Ouadane

Oasis town in Mauritania's Adrar desert, where caravan-era ruins crumble above palm groves and a dry wadi.

Ouadane had its glory days when the slave and gold caravans between Morocco and Ghana made their last stop here. That was long ago. Now there is just a quiet oasis town left, a UNESCO World Heritage Site slowly crumbling in the desert.

The wadi and date palm groves are still lush below the cliff, and east of the modern town the ruins of the Ksar el Klali fort and the old mosque look out over the Adrar plateau. There is also a small Museum of Ouadane and a library of ancient manuscripts you can visit.

Ouadane is about 120 kilometres from Chinguetti and double that from Atar. Rides are irregular. If you are driving yourself, you will need a 4WD, and a guide is advisable — especially for the route between Chinguetti and Ouadane.

Guide

Getting There

Ouadane is about 240 kilometres northeast of Atar and around 120 kilometres from Chinguetti. Despite the shorter distance, Chinguetti is not a reliable base for getting here — most vehicles in the Adrar go through Atar, which is the regional transport hub.

From Atar, occasional 4WD taxis and Land Cruisers make the run to Ouadane when there is enough demand. There is no fixed schedule; ask around the garage and be prepared to wait a day or two. The journey takes roughly four to five hours on piste.

From Chinguetti, the direct route to Ouadane crosses open desert and requires a guide. Do not attempt it without one — the piste is unmarked in places and the consequences of getting lost in the Adrar in summer are serious. Some travellers hire a guide and vehicle for a loop that covers both towns and takes two to three days.

Self-drive is possible with a well-equipped 4WD, GPS, satellite phone or PLB, and sufficient water and fuel. The piste from Atar is more straightforward than the Chinguetti route. A local guide is still strongly recommended for either approach.

Guide

Things to Do

Ouadane's pleasures are quiet ones. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed alongside Chinguetti as one of the ancient caravan cities of the Mauritanian Sahara, and what survives here is genuinely moving — crumbling coral-stone walls, a clifftop mosque with an ostrich-egg finial, date palms bending over a dry wadi.

Start on the cliff east of the modern settlement, where the ruins of the Ksar el Klali fort and the old mosque look out over the Adrar plateau. Then wind down through the date palm groves of the wadi before stopping in at the small museum. The library holds manuscripts from the caravan era — ask at the museum to arrange a visit.