Tenochertoise Hike (8-day trip, including 6 days of hiking)
Highlights: Chinguetti – Ouadane – Tenochert – Rghewiya camp – the rhythm of the camel caravan – overnight camps.
J 1 PARIS - ATAR
Arrival in Atar (charter flight) or Nouakchott (scheduled flight; in this case, the itinerary will be adjusted). Meet and greet by our team, followed by transfer to the lodge. Overnight in Atar.
J 2 ATAR - OUADANE - AMDL EL GUEBLI
Early morning departure for Ouadane via a rough track (3 hours), followed by a tour of the old town and its surroundings. Dinner and overnight stay in a camp at Amdl El Guebli.
“Ouadane means ‘the two wadis’ (two valleys): the wadi of knowledge, which is the city due to the number of scholars and manuscripts, and the wadi of dates. For Ouadane is the city that introduced the date palm to Mauritania some 1,400 years ago, and there are over eighty varieties of date palms there!!"
J 3 AMDL EL GUEBLI - TENOCHERT
We stay in the dunes of the erg, walking due west toward the beautiful little palm grove of Tenochert. Campsite
J 4 TENOCHERT - RGHEWIYA
We leave the small palm grove of Tenochert via the northern pass. We have a picnic under the acacia trees of Lemheybess before arriving at the semi-nomadic camp of Rghewiya. We set up camp. A small dance party at our Moorish friends’ place.
J 5 RGHEWIYA - MEZROUGATT
We leave the Rghewiya camp and head southwest through the beautiful dunes of Teijert. We set up camp at N’touchat.
J 6 MEZROUGATT - TWEYIRET
From Mezrougatt, we continue our camel trek through the beautiful interdune valleys toward Lemreyveg, in the Chinguetti Valley. We follow the batha, where acacias and leptadenias mingle with balanites, before setting up camp on a beautiful dune facing the small Tweyiret palm grove.
J 7 TWEIYIRET - CHINGUETTI
Continuing due west, we press on through the beautiful dunes of the Erg Ouarane toward the ancient caravan city of Chinguetti, where we arrive around midday. Visit one of the oldest libraries (ancient manuscripts) and the ruins of the ancient city of Chinguetti, considered the seventh holy city of Islam. Overnight at the inn.
“Chinguetti has about ten libraries, four of which are open to the public. Some items in these collections date back to the 11th century, including some written on gazelle skins. Most of these works deal with religion and the Quran, but many cover science, geometry, or literature. The city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.”
J 8 CHINGUETTI - ATAR
Return to Atar and flight to France.
