Safety in Mauritania

Regions: Stay away from the border with Mali, where armed groups remain active. The coastal corridor and the Adrar region are the routes travellers normally use, and they behave very differently from the east.

Guides: Never head deep into the Sahara alone without a trusted local guide. Tracks disappear, and a breakdown out there is a serious situation rather than an inconvenience.

Theft: In the Nouakchott markets and on busy beaches, watch your pockets and keep phones and cameras out of sight. Violent crime against visitors is rare; opportunistic theft is not.

Mines: Some northern border areas still have landmine risk. Never leave the established vehicle tracks, no matter how flat and empty the ground looks.

Dress: Modest, covered clothing spares you unwanted attention and shows respect for local norms. This applies to men as well as women.

Sandstorms: During a storm visibility drops to nothing. Carry a mask or scarf and a water reserve at all times, especially on the train and on desert crossings.

Night driving: Travelling the highways after dark is genuinely dangerous because of wandering livestock and total absence of lighting. Plan to be off the road by sunset.

Checkpoints: There are many police checkpoints on the roads. Keep your passport and paper copies within reach, stay polite, and the process is quick. It is also worth checking your own government's travel advisory before you commit to a route.

Mauritania is a vast desert country at the meeting point of the Maghreb and Black Africa. Tourists are very few and deception as an industry does not exist.

Nouakchott. A capital without sights in the usual sense. Pickpockets at markets and theft at the port. Nobody walks at night.

The iron ore train. The main local attraction: a train over two kilometres long runs from Zouérat to Nouadhibou, and people ride it free on top of the ore. The experience is legendary and genuinely dangerous: dust, cold at night, and no communications or medical care en route. Go with local guidance and full kit.

Taxis. Agree in advance. Shared taxis are the local norm.

Currency exchange. The ouguiya is not convertible outside the country, so change on arrival and back before departure. Use banks.

Cash. Cards barely work. Bring euros in cash.

The east and the Malian border. Areas of armed group activity; travel there is categorically not advised.

Photography. Military installations, police, government buildings, the port and the airport are off limits. A permit is required for photography in several places.

Drones. Prohibited without permission and confiscated.

Alcohol is banned completely. The country is Islamic and sale and consumption are prohibited.

Drugs. The law is severe.

Dress. Modest dress is required, and a headscarf is advisable for women.

Ramadan. Strictly observed.

The desert. Trips to the Adrar, Chinguetti and Ouadane are arranged through operators. Independent Sahara travel is not possible: it needs four-wheel drive, a convoy, fuel and water reserves, and permits.

Permits. Several areas require documents obtained in advance.

Yellow fever. A certificate is required from arrivals out of endemic countries.

Malaria. Risk in the south and along the Senegal river in the rainy season. The north and the desert are free of it.

Vaccinations. Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, meningococcus, rabies and polio.

Water. Bottled only, and in the desert carry several litres per day.

Heat. Inland summers pass 45°C. Trips are planned for November to March.

Dust storms. The harmattan brings sand and visibility drops.

Healthcare. Extremely weak. Nouakchott has basic clinics. Anything serious means evacuation to France or Morocco. Insurance with evacuation cover is essential.

The ocean. The coast at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott has strong currents and no lifeguards.

Emergency numbers: 117 police, 118 fire.

Mauritania sits in the lower part of the Corruption Perceptions Index, but street crime is low.

Checkpoints. Numerous on all roads, especially between towns. A useful practice: print a dozen copies of a "fiche" — a sheet with your passport details — to hand over at each post. It is the local custom and saves a great deal of time.

Photography and the police. The commonest conflict for a foreigner.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates issued. The languages are Arabic and French.

Escorts. Arranged through an operator for travel deep into the desert.

What actually matters. In Mauritania the danger comes from the desert, distance and the absence of healthcare, along with the eastern border areas. Otherwise the country is calm and hospitality is strong.

Emergency number is 117.