Mauritania

Culturally straddling North and West Africa, Mauritania is, geographically speaking, almost wholly a province of the Sahara Desert. Mostly swaddled in sand and stark rock-scapes: harsh, yes, but deeply beautiful as well. In the early 21st century, it’s also a tenuous place for travelers to visit given the threat of Islamic extremism; so if you’re considering a visit, check in with the pertinent agency of your government to find out about current advisories and/or warnings. Mauritania’s also saddled with human-rights issues—not least modern-day slavery.

And Mauritania isn’t always even on the radar for travelers drawn by better-known attractions in neighboring countries (Morocco and Algeria’s seacoast cities, say)—which, as anyone who’s had the fortune of exploring its vast reaches will attest, is a shame.

For one thing, the Saharan scenery can get pretty epic: the interior dunes of the El Djouf (the Empty Quarter) in the northeast; the camel caravans traversing the great sand seas (ergs); the occasional massifs and escarpments looming from rubbly plains. It’s not something your average tourist will ever see on the ground, but Mauritania includes one of the planet’s most evocative landforms: the Guelb er Richat, the “Eye of the Sahara,” an eroded and weathered dome that, admired from a plane or satellite, resembles a titanic spiral in the middle of the desert.

The Mauritanian coast, meanwhile, is one of the starker and least trammeled on Africa’s Atlantic margin, with empty beaches, atmospheric fishing villages, and Banc d’Arguin National Park, an internationally significant reserve for migratory birds.

Mauritania—ethnically composed of both Arab-Berber and black African populations—bears many cultural treasures, too. Centuries-old Islamic structures such as the Chinguetti Mosque mark ancient oasis settlements along Sahara caravan stopover points. The Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott—one of the biggest cities in the entire Sahara Desert—offers the national museum and, far livelier, some big fish and craft markets.

Looking for well-arrayed resort accommodations, reliably tourist-oriented locals, and easy-to-reach sightseeing hubs? Then perhaps Mauritania’s not your cup of tea. But for the up-for-anything traveler—one cognizant of the risks and the social issues—this sprawling Saharan republic has “adventure” written all over it.