The bac — the vehicle ferry that crosses the Senegal River between Mauritanian Rosso and Senegalese Rosso — is the main reason most travellers come here. It is a slow, flat-bottomed pontoon that carries cars, trucks, and foot passengers across the wide brown river, and it operates during daylight hours only. Pirogues (dugout motorboats) ferry pedestrians across more quickly and cheaply and run throughout the day.
Even if you are not crossing, the landing is worth watching for an hour. Vendors move through the crowd selling water, bread, and phone credit. Fixers and money changers work the queues. The atmosphere is busy and purposeful in a way that feels very different from the rest of the largely quiet town.