Bir Moghrein, lost village in Northern Mauritania on the way of the Polisario Guerrilla going to Tindouf. This is now off the beaten path since authorities closed this desert tracks to foreigners due to the last kidnappings. How to get there?
Bir Moghrein, lost village in Northern Mauritania Bir Moghrein, lost village in Northern Mauritania
Bir Moghrein is located in the Northern region of Tiris-Zemmour. This village is located 360 meters above sea level and to get there it seems you just passed the Moon. Incredible scenery. Heading north to Bir Moghrein is mainly for experiencing the landscape. The landscape in this region of Mauritania called Ghallamane, is subjugated by many guelbs (crater-like depressions) with very aged rock formations. To get to Bir Moghrein you have to drive north from Zouerat 440km of desert tracks, mountains and black rocks that makes you think you're in another planet. Bir Moghrein is something like a military post and has nothing really to see for the normal tourist. But if you're the normal tourist Mauritania will not be an election country. People are great though, maybe because they are not very used to see tourists. Bir Moghrein is located 600km from Tindouf refugee camp of Polisario Front (which I found on Rich Mountains) and The Sarawi Front for the liberation of Western Sahara. Now and after my passage in 2004, only 2 groups of foreigners have passed. They got this authorization from a local guide that somehow paid-off someone to be able to get them to pass thru. The 2 groups before them (Germans and Dutch) were kidnapped and asked for ransom. How to get to 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.
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 travelers 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 Netherlands. I know also that in the South part of the country, a group of travelers from Qatar were kidnapped and taken from the no mans land between Mauritania and Mali South east part.
This is all very complicated and we shouldn't forget about some people that say that Algeria only gives force to Polisario because they want a piece of the Atlantic? Algeria want Atlantic?! Do they?? I don't want to be turning this text to any political statement, but I'm trying to follow my travelers logic from stuff I hear and see on the road, after visiting Mauritania and Western Sahara 4 times and more than 16 times to Morocco. To get to Bir Moghrein you have to drive north from Zouerat 440km of desert tracks, mountains and black rocks that makes you think you're in another planet.
This is the route you should make to get there:Atar - Choum +-120kmChoum - Touajil - Fderik - Zouerat +-250kmZouerat - Bir Moghrein +-440kmAfter is the route to Morocco trough Gueltat Zemmour Bir Moghrein - Fortress border Western Sahara +-56km
Fortress on the border with Western Sahara - "Le Mure" +-40km
Atar -> Choum +-120kmAsphalt about 20km after Atar - Orange sand on the end of the asphalt road for about 100m. Very tough sand. Good for 4×4 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 km's, 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.
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 4×4 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.
Train between Choum and Nouadhibou went off as we were asked a lot of money and had to wait 4 more days until it would 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.
BEST HELP IN CHOUM Moulay ShariffThis 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 4×4, 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.
If it wasn’t for this guy we wouldn’t make it to Morocco on this part of Tiris-Zemmour. He drove a small Opel Corsa through 9km of dunes after Touajil, help us to get local pick up trucks to my friends and to all our baggage with local price payment (4-6 euros for the whole day of journey looks like it was local price to me). He got us some people to bring us to the Fortress after Bir Moghrein. This is very important help! For my experience, you should trust someone else…as this is a damn good tip. You can print out this picture and ask for him in the Choum. Even if someone tells you he is not there, just go to his family and wait 2 days even. You can stay there for a minimum payment (you will decide after. it depends if you want food, but price goes from 5 to 15 euros…its all up to you.)
Choum -> Zouerat +-250km(Choum -> Touajil -> Fderik -> Zouerat +-250km)
This is a very rough journey. Usually local 4×4 make the shortest and fast way through the train tracks where they hit their tires against the protective objects that exist on the tracks preventing vehicles to drive there. They still do it and get their tires flat of course. if you are careful and whenever you see one of this protection you can drive out of the train tracks. Also advisable is to get out when you see a train…hehehe, but maybe fast cos you can get stuck in sand on the way out, this can happen also with 4×4 of course. The train takes 10km's to stop…hehehe, as it’s the biggest train of the world.
The other solution is to go inside the dunes after the small village of Touajil. The local transportation pick up trucks don’t do this way cos they usually have too much weight and can get easily stuck in sand. This was the way my small city car went to. Moulay Shariff drove it and we actually passed one 4×4 stuck in sand, that when we passes they were really surprised of being stuck and a small city car passing them. Moulay Shariff said that he have done those dunes also with a Citroen 2c long time ago. He said “it’s the driver, not the car, LOOK AT THEM!!".
Zouerat -> Bir Moghrein +-440kmI was coming by a small car and my friends which had to switch to a Toyota pick up truck due to the extreme weight on our small car, too much weight for the desert tracks that connected Zouerat to Bir Moghrein, making the total of 440km of tracks.
After two days of discussion in Zouerat trying to head north to Morocco, finally we got a option. Moulay Sheriff was very friendly and helpful and got us a solution to put all our cargo and 2 people inside a local bus pick up truck. The car now would only go with 2 people inside which would be much better to drive on the desert tracks and the enormous amount of sand also found on the way. each person paid 1500UM for the 440km journey that too almost 20 hours. For me, well, I was the one driving, but for the ones on top of the truck, that was a hard journey.
This is indeed the most impressive of all landscapes in Mauritania and indeed one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen ever on my traveling.
Half the way you pass the Rich Mountains, where on top you have a small cafe that usually have some Polisario taking some tea, painting new car plates with new numbers. No I think this is where the problem can be for many people. This is one of the dangers, as many people know that many old Polisario fighters from the old times are very nice and believe in victory for Western Sahara in the future. This are good working people fighting for their belief. But also remember that Polisario has a lot, a lot of smugglers, criminals and bandits assassins that kidnap and kill… Also the young generation of Polisario are quite rude and don’t know what they are fighting for… (Again personal opinion after being with then for many hours. They were rude, opposite to the older guys who were very polite and talk about their beliefs, but not the young ones.)
We were taken inside this wrecked house in the top of the rich mountains by this young Polisario boy who took us to his “superior”. We were offered tea and joked about all the time until we went away and I said he was not honest and not polite. When he would give me the respect I give him and his cause, then I speak with him. and we went away. They were very rough and said they were Polisario and we should be afraid, etc… not with me. Although I think we were very lucky, cos we are Portuguese and one girl was Spanish. The old guys saluted us and instructed the young one to take care of their Spanish friends. Spain always gave support to the Polisario cause and with this we got some extra luck! Remember this also as other nationalities don’t work the same. On the same route, others get kidnapped…
The cafe or restaurant on top of the Rich Mountains. This is the only stop existing in the way. Lots of km's without a living soul but here, incredible. This is divided in different parts. right side for tea and business men like Saharawis and Polisario. Then goes for a small shop with some food water and and other goods, then goes to the women part, men not allowed and like a hotel on the last door. sleeping area.
In Bir MoghreinWe got to the police check point on the town and stayed there until they stamped our passports out, and we knew that was going to be the beginning of our big adventure as there is no entry police control stop on the Mauritanian side and also on the Moroccan border. No man's land was coming.
Right as you arrive in the village you have to make yourself a presentation to the police station. this may take a few hours and they will stamp your passport and write something that you have arrive in Bir Moghrein. Stamp from the Bir Moghrein Army Post date etc…
Bir Moghrein -> Fortress on the border +-56km(Bir Moghrein -> Fortress on the border with Western Sahara (on Michelin Map it’s the star))
We had to make 96km until a place known has "Le Mure" or "the wall" which consists of a thousand km wall separating Morocco from the land mines of the Western Sahara land, full of Front Polisario activist and many pirates that can appear and try to kidnap you or rob you in the middle of the desert.
From Bir Moghrein to “the wall” was about 40km.
There are blue marks for UN free of mines tracks that can be easily be done with 4×4. Although some landmines mysteriously change place…
This blue marks are just a few pilled stones on the floor that are painted in blue.
There's a point on the map that you can see that is a star. That start is a local of interest. Here on the picture you can see which one is it. Its the exact point where Mauritania ends, and the no man's land between Morocco and lost and unprotected land mined western Sahara full of pirates begin.
you have 40km until the military Moroccan check point.
Fortress on the border -> “Le Mure" 36km's(Fortress on the border with Western Sahara -> “Le Mure”)
NO Man’s LAND. BE careful be careful be careful. mines, pirates… old asphalt road broken by explosions at least 4 times until the “WALL”. 2 of the times was quite hard to pass. about 36km's.
“Le Mure” -> Way to Gueltat ZemmourYou get to the wall and you have to deliver your passport to the Moroccan authorities. You stay under Moroccan army custody maybe even for a few days. Don’t go out of the asphalt as it has lots of land mines. You have to wait maybe up to a few days to get the permission to go inside morocco with army convoy just for you until Layoune to get a stamp from the airport costumes.
This Moroccan army people are gentle polite and love to talk to someone, as it passes weeks in a row where they don’t see nothing exiting or new like a group of scared tourist coming from Mauritania hehehe.
We were given water (which was already over for many hours), cheese, fresh bread and very tasty olives. WELCOME TO MOROCCO AND WONDERFUL PEOPLE! we camped in a small area free of mines.
Gueltat Zemmour ->To LayouneWe got permission and headed to Gueltat Zemmour with army 4×4 on the front of us. Due to much sand also in this part (no road exists, or many parts are really in bad shape that is better to go into the sand), again my friends had to jump off the car and be transported on the army Toyota until Layoune.
