Getting Around Nouakchott
Nouakchott is a sprawling, low-rise city on the Atlantic coast of the Sahara, and it grew rapidly and largely unplanned. That matters for a visitor: the city is spread out, most buildings are only one storey, and there are few obvious landmarks to navigate by. The one reliable spine is Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, a large tree-lined street that runs northeast through the city centre from the airport and divides the city in two, with residential areas to the north and the medina quarter and the kebbe shanty town to the south. Other major streets carry the names of notable Mauritanian and international figures of the 1960s, such as Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Avenue Kennedy and Avenue Lumumba. Knowing these names will help you explain where you want to go.
Rail, Metro and Tram
There is no rail, metro or tram network in Nouakchott. The city has no urban rail of any kind, so visitors should not expect to buy a metro ticket or a transit pass for a train system. Getting around relies entirely on road transport: taxis, buses and app-based rides.
Buses and Public Transport
City buses do exist in Nouakchott, but practical information about them is essentially unavailable — routes, stops, timetables and fares are not published in any form a visitor can rely on. The source material is blunt about this: buses are only for the most adventurous travellers. If you do want to try them, treat it as an experiment rather than a plan, and have a taxi as your fallback.
For intercity travel, however, shared road transport is well established and departs from specific garages around the city:
- To and from Nouadhibou: the most comfortable option is a Mercedes taking four passengers; sept-places (seven-seat vehicles) are also available. Direct transport from Dakhla in Western Sahara can also be arranged — ask at Hotel Sahara.
- To and from Atar: minibuses leave from Garage Atar along the N1 northeast of town.
- To and from Rosso, on the Senegal border: minibuses depart from garages near Carrefour Madrid, while sept-places leave from Garage Riyadh, a few kilometres further south.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are the mainstay of getting around Nouakchott, and almost all of them are shared. The normal fare in a shared taxi is 100 UM. For non-set routes around the city, you may be asked for up to 300 UM per person. If you want the vehicle to yourself, you pay for all the seats — around 600 UM. Expect to pay considerably more for an empty taxi on a long or awkward run: between the fishing port and the city centre, for example, be prepared to pay 1,500 UM, whereas 100 UM per person should suffice if you find a shared taxi with people already in it.
There is also a Mauritanian ride-hailing option, the local equivalent of Uber, called ClassRide. You can download the app from the App Store or Play Store, or call the call centre on 1122 to book a ride in a comfortable vehicle. Fares start at 1,000 UM for trips under about four kilometres, then add 200 UM for each additional kilometre. This is a pricier but more predictable alternative to flagging a shared taxi.
Walkability
Nouakchott is not a walking city in any practical sense. It is quite spread out, built with few tall buildings and mostly one-storey structures, and it grew massively and without constraint from the 1970s onward. The city is also threatened by sand dunes advancing from its eastern side, which pose a daily problem. Walking long distances between neighbourhoods is impractical; short walks within a district or around a market area are feasible, but for anything point-to-point you should plan on a taxi or a booked ride.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport (NKC) is the city's airport and one of Mauritania's two international airports. It is the base for Mauritania Airlines, which flies from Bamako, Casablanca, Dakar, Abidjan and Nouadhibou — though the airline is not known for its punctuality. The airport also receives flights from Algiers on Air Algérie and from Paris on Air France, with other connections including Casablanca, Istanbul, Tunis and Gran Canaria.
The airport sits well north of the city, so plan your transfer in advance. Practical points to keep in mind:
- Taxis: finding a taxi at the airport can be difficult, especially late at night. Someone will usually help if you ask, but the ride will not be cheap.
- Cash: there is an ATM, but the chances of it working are low. Carry enough cash in euros or U.S. dollars to get you into town — this could be up to 50 in either currency.
- Booked rides: given the uncertainty of airport taxis, arranging a ClassRide or a pre-arranged transfer is a sensible alternative, particularly for late arrivals.
Whichever option you choose, sort out your cash before you land and decide on your transfer method before you arrive — the airport is not the place to improvise.