"Bir Moghrein" Bir Moghrein by johnsakura

Bir Moghrein Travel Guide: 41 reviews and 79 photos

Bir Moghrein is located on the Northern region of Tiris-Zemmour. This toen is located 360 meters above sea level and to get there it seems you just passed the Moon. Incredible.
Heading north to Bir Moghrein is mainly for experiencing the landscape.
The landscape in this region of Mauritania called Ghallamane, is dominated by many and enormous guelbs (crater-like depressions) with very old rock formations.
To get to Bir Moghrein you have to drive north from Zouerat 440km of desert tracks, mountains and black rocks that makes you think you're in another planet. Bir Moghrein is somthing like a military post and has nothing really to see for the normal tourist. But if you're the normal tourist Mauritania will not be an election country. People are great though, maybe because they are not very used to see tourists. Bir Moghrein is located 600km from Tindouf refugees camp of Polisario Front (which I found on Rich Mountains) and The Sarawi Front for the libretation of Western Sahara.

streets of Bir Moghrein in the morning

bir moghrein streets mauritania tiris-zemmour

I got to Bir Moghrein when the sun had went away already for a couple of hours. The town was full dark cos there's no electricity. They seem to have something like electricity long ago but a big storm just ruined the generator.

I was comming on my car and my friends which had to switch to a toyota pick up truck due to the extreme weight on our small car, too much weight for the desert tracks that connected Zouerat to Bir Moghrein, making the total of 440km of tracks. We got to the police check point on the town and stayed there until they stamped our passports out, and we knew that was going to be the begining of our big adventure as there is no entry police control stop on the mauritanian side and also on the Moroccan border. No man's land was comming. we had to make 96km until a place known has "le mure" or "the wall" which consists of a thousand km wall separating Morocco from the land mines of the western sahara land, full of Front Polisario activist and many pirates that can appear and try to kidnap you or rob you in the middle of the desert.

Bir Moghrein is a very small town with mud houses. We end up sleeping at a familly house that was comming on the pick up truck along with my friends. You can see my travelogue on Moon Adventure...

How to get to Bir Moghrein???

Virtual Tourist T-Shirt going to Bir Moghrein

Do you want to go from Bir MOghrein and enter Western Sahara forbidden tracks thru Gueltat Zemmour? All on my Transportation tips. Hope you enjoy them. Be careful! Nice travellings...

WWW.MERZOUGAHOTELS.COM
This is A VERY NICE website for visiting the Sahara Desert in Morocco. You have from fancy hotels, to cheap cool hostels in the dunes, 4x4 expeditions, quad etc. Enjoy this site!

merzouga
hotel maroc
riad marrakech
in english:
hotel morocco
ouarzazate

Pros and Cons

Pros:Awesome landscapes, off off the beathen path spot, great local people!!
Cons:Desert Pirates, kidnappings, thousands of land mines
In a nutshell:Extreme Extreme!!

Last visit to Bir Moghrein: Apr 2004
Intro Updated Jul 21, 2006
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Reviews (44)

army western sahara gueltat zemmour mauritania - Bir Moghrein

Gueltat Zemmour ->To Layoune Transportation (19)

We got permission and headed to Gueltat Zemmour with army 4x4 on the front of us. Due to much sand also in this part (no... more travel advice

“Le Mure” -> Way to Gueltat Zemmour - Bir Moghrein

“Le Mure” -> Way to Gueltat Zemmour Transportation (19)

You get to the wall and you have to deliver your passport to the Moroccan authorities. You stay under Moroccan army... more travel advice

gueltat zemmour sahara mauritania bir moghrein - Bir Moghrein

Fortress on the border -> “Le Mure"... Transportation (19)

Fortress on the border with Western Sahara -> “Le Mure” NO Man’s LAND. BE careful be careful be careful. mines,... more travel advice

Bir Moghrein -> gueltat zemmour mines mauritania - Bir Moghrein

Bir Moghrein -> Fortress on the... Transportation (19)

Bir Moghrein -> Fortress on the border with Western Sahara (on Michelin Map it’s the star) We had to make 96km until... more travel advice

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Comments (5)

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faq Mar 10, 2005 at 2:46 PM

Opel Corsa? :| :| :| que doideira! :D
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kultura Feb 10, 2005 at 8:55 PM

WOW! again WOW! what a place. Incredible desert tracks! i heard some tourists were kidnaped here tough...
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sachara Dec 12, 2004 at 5:11 AM

Great to read about your experiences and adventures !! Lucky you! The Dutch embassy did not allow us to take the Bir Moghrein route this month.
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yakuza-desu Oct 14, 2004 at 1:45 PM

farway place
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halikowski Sep 3, 2004 at 6:40 AM

Quite an adventure. Nice photos -- have you seen Bruce Chatwin's photos of Mauritania?