One Wild Ride in Mauritania!

So it all started off with a layover in June on our way to Poland. Over the last couple of years Jake and I have each started following other travelers, especially the ones more experienced than us. It’s a great resource for not only information on destinations but also a wealth of inspiration and entertainment. So there we are, in the airport having just stepped off the plane and regaining service on our phones and he saw it. One of the most adventurous travelers we follow is going back to Mauritania to do the Iron Ore Train and he’s opening the trip up to others. Are we in? Of course.

Our Group

Now I know Solo Travel is all the rage these days and some people even get a little snobby about it but we are a package deal. All corniness aside, he’s my best friend! Is every trip or idea up my alley or his? No, but I enjoy being challenged by things outside of my comfort zone and so does he. We are simpatico in that way. More often than not though, we want to experience everything, collect all that life has to offer so we tend to be “YES!” guys. What’s even better than traveling just me and him? Traveling with me and him and a small group of other “YES!” people who are also trying to squeeze every experience out of this life! The people we have met throughout or travels have left lasting impressions on us. I highly recommend following https://onestep4ward.com on Facebook or Instagram and joining one of his future trips. Johnny is a very impressive individual who plans some pretty wild rides!

Itinerary Before the Train

When you fly into Mauritania you land in Nouakchott but that’s not where the train is so I guess you could go straight there via driver or…

…you can have a beach day in Western Africa > https://wp.me/pggpHV-g <

…you can camp in an oasis in the desert > https://wp.me/pggpHV-2L <

…you can jump sand dunes in the Sahara >link blog<

…you can check out the ancient moving city of Chinguetti >link blog<

…and then you can drive out to Western Sahara in Toyota Hiluxs, find a little spot to hide out behind the sand dunes, make a fire and listen for the sound of the oncoming train. And when you hear it? You dive and all your new adventure loving friends dive into the trucks and follow that train until it comes to a brief stop.

Then you pile in and start digging down to make a spot for the night… Like seriously, you dig a spot to lay a little foam mat in to keep your body off the cold wet iron. For us, we had 4 people sleeping in our cart so we chose to dig a big rectangle at the front of the cart so we would be shielded from the wind and the ore blowing from the cart in front of us. We all put our bedding down, snapped some pics and snuggled up into our sleeping bags. The train was already moving by the time our spots were dug and it didn’t take long to feel so removed from civilization. I mean, almost all of Mauritania feels far removed from civilization but on the train? Vastness everywhere. The desert feels unending.

I expected to have a long story about staying awake most of the night. I expected to come across hardships and funny oops moments in the night in the desert but I’ll be honest with you, once the adrenaline wasn’t pumping and all the laughs were had we snuggled up and it was quite a nice night. Literally one of the best nights sleep of this entire 18 day trip! I thought the squeal of the train would make it impossible to dose off but at some point it shifted into white noise, what seemed like jerking and clunking turned into a gentle rocking, the cold when paired with the right gear felt nice. I’m not sure who the first one was to fall asleep but I think I was the last, I was the last one moving around for sure and instead of waking up a hundred times I only woke up once, opened my eyes to the stars and let the train rock me back to sleep. 6 am will be coming soon…

Tricked ya! 5:30 came and I woke up on my own, I knew alarms would be going off soon for the others to ensure we would all be up for the sunrise expected around 6:30 so I just laid there and soaked it all in. One by one heads emerged from sleeping bags and soon the sky began to turn colors.

Once up the fun began – Photos for days, feeling like the coolest people on Earth!

The Dismount

For us we hit Nouadhibou around 11:30 in the morning but this can fluctuate by quite a bit. Honestly between hopping on the train last night around 10:30 and being able to hop off by noon the next morning I feel like we hit the jackpot as far as wait time to get on the train and then off before the midday sun in the desert. We’ve heard stories of 29 hour days on the train! Eek!

Once the train slowed we gathered our stuff and prepared to jump off as soon as it stopped. We get a quick few photos with the rest of our group that had scattered among the train carts in all our iron covered glory and then we skedaddle right out of there! At this point in time the Iron Ore Train is illegal to ride on so we want to get out of the area before any security is flagged about us.

Our time on the train is over but next stop is the showers!!!

We need it!!!

Preparation = Success

I think the key part of having a great night on the train is that Jake and I took the advice we were given to heart and came prepared for the cold. Here is a list of must-haves in my opinion if you are considering taking on the Iron Train Challenge:

• Base Layer – For me I wore my Lululemon Aligns and the Athleta Momentum top, these are my go to base layer even though I have others specifically made for the job, I just like the fit and feel of these more! Jake wore his Dope Snow base layers, we really like their brand, great quality and reliably warm!
• Top Layer – I went for a pop of color and wore my Free People bright pink overalls because honestly, since I bought them I hadn’t found the perfect time to wear them yet and this felt right! I layered a down jacket under for warmth. Jake went with just a good pair of windbreakerish joggers and his favorite hoodie.
• Socks – Smartwool, Darn Tough, idk, whatever good warm brand of hiking socks I grabbed and threw in the bag!
• Snow Goggles – Jake just wore a pair from an old skiing trip, I wanted to get cute ones so I bought a pair on Amazon. No regrets, definitely take some goggles! (I think I saw one of the other guys in our group with swim goggles on! hehehe)
• Scarf or Balaclava – A balaclava would work if you have one left after a ski trip but I think buying a scarf from the local market to shield your face feels a lot more fun and your purchase helps the local economy! Win-Win!
• Sleeping Bag – Okay here is where I think our real genius move was. Jake found a killer sleeping bag with arm holes and the ability to unzip your feet only. We were able to hangout and congregate even hopping up to grab something from a bag without getting out of our nice warm cocoon 🙂 We loved the bags so much I’m going to link them here! https://a.co/d/3tjKS21
• Mat, extra blanket and snacks! – Before driving out to the desert to wait for the train we headed to the market in Choum to pick up supplies. A thin foam mat was my best friend on the train!

Thank you for coming along on our journey with us! Over and over again we are seeing that traveling and doing “out of the box” experiences are so much more accessible than most would believe, and what you get from these experiences are priceless.