Away With The Steiners

Crossing the Morocco Mauritania border from Dakhla to Nouadhibou at Guerguerat.

Sarah Steiner

Are you wondering about crossing the Morocco Mauritania border from Dakhla to Nouadhibou?

The further south we traveled down the coast of Morocco the more we came to question the difficulty (and likelihood) of making this border crossing.

What have you heard about the Guerguerat border? We couldn’t find much information online (which made the decision to cross slightly more tricky).

But we know this is the only viable border crossing Morocco to Mauritania that is possible to travel overland. And for this reason we also know that many travelers take this (only) route from Morocco heading south all the way to South Africa. It is after all the main Pan-Africa road and route.

And so with what little information we had found online and a full tank of diesel we set off from Dakhla to cross the border from Morocco to Mauritania (with two kids) in our motorhome. 

The following is a complete guide with everything (hopefully) you need to know to make your crossing from Morocco to Mauritania at the Guerguerat border as smooth as possible. 

About the Guerguerat border

The Morocco-Mauritania border is 1564 kilometers (972mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with Algeria in the north-east to the Atlantic Ocean in the south-west. 

Currently the only border crossing that is open between Morocco and Mauritania is at Guerguerat; about four hours south of Dakhla. 

The Guerguerat crossing is made up of two border crossing points.  One on the Western Sahara side in Morocco and the other on the Mauritanian side, with a strip of sandy No Man’s Land in between.

Approaching the Moroccan exit terminal and crossing the Morocco Mauritania border with a motorhome.
Approaching the Moroccan exit border terminal.

What documents do you need to prepare in advance? 

Despite what you may have heard about the Morocco Mauritania border crossing it is in fact fairly straightforward with regards to documentation and anything else that is asked of you.  (Albeit the lack of complication feels somewhat watered down with the number of hours required to cross instead). 

We had been warned(?) or rather advised by many people to make more than 10 copies of each passport and of all vehicle documents. In fact, for this crossing we didn’t use any of the photocopies made.

Here is what we needed to show to cross the Morocco to Mauritania border at Guerguerat:

Getting to the Morocco Mauritania border from Dakhla

This is a long drive so definitely start early in the day. (Really, really early).

Distance-wise (according to the map) it takes around five hours to drive from Daklha to Nouadhibou (but that is without any time allowed for the long border process).

The first stage is the drive from Dakhla to the border town of Bir Gandouz and then to the Guerguerat border terminal.

The final border town of Bir Gandouz

First impressions are that there isn’t much to see or do in Bir Gandouz.  But as you are on a mission to reach the border in good time, Bir Gandouz offers the perfect (basic) lunch or brunch stop and a last chance to refuel.  

There is a Petrom Station at the beginning of the town with a small and friendly convenience store and a restaurant that serves a good tea and coffee all on the same site.  

A further kilometer down the road there is one hotel (Hotel Barbas) where it is possible to stay or park the night if needed and a second service station (Shell). 

Petrom Station at Bir Gandouz; the final border town before entering Mauritania.

Exiting from Morocco to Mauritania

  1. Arrive: Drive in the left-hand lane towards the terminal (a long line of trucks takes up the right-hand lane).
  2. Enter: Proceed though main gates (preferably don’t arrive on prayer time or you will wait outside for an hour).
  3. Immigration: Trucks enter via the right-hand lane. Park and walk to the first office booth for exit stamp.
  4. Scanner: Drive forward and follow the road to the right (we didn’t see any signs – in any language, here). The scanner is inside a huge shed and scans one large vehicle at a time. Drive forward when signalled; park and exit the vehicle to stand outside. The operator will take your TVIP from Morocco and sign it once scanned.
  5. Customs: This gets confusing. Exit the scanner building and drive directly ahead to customs officers (sitting with a temporary table, police dog and an ancient calculator). Do you have anything to declare? A drone? We then got lost headed toward the exit; parked and returned again to the main building to stamp the TVIP.
  6. Exit: Hand over documents (passports and TVIP) at the first exit booth. Drive forward and hand them over again to the official standing outside. Then hand them over one final time at the exit and park for one last check.
A service station on approach to the Morocco border terminal.

The much talked about ‘No Man’s Land’ from Morocco to Mauritania

The stretch of No Man’s Land between the Morocco and Mauritania border crossing is exactly as you would expect it to be.

The road on this stretch is shit terrible.

There is rubbish everywhere and old plastic bottles of oil and fuel. There are car wrecks and old vehicle parts and tires that did not make it.

But the good news is the distance between the two is actually only about 1km. The scenery is grim but interesting, with a post-apocalyptic feel in between. And before you know it the Islamic Republic of Mauritania begins.

The stretch of unsealed road and No Man’s Land between Morocco and Mauritania.

Entering Mauritania on the Morocco Mauritania border crossing

  1. Arrive: Park outside the main entrance. The driver is invited through the first room to a small office behind. An officer will check passports and vehicle documents. We were asked our destination tonight in Mauritania and final destination.
  2. Enter: Drive through the main gates to enter.
  3. Customs (1): Park alongside the first customs building on right hand side.  Officers ushered us to exit the vehicle (all four of us) while an officer and dog checked inside. 
  4. Immigration: Drive ahead 20m to car park on left. Walk back to the building for immigration and visas. Visa formalities are straightforward including biometrics and a photo. The visa is printed immediately and payment accepted in Euro (55 EUR) or Dirham (650 MAD) with the exact change.
  5. Customs (2): The exit gates are in sight but stop at customs on right-hand side. Pay TVIP for the vehicle (10 EUR or 100 MAD).
  6. Police: Move across and park on the left for a final police check to register your passport details and confirm where you are staying and for how long. (This is tricky with a motorhome; we gave our first night’s destination as well as loose confirmation of itinerary). This seemed to suffice.

A little word about fixers and ‘assistants’ at the border…

Note that Step (1) will be the first point of fixers and ‘assistants’ on the Mauritanian side.

They will approach the car and enter the building with you (it gets confusing). If you don’t want assistance, be firm and make it clear now. (We didn’t need assistance).

And if you are the passenger waiting in your vehicle expect to be approached by money changers and men selling SIM cards here. They are friendly albeit insistent. Though personal space is non-existent (even through the window).

Details below with the costs and SIM offered.

Vehicle insurance for Mauritania

The last stop crossing the border from Morocco to Mauritania at Guerguerat is just outside the main gate of Mauritanian border control and is a small building to the left as you exit.   This is an office for vehicle insurance with options for your stay in Mauritania. 

The following are the costs offered for vehicle our size (large camping car <3.5 tonne) to be insured in Mauritania:

The insurance office on the Mauritanian side of the border.

Getting to Nouadhibou from the Morocco Mauritania border (on the Mauritanian side)

Of course, you will shout a little celebration upon exiting the Mauritanian border control. (Welcome to Mauritania by the way!).

And rejoice in the fact the drive from the border to Nouadhibou is less than one hour.

How long does it take to cross the Morocco Mauritania border?

Ahh, the question we all want to know before border crossing days.  For us it took all day.  We left Dakhla at 8:00am and reached Nouadhibou at 5:00pm.  

But don’t forget that Morocco is actually one hour ahead of Mauritania.

However, with regards to crossing times at the actual border points it took less time than that.  We reached the Morocco border just at the beginning of prayer time (in January this was after midday) and the border was closed for almost one hour during this time.  We waited parked outside. 

Welcome to Mauritania; a first glimpse.

Money exchange and Mauritanian currency 

The Ouguiya is the official currency of Mauritania.  The currency code for Mauritanian Ouguiya is “MRU”. 

This is the exchange rate we were offered in January 2023 crossing the border from Morocco to Mauritania at Guerguerat: 

But wait. Before you frown and refresh XE a few more times to check these figures remember Mauritania has a new currency.

The current Ouguiya was introduced in 2018, replacing the old Ouguiya at a rate of 1 new Ouguiya = 10 old Ouguiya. Basically this means one ‘zero’ was removed on the new currency.

Many (most) Mauritanians still quote prices and currency in old Ouguiya which can be confusing.

For example if they say 3700 they may actually mean ‘370 MRU’. Or as the changer quoted us at the border 35 MRU in fact meant 3.5 MRU. It pays to check and write the number on your phone calculator first to confirm you both mean the same thing.

At the time of writing, the official exchange rate offered on XE is given as:

Can you buy a SIM card for Mauritania at the border? 

We were offered a Moov Mauritel SIM card for 10 EUR.  (Remember the hustlers at the first stop outside the entry gates to Mauritanian immigration?).  Here they told us the SIM card had 1GB of data included for 10 EUR. 

Further into the compound (perhaps by the third stop) the same hustler plus a few additional were still following us and by then the price of the SIM card had dropped to 8 EUR. 

It’s up to you whether you take the SIM or not. But it isn’t too far off the price we paid in Nouadhibou where the same SIM costs 200 Ouguiya (5 EUR) and a recharge costs 100 Ouguiya (2.5 EUR) for 2.5GB of data. 

(And actually, our INWI coverage from Morocco was still working right through until 1km after we exited the Mauritanian side heading for Nouadhibou). 

Welcome to Nouadhibou, Mauritania by the way.

Any last words of advice for the Morocco Mauritania border crossing? 

I would say leave early.  Pick a time to depart Dakhla and then leave even earlier than that.  It takes a l-o-n-g time. And you need patience.  There are not clear signs at any point of the border crossing.  But don’t be afraid to ask.  Officers and attendants will point you in the right direction (albeit the directions do feel slightly chaotic at the time). 

On this note do be prepared for hustlers/fixers and offers of ‘assistance’. If that is what you want to do and you do need help; make sure to agree on a price straight away. If you don’t want assistance (we didn’t need it) you need to stop and stand firm. (Arm signals and stop-signs with your hands may be needed!).

Be prepared for a swarm of offers (with little no regard for personal space) but do stand firm and have confidence in your ‘NO’.

Screenshot or save a few rates of exchange (ie. Know how much 1 EUR, 10 EUR and 55 EUR is in MAD and MRU.  

And don’t panic.  Although it sounds like a bit of an unknown and Mauritania is a lesser travelled and certainly lesser-known country on the tourist trails; remember that travelers and trucks have been crossing this border for decades. 

We found the guards and officers friendly enough and we were only asked once for baksheesh. (Which we declined and that was accepted).

Overall, I would describe the whole crossing experience at the Morocco Mauritania border as straightforward – but certainly lengthy.  

And it’s just as well we haven’t anything bad or challenging to report… Because we will be crossing back in the other direction in a few weeks’ time! 

Bon voyages en Mauritanie!

More useful links for your travels in Morocco and beyond…

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