Most travellers come to Chinguetti not only for the town itself but for the desert beyond it, and the auberges here will all organise camel or 4WD trips of any length you can pay for. A short overnight loop into the nearest dunes — leave in the afternoon, sleep on a blanket under the stars, return after a sunrise camel ride — is enough to give you a taste. Three to four days lets you walk to the Eye of the Richat (the Guelb er Richat) crater visible from space, or to the abandoned ksar at Ouadane.
The basic kit is included in the trip price: camels, a guide-cum-cook, blankets, water, simple meals (rice with goat or chicken, vegetables when possible) and three-glass tea after every stop. You provide stamina, a turban (a chech, easily bought in town), and a sense of humour about the lack of comforts. Rates were around US$30–50 per person per day in recent years; agree everything in writing in advance.