Driving From Nouadhibou To Nouakchott Airport (Iron Ore Train 7)
Intro
The very final leg (final post) about the Iron Ore Train experience wraps up the final piece of the puzzle. Once you've done the Iron Ore Train, there is still one thing that is left: getting back to the airport/capital. There are many ways that this can be done, ranging from hitchhiking to a shared shuttle and a private driver. I chose the latter, and for 200$ on a 5-hour drive, I was happy that I did.
The Drive
The drive from Nouadhibou to Nouakchott is night and day compared to the drive up to Zouerat. For starters, going to the airport only takes about 4 hours and 15 minutes in comparison to the 11-hour drive up to Zouerat. Secondly, the road it actually paved!! Yes, compared to the final stretch from Atar to Zouerat, this was heaven on earth. Lastly, from Nouakchott to Zouerat, I counted 12 police checkpoints, while on this drive, I saw two.
I was so tired after the night before that I fell asleep about 20 minutes into the journey and woke up when my driver was being detained by the police (plot twist). Apparently, according to him, the police claimed that he didn't have the right documents to be transporting passengers by car, but eventually, he bribed his way out of it with about 10 USD (in local currency).
And then, I fell asleep again😂. Hey, when you are tired, you are tired; there are no two ways about it. About 10 minutes away from the airport, I was woken up by the driver, who informed me that we would be arriving soon.
Final Thoughts
After taking the Iron Ore Train, I would suggest resting at the Hotel Delphin for a night. However, if you are anything like me, you kind of just go with tiredness and want to hit the road as soon as possible. Thus I recommend a private car for this journey. If that is not in your budget, there are twice daily shared shuttles for about 20-25 USD. There's not much to see on the journey, but perhaps your driver might get detained (I'm joking).
Comments