Points of interest

Chinguetti

This sleepy date-palm oasis, once a splendid Saharan trading city, is the seventh holiest city of Islam and is situated at the edge of fat, rolling dunes that fill the horizon. It's Mauritania's biggest tourist destination, mainly because it's the most accessible of the desert towns, with the most to see, and a popular starting point for desert treks.

The highlight of any visit is a wander through the labyrinthine lanes of Le Ksar (the old town). The modern town, which has a delightful market (remarkable for how little produce is available), is separated from the old town by a broad, flat wadi where palm trees grow. Other curios include tiny libraries housing ancient, dusty manuscripts.

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Ouadâne

The first glimpse of Ouadâne, a Unesco World Heritage site is arresting. The old quarter that stretches atop the hill is one of the most enchanting semi-ghost towns of the Sahara. As you arrive across the sands or plateau from Atâr or Chinguetti, the stone houses of Le Ksar al Kiali (old quarter) seem to tumble down the cliff like an apparition.

From the base of the town, the lush gardens of the oasis stretch out before the desert again takes hold. The top of the hill is dominated by the minaret of the new mosque, a mere 200 years old. At the western end, at the base of the town, is the 14th-century old mosque.

Ouadâne was founded in 1147 by Berbers, and sits on the edge of the Adrar plateau. For 400 years, it was a prosperous caravan centre and a transit point for dates, salt and gold.

Like Chinguetti, Ouadâne was a place of scholarship and is home to over 3000 manuscripts held in 23, mostly private, libraries. There's also a small museum housing various artefacts from the ancient caravans.

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Parc National du Banc d'Arguin

The Parc National du Banc D'Arguin is a must-see for any bird watcher. It is an important stopover and breeding ground for multitudes of birds migrating between Europe and Southern Africa. The park extends 200km (124mi) north from Cape Timiris. Most birds are found on sand islands in the shallow ocean.

The feathered residents include broad-billed sandpipers, over two million of which have been recorded here in the winter. Other species include pink flamingos, white pelicans, grey pelicans, royal terns, gull-billed terns, black terns, white-breasted cormorants, spoonbills and several species of herons, egrets and waders.

The best viewing time is December and January, which is also the mating season. The best way to see them is by traditional fishing boat, called a lanche - a recommended, ecofriendly excursion.

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Attractions

Tichit

To see a ghost town in the making, head 865km (520mi) due east of the capital to the isolated ancient town of Tichit, which lies in the centre of a massive fault of rock stretching almost to the Malian border. As a supply town it once had over 5000 people, but you'd be lucky to find 500 now.

Visitors are rewarded with beautiful, decorative mosques - the most ornate in Mauritania. On the way, the landscape is a deadly mix of twisted shrubs, bleached bones, bare trees and sand. Never travel to Tichit without a guide, and visit the police when you arrive. They'll be surprised to see you.

Nouakchott

Created from a grassy fertile plain in 1960, Nouakchott is one of the newest capital cities in the world. When Senegal and Mauritania split at independence, Mauritania was left without a capital. The grassy plain is now surrounded by the Sahara, with sand piling up against walls and fences.

Its markets are lively and its beach good for swimming and jogging (and, some say, mugging). Designed for 200,000 inhabitants, Nouakchott has about five times that population already; the outer areas are little more than slums of metal shacks and tents.

As a useful and interesting introduction to the lifestyle and culture of the nomads of Mauritania - to the complete exclusion of the Black population - visit the well-organised National Museum in the heart of Nouakchott. Just out of town at Port de Pêche visitors can watch the fishermen go about their business. It's a beautiful area, and the workers - mostly Wolof and Pulaar people - don't mind being photographed, and will talk about their work if asked. Women can be observed going about their work hand-knotting rugs at the National Carpet Office.