How to Find Luxury Hotels in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Nouakchott is the largest city in the Sahara and the capital of Mauritania. The main tourist destination in Mauritania is Nouakchott. From the tourist port of Nouakchott, you can easily connect to surrounding areas by boat or plane. Nouakchott is a relatively new city, independently founded in 1960. Since then, this port city has grown by leaps and bounds to a population exceeding 800,000 people. Read on to learn how to find luxury accommodations in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Things You'll Need

• Proof of yellow fever vaccination
• Passport
• Visa
• Computer with Internet access

Instructions

Find Luxury Accommodations

1. Stay at the four-star Novotel Nouakchott Tfeila, where room prices are fairly moderate. The hotel has a bar, restaurant and pool. Call 011 ([phone] to book or visit the hotel Web site. See the Resources section below for a link.

2. Snooze safely at night behind the gated luxury accommodations in the Tavragh Zayna and Las Palmas areas of Nouakchott. The appointments are rather dated, but the grounds are safe and secure.

3. Stay close to Nouakchott's town square, and enjoy easy access to its beautiful mosque. There is also a Moroccan mosque in south Nouakchott. For more historical treasures, ask your front desk staff to point you toward the National Museum of Nouakchott.

4. Enjoy a waterfront view from accommodations near the beach, but avoid walking on the beach at night. Violent crime has reportedly been on the rise in Nouakchott beach areas.

5. Find luxury accommodations near the Cinquième district, where one-of-a-kind handicrafts can be bought during your stay in Nouakchott.

Arrive in Nouakchott

1. Fly to Nouakchott airport via Paris. There are not many flight routes to Nouakchott, however there are connecting flights to Nouakchott from Casablanca, Algiers, Dakar, Bamako, Banjul and Abidjan.

2. Hire a car service to get around Nouakchott. It is quite expensive, but for Westerners, it is the safest way to get around.

Tips & Warnings

• In Nouakchott and other major cities, police frequently put up road blocks to check identity and driver's licenses. Be sure to carry your identification cards with you at all times.

• There is no official accommodations booking Web site or phone number for Mauritania.

• Reserve your hotel room online to see updated lists of amenities.

• Dress appropriately and conservatively. Mauritania is an Islamic country, and modest dress, especially for women, is highly recommended.

• Take anti-malarial drugs before and during your visit. Mauritania is known to have frequent outbreaks of fatal malaria.

• All phone numbers include the United States international prefix "011." When calling internationally outside the United States, substitute that "011" with "00."

• All country codes are within parentheses and begin with a "+" sign.

• Roads in Nouakchott and outlying areas are generally in poor condition. Public transportation is not considered a safe alternative for transportation.

• Avoid travel in areas along Mauritania's northeast Algerian border, as well as its northeast border with Mali where terrorist attacks have occurred.

• Avoid public demonstrations and driving through large crowds. People have been known to throw rocks at cars and become violent suddenly during these demonstrations.

• Do not walk alone at night in the city.