Nouadhibou City Mauritania

Before independence, the town was called Port Etienne by the French colonists after the first boat which arrived here at the Etienne port. Since independence in 1960, it has been called Nouadhibou, which means Place of the Jackal. Many jackals used to come and drink water in a well.

In 2005, the highway between Nouadhibou and Nouakchott was completed. There is now a clean half-way stop at the 235-km mark built by a Moroccan business where you can get a fresh cup of coffee and tasty sandwiches as well as a tajine, a kind of meat stew. They also have separate toilets for men and women, and a simple tire changing shop. Nearby is the entrance to the Blanc d’Arguin national park.

Cansado: Means tired in Spanish. This area is about 10 km from Keran. It was built by the French in 1960, for the workers of the SNIM mining company. It has a nice hotel, tennis courts, and petanque grounds.

Keran: The town center was built in 1958. The central police, customs, banks, office supply, and central market are here.

Things to do Nouadhibou city Mauritania

Bay of Nouadhibou Ship Graveyard

Mauritania’s Bay of Nouadhibou is spotted with rusting hulks in every direction, ships that were cheaper to illegally abandon in the harbor than to correctly dismantle.

Blanc d’Arguin national park

A small nature reserve with an excellent information center, dedicated to the colony of endangered Mediterranean monk seals that live here. Resembling elephant seals, these grey-skinned animals have been hunted since the 15th century for their valuable skins and oil. The protected colony here of roughly 150 seals is one of the last on earth (less than 500 worldwide). The colony is at the foot of the cliffs; you have a reasonable chance of seeing them swimming offshore.

Supermarche le bon choix

Largest and nicest supermarket in Nouadhibou with an upstairs cafe where regulars go for coffee, pastries and catch football games on TV.

How to get to Nouadhibou city Mauritania

Road travelers can drive from Western Sahara/Morocco in less than an hour from the border. Alternatively, travelers coming from the south, such as Senegal or the capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott, will find that the road between the two main cities takes about 5 hours on the country’s best road.

Where to stay in Nouadhibou city Mauritania

Being the countries second most developed city some of the accommodation to look out for include free zone hotels, Hotel Valencia, Hotel tasiast, and Apartment Selem suites hotels.