Kediet ej Jill
Mountain in Mauritania
A mountain in Tiris Zemmour, Mauritania, between Fderick, to its west, and the city of Zouérat, to its east.
Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0
MR · Curated travel guide
Mauritania: 10 places worth the journey
Kediet ej Jill, Ben Amera, Chinguetti Mosque and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- Language
- Arabic, Berer
- Currency
- MRU
What to see in Mauritania
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about Mauritania and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets.
Ben Amera
Monolith in Mauritania
The largest monolith in Africa, rising 633 metres (2,077 ft) above the desert floor; only Australia's Uluru is bigger.
Photo: Les3corbiers, CC BY-SA 3.0
Chinguetti Mosque
Mosque in Chinguetti, Adrar, Mauritania
Also called the Chinguetti Great Mosque, a Sunni mosque in Chinguetti, in Mauritania's Adrar Region. The minaret of this ancient building is claimed to be the second-oldest in continuous use anywhere in the Muslim world.
Photo: Mohamed Natti, CC BY-SA 4.0
Agrour Amogjar
Mountain peak in Mauritania
A peak 690 m high near the Amogjar Pass, on the Adrar plateau of central Mauritania, whose small natural shelters hold a rich but damaged collection of rock paintings.
Photo: Clemens Schmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tenoumer crater
Impact crater in Mauritania
A crater in Mauritania, probably made by an impact.
Photo: NASA, Public domain
Aoukar
Natural region in Mauritania
Also called Erg Aoukar, a geological depression in south-eastern Mauritania, south of the Tagant Plateau, between Néma and Kiffa.
Photo: Wilson McMakin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dakhlet Nouadhibou
Bay in Mauritania
A bay on Mauritania's Atlantic shore, which gives its name to the Dakhlet Nouadhibou Region, one of the country's main administrative divisions.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Saudi Mosque
Mosque in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Also called the Nouakchott Grand Mosque, a Sunni mosque in Nouakchott, Mauritania, southwest of the Presidential Palace and right next to the Chamber of Commerce, on its west side.
Photo: Initsogan, Public domain
Oued Seguellil
River in Adrar Region, Mauritania
A wadi in Mauritania that starts on the Adrar Plateau and runs south-west through the town of Atar before petering out in the sands around it.
Photo: Clemens Schmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Mauritania
Officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a West African country in the Maghreb. Western Sahara lies to its north and northwest, Algeria to its northeast, Mali to its east and southeast, Senegal to its southwest and the Atlantic to its west. By land area it is 11th in Africa and 28th in the world, and 90% of it lies in the Sahara.
Officially The Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Known locally as Muritan / Agawec, Mūrītānyā موريتانيا.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in Mauritania?
This guide lists 10: Kediet ej Jill, Ben Amera, Chinguetti Mosque and Agrour Amogjar and others.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in Mauritania that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
What language is spoken in Mauritania, and what currency?
Arabic, Berer. The currency is MRU.
How do I get mobile data in Mauritania?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $14.05 for 1GB for 7 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in Mauritania?
A local host network. Your phone picks the strongest signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to a local network once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 11 Computatus eSIM plans for Mauritania from $14.05
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB for 7 days Cheapest | 1 GB | 7 days | $14.05 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $15.61 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $29.66 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $37.48 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 30 days | 3 GB | 30 days | $39.81 | Get it → |
| 3GB per day | 3 GB | 1 day | $42.15 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.