Atar Voyages is a licenced travel agency listed in the Mauritanian Ministry of  tourism under the  licence number  A - N°67 NR 709 /MCIT/DT.  The agency is independent and has no affiliated partner. All tour , journey or car rental is negociated directly with Seck Mar Boulkeir , the owner. 

The agency is listed as RECOMMANDED PARTNER in the guide eBiz since 2021, and the guide.

Tel : (whatsapp)  00 222 46 57 67 61 / (whatsapp) 00 33 6 56 70 39 94.
Email : atarvoyage@gmail.com

An experimented Mauritanian French speaking team of 20 years in the tourism sector will take care of you. The team is composed of experienced guides , cooks, camel herders and drivers. For non French speaking groups, you will be accompanied by  billingual staff.

Vehicles:

We use recent, comfortable and air conditionned 4X4 Hilux cars,  as well as comfi sedan cars to drive intown. We can also rent vehicles without drivers.

Included in the price :

Transfer from and to the airport (Atar or Nouakchott), full board, 4x4 vehicles, entrances to cultural places that are included in the tour.

Our prices are indicated for groups of at least four people. If you are a lone traveller, or less than four, please contact us for an individual quotation.

Passport and visa :

Valid passport needed (please check the validity date extends to the following 6 months after your return).

Visa compulsory - delivered at the airports (Nouakchott and Atar) and at the Moroccan / Mauritanian border (55 € in cash/ may also be paid in dollars or in Moroccan Dihram). For nationals other than French please contact your embassy or consulate.

Jabs and vaccine + covid informations:

Sanitary pass is compulsory: Either a full vaccination scheme or a PCR test 72 hours before your journey (please check since regulations may change regularly)

No vaccine compulsory. Please check vaccine recommandations with your Ministry of Foreign Affairs  or the Institute Pasteur. We strongly recommand that you are up to date for the usual jabs (diphtéria tétanos-poliomyélitis, pertussis, tuberculosis, typhoïd fever, hepatitis A and B).

Insurances :

Before your departure,  please check that your insurance covers all medical costs and emergency return travel costs: countries covered, amount, risks (For your information a minimal coverage amount of 10.000 € is recommended). Be explicit of your country of destination to make sure it is not an exclusion zone.

Currency :

The current Mauritanian currency is  the new Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRU). Please be aware that many Mauritanians still use the ancient Ouguiya and add an additionnal zero when talking (Ex:  300 MRO= old 3000 MRU). Indicative Currency rate: 100 MRU ≈ 2.30 €.  You can change your currency at the airport at the currency exchange office.  Shops won't accept credit cards and even though cash machines are more common, it is still difficult to find one outside the capital city and the other two big towns (Atar and Nouadhibou).

Payment and payment timelines :

We accept the following payment methods: Paypal, bank transfer, cash.

Every time we plan a trip we make reservations on your behalf. We are a small touring company and do not have investment capital and cannot afford to cover these costs up front in full. We therefore have a prepayment policy of 50% of the tour cost on confirming the tour and the remaining  50% by or on the first day of the tour.

Cancellation policy:

If cancellation is necessary and made at least 21 days in advance of the confirmed tour start date, we will refund 50% of your prepayment (equates to 25% of the total cost).

If cancellation is necessary and made within 21 days of the confirmed tour start date, you can choose to reschedule the tour and push the start date back to a further date, and you will not lose any costs of your trip. However, if cancellation is absolutely necessary we will be unable to provide a refund of the prepayment amount (50% of the trip cost) due to having already booked local reservations on your behalf.

Weather conditions: Mauritania is a Saharan country. Temperatures are usually warm during the day. Nights can be cool or even cold during winter months. From April onwards, temperatures go up until July and August (the hotest months). In October temperatures start to decrease again. It may be rainy during the months of July and August (It is called"hivernage"). 

• Charters POINT AFRIQUE from Paris to  Atar   (usually from October to March).
• Regular flights (Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish airlines, Tunisair, Air Sénégal...) to Nouakchott. In this case 2 days will be added from and to the airport as well as 1  or 2 additionnal nights in a hotel or B and B in Nouakchott, depending on the flight schedule.

          As a reminder visas are purchased upon the arrival at the airports.

Some travellers may prefer to reach Mauritania by road. Some shipping companies(La Méridionale, GNV, Baléaria) cross the Mediterranean see from Sète and Marseille in the south of  France, and from Barcelone and Algésiras in Spain (please check covid restrictions) , and arrive in Tanger ou Nador in Morocco (Africa)). The 55 euros visa may be purchased at the Mauritanian border. We can welcome you at the border and help you in all the administrative steps if you wish us to do so.

Transfer to and from the airport :

All transfers are in minibus or 4x4 from and to the airport.

Food:

All meals are prepared by an experienced cook with local produce. It may vary accoring to availabilty and location. All menus are simple but elaborated with the best ingredients available. The cook will always prepare local specialties (couscous, tajine, Saharan bread, soup, ksour ...). During breaks you will be served Mauritanian (Saharan) mint tea with some local snacks (peanuts, camel herders buiscuits, dates).

Water:

Even if seldom in the desert, it will be served in sufficient quantities (water from the wells/or mineral water). Please take 1 or  2 water bottles fro your journey/ We may sometimes recommand to use purifying pastils (hydroclonazone or Micropur ) to desinfect the water (even though most of the time we use mineral water).

Difficulty :

4X4 tours don't represent any difficulty (please be aware it may be bumpy at times). Treks require a slight physical preparation (Treks in the sand, slight differences in height, high temperatures may be reached during the day) but are not particularly difficult and young children can easily do it too.

Sustainability and solidarity:

All our team and partners on site are Mauritanians : Bed and Breakfasts, hotels, Shops (Food, craft...). Therefore a tour contributes to the local economy of the region since it enables a whole range of the population to benefit.
You are also welcome to bring clothes, medications, school tools..... that we distribute to village leaders, school directors, nurses in remote dispensaries and clinics, nursery directors and local charities.

Overnight stays and outfits recommadations:
Single or double rooms. Hotels and Bed and Breakfast are modest but comfy. In the desert, you will sleep under the Khaïma (Mauritanian tent) or in individual tents (if you wish so) (tents, matresses, pillows and bedsheets are provided but bring your sleeping bag since nights in the Sahara may be cool or even cold depending on the season). You can also sleep under the stars if you wish so.

Please bring warm clothes for the nights and evening that may be cold. Bring comfy and decent clothes for the day since day temperatures can rise. Remember that you are in a Muslim country.

Depending on  the tour we may only sleep in a Bed and Breakfast. We can also  do so if it is your choice.

All our partners are experienced professionals who have worked in the tourism sector for many years which insure a high quality service in an authentical environment.

Our tours are carefully thought and built by our team and will enable you to discover or rediscover Mauritania, but you can also let us know of your wishes and will built a bespoke tour to meet your requirements and your wishes.

We also organise and take care of all the logistics of Charity tours, of raids, rallies, races, whether on foot, by 4X4, motobikes...

We offer you our expertise, our knowledge of the field, our creativity, our experience, the quality of our guides and the reliability of our partners to build a high quality trip that will meet your requirements and aspirations as you imagine it and as you feel it.
 Whether you want to be only among friends and family or you want to be included in a group/ we always have a solution for you. We can also personnalise your trip and adpt it to your own rythm and pace, and add or remove what you wish or don't wish to view. You may aslo wish a superior level of comfort, practice some activities, meet specific poeple, get to acquainted to the fauna, flora.... etc.

  This type of bespoke journey requires specific quote and approval, do not hesitate to contact us and ask.