Day 13 — The Long Border Day: From Morocco to Mauritania and Our First Night in the Sahara

A Short Night in Our “Luxury Hotel”

After a rather restless night in what we jokingly called our new “luxury hotel,” we got back on the road. The room had been extremely basic — dripping taps, flaking paint, questionable cleanliness — but it served its purpose for the night.
By morning, we were ready to focus on the next big step: the border crossing into Mauritania.

Traveler in a dusty desert parking lot at sunrise, lugging a black suitcase and a blue bag, surrounded by white and black vans under a hazy pale sky

The Final Fuel Stop and the Last Briefing Point

About an hour south of the village, we reached the final rendezvous point at the last fuel station before the Moroccan border. All rally teams were instructed to gather here once more before entering the border procedures.

From here on, the road leads directly into the multi‑stage border zone:

Exit Morocco
5 km of no‑man’s‑land
Entry into Mauritania

What sounds simple on paper is, in reality, an unpredictable and time‑consuming process.

Petrom Sahara fuel sign towers over a dusty street with a police SUV, a bright yellow tanker, scattered tires, and bystanders nearby in a tense roadside moment.

Moroccan Exit — Slow but Structured

Although the border infrastructure looks nothing like what Europeans would typically call a “border,” it nevertheless functions — in its own way. The Moroccan side had long queues of trucks, but one lane was cleared specifically for the rally teams, making the overall process somewhat smoother.

Still, the exit took time.
Officials checked:

whether each car matched the entry registration
whether every passport had the correct stamp
and whether teams held valid Mauritania e‑visas (you cannot leave Morocco if Mauritania denies you entry)

This alone took nearly two hours.
But once everyone was processed, the gates opened — and we rolled into no‑man’s‑land.

Man wearing a headscarf and striped shirt walks between rows of trucks and cars on a congested highway, blue jeans, amid a busy transport scene with a gray sky overhead

Blue sky with white clouds over a busy highway lined by trucks and cars, featuring a white Peugeot in the foreground and a Primo Frio truck among the vehicles.

No‑Man’s‑Land — Five Kilometers of Chaos

The stretch between Morocco and Mauritania is unlike anything else:
A rough sand and rock track, abandoned vehicles, burnt-out car shells, and no clear signage.
It feels surreal, lawless, and strangely fascinating.

We waited here again until all rally teams had cleared the Moroccan side. Only then did we proceed together toward the Mauritanian checkpoint.

Desert road with a long line of off-road SUVs and roof racks under a bright blue sky, dust and rocky terrain visible along the path, showcasing an adventurous convoy.

Entering Mauritania — A World of Its Own

Nothing can truly prepare you for the Mauritanian border. It is a chaotic maze, crowded with people, officers, fixers, luggage, and dust swirling everywhere.

As soon as we parked where someone vaguely gestured us to park, we were led into a packed building where:

e‑visas were checked
passports were stamped
visa fees were paid
and all entries manually logged

It took around two hours until it was our turn.

Then, another official took us by the hand (almost literally) and guided us across several huts to the police registration area. There, our vehicle was logged again, passport numbers verified once more, and stamps double‑checked.
Only after this final step were we allowed to drive out of the border zone.

All in all, the combined exit + transit + entry took around six hours, which is considered very fast by rally standards. Normally, the process can take the entire day.

The rally organization and the desert guides accompanying us helped tremendously. Even with that support, we needed patience — but everything worked out.

Roadside scene with a police frontier pillar and a stop sign under a corrugated shelter, stacked boxes in the background, a dusty ground, and a car window reflection in the foreground, under a bright blue sky.

Crossing the Iron Ore Railway

Once all teams had regrouped, we crossed the legendary Mauritania railway line, used by the enormous iron ore trains that travel through the desert. We heard the train horns twice during the night — an unmistakable sound in the emptiness of the Sahara.

Into the Desert — The “Hidden Dune” Camp

From the railway, we continued deeper into the desert toward the site known as the Hidden Dune, our first real wild camp in the Sahara.

The wind was strong, making everything more difficult:

pitching tents
organizing gear
cooking
and simply trying to keep sand out of everything

But step by step, we managed.
We prepared a simple dinner — just boiling water for our expedition meals — and settled down for the night.

Desert landscape under a cloudy sky with sandy dunes, a red off-road SUV and several parked cars, a small group of people gathered near the vehicle

A Campfire Under the Stars

As evening fell, small groups of participants gathered between the vehicles. A campfire was lit, and conversations drifted in all directions. Slowly, the sky turned black and the stars appeared in breathtaking clarity, filling the entire dome above us.

Even with the wind and the exhaustion from the long border day, the moment felt special — the kind of memory that stays with you long after the rally is over.

Group of friends gathered around a glowing camp table at dusk, vehicles in the background, with warm candlelight and a central fire creating a cozy outdoor campsite mood.

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow the desert stage continues.
Direct sun, strong winds, sand everywhere — it all takes a toll.
But this is the Sahara, and we’re excited for what the next day will bring.

For now, we’re grateful:
We made it into Mauritania.
We’re safe.