Zouerat Transportation

This is a very nice person. He helped us all the way to the border with Western Sahara. Of course nothing on this trip to Mauritania end up going as planed, also with him hehehe, but for sure you can trust him and he will try to do what is necessary to pass you all the tracks to the border. We paid him. I am not going to tell how much because it’s his business and your business. Now, go by me, this is the guy YOU SHOULD TRUST! Remember I also came to Mauritania on a 4x4, and had other guides and other problems, more than once… My trip was not a one time experience but more than 4, and with different vehicles and hiring different guides which were not very good and untruthful. Ripping you off taking money out of you…
He lives in Choum. His house is near the mosque and he says he is the only one that has a “auberge” in town. hehehe, its not a “auberge” but in the future I know it will be. Its his own house, along with his wonderful family.

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Train between Choum and Nouadhibou went off as we were asked a lot of money and had to wait 4 more days until it wrould arrive. For what I understood, if I would pay about 100 euros, they would possibly put it the on the train the day after, but they asked for about 70 euros for a 4 days maybe a week waiting in Choum, plus money for passengers. This is not good price and we didn’t do it. At this point, it wasn’t a matter of money of course. We had the money, but we didn’t want to pay someone 3 times more the normal money to make this trip in a country that the normal monthly salary is about 30 euros maximum 50 euros. After a very warm and strong conversation with the responsible of the train and cars, we end up going up to Bir Moghrein and try to get out of Mauritania, following the way to the North on the forbidden tracks of Bir Moghrein along the Polisario Guerrilla.

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We got stuck in the sand and after a couple of hours of digging we got some paid help from local people that after asking for money gave us a help from their very old 4x4 Toyota. As soon as we got to Choum, our deal went off and they stay asking for 3 times more the money and threatened with police and violence. If this happens insist also with police. This will calm people and the people you are dealing, as they are also afraid of police. Always when asking for help, write down the price you dealt and make the person sign it. This was the best solution the police man in Choum advised me to do next time. But I some how end up paying only 5 euros more and gave him 2 t-shirts and some pencils to his sons and the story ended.

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*Asphalt about 20km after Atar
Orange sand on the end of the asphalt road for about 100m. Very tough sand. Good for 4x4 tough. be prepared for many rocks under the sand. Be careful for some locals that might be prepared to help you for a bit of money and maybe even want to drive your car and pass the sand: maybe run away with the car, maybe break it and you have to stay there, with them…
Desert tracks all the way.
There are no marks for the road. Supposedly you just have to follow other car tracks and keep in mind there always a big mountain on your right side. Half the way and after the big descend to the Valley where you start to see that specific mountain, there is a lot of sand. You cannot tell its sand almost but the floor cracks and you get inside it due to the weight of you car or even your feet.
The landscape here is impressive. You have lots of palm trees after Atar for some dozen of kms, and after you drive straight until you have a huge descend. From above you can see the huge mountains and the huge desert forming in front of your eyes.

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This is a very requested information about North Mauritania and the not easy tracks to enter Western Sahara by Gueltat Zemour from Bir Moghrein.

Bir Moghrein is a lost village somewhere in the North of Mauritania. Its was an old military Spanish post and still a fortress can be seen exactly on the virtual border with Mauritania and the unprotected area of the Moroccan Western Sahara.
Here I hope I will instruct in all someone needs to know about how to get to Bir Moghrein and possibly make the route to enter Western Sahara. I should always remind that from when I passed there until the present date of Feb 05, at least 2 European groups of travellers were kidnapped and taken hostage and asked for money to the authorities of their native countries. One group was from Germany and the other was from The Nederland. I know also that in the South part of the country, a group of travellers from Qatar were kidnapped and taken from the no mans land between Mauritania and Mali South east part. Also in the beginning of the year a traveller was almost shot and his car taken away from him in a major city on the Mauritanian coast right inside his camping place.
Bir Moghrein is located on the Northern region of Tiris-Zemmour and this is the way to get to Tindouf resistant and refugees from Western Sahara back from the 80´s and 70´s. This refugee camp is about 20,000 people and full of new generations that never actually went to Western Sahara (although pride goes beyond all and they say they will never go even if the Moroccan Government wants them. Latest news say Moroccan King Mohammad VI is trying to bring those people back to Morocco, their living conditions should be much better for them. Even Moroccans say “what are they doing there with Algerians? They should come to their country.

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