchert and enjoy the landscapes and desert scenery. Continue to Ouadane and explore the ancient town. After the visit, continue toward Atar. Overnight in Atar.
05
Atar → Choum → Ben Amira → Tmeimichat → the Iron Train
Start the day by stopping at a local shop to buy snacks, water and supplies for the train journey. Continue toward Choum and visit the area around the railway. Discover the impressive Ben Amira monolith, one of the largest monoliths in the world. Continue to Tmeimichat, where the group will prepare for the Iron Ore Train experience. Board the Iron Train and experience the famous journey across the Sahara. Overnight on/around the train depending on the final train schedule and logistics.
06
Nouadhibou → Tiwilit → Nouakchott
Arrive in Nouadhibou and have time to rest after the train journey. Explore Nouadhibou and discover some of the city and its surroundings. Leave Nouadhibou toward Tiwilit. Stop for a picnic lunch on the beach and enjoy some time by the Atlantic Ocean. Continue toward Nouakchott.Arrive in Nouakchott and explore the city, depending on arrival time. End of the itinerary in Nouakchott.
2.5km of iron.
700km of Sahara.
One night you won't forget.
It's one of the longest trains in the world — over two hundred wagons hauling raw iron ore from the mines at Zouérat to the coast at Nouadhibou. There are no seats. No carriages built for people at all. Just steel, ore dust, and whoever else has climbed up to ride it.
You board as the sun drops, find a spot in the wagon, and watch the Sahara disappear into total darkness — no lights, no settlements, nothing but the stars and the sound of the train.
It's uncomfortable, it's cold at night and hot by day, and it is completely unlike anything else you will ever do. That is, more or less, the entire point.
What's included
- Accommodation[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Meals[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Local transport during the expedition[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- The Iron Train experience[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Expedition lead[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Local guide[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
What's not included
- International flights[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Visa[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Travel insurance[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
- Personal expenses[CONFIRM WITH SOFIA]
This is not a luxury holiday
— and that's exactly why you're here.
Basic accommodation — sometimes a bed, sometimes a mat and a sleeping bag.
Long drives on rough desert tracks.
Dust. In your bag, your hair, your food. Everywhere.
Early mornings and late arrivals.
An overnight train ride with no seats and no schedule you can rely on.
Plans that change when the desert decides they should.
None of this is a warning. It's the whole reason the story is worth telling afterwards. If you want predictable, this isn't your trip. If you want real, keep scrolling.
Expedition memories
From the last group
Who you'll travel with
Sofia started Dauntless after her first ride on this exact train.
She built this trip because she wanted to bring people together who'd never normally meet — and hand them an experience worth remembering. The full story's on the About page, but the short version: she's Italian, she's based sometimes in Spain, and she'd rather be in the desert.
Meet Sofia →Questions
Most Dauntless trips start in Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott. [CONFIRM WITH SOFIA] for the exact meeting point, time and flight connections.
Ready to get
a little dusty?
15 travellers. One train. A ridiculous amount of desert.
No payment is required to request your place. Once your availability is confirmed, your spot will be held exclusively for you for 72 hours. If we don't hear back from you within those 72 hours, the spot will become available again.