Think twice.
Mauritania’s risk score rose to 54 today, but the US and Canada still advise against non-essential travel, which caps your safety rating. Watch for active diphtheria and measles outbreaks in the region.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Mauritania
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Think twice.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Religious offenses
Criticizing or disrespecting Islam is punishable by death. Distributing non-Islamic religious literature or engaging in religious debates is prohibited.
LGBT activity
Same-sex sexual activity is a severe offense. It is punishable by death for men or a lengthy prison sentence for women.
Restricted travel zones
The Mauritanian armed forces close certain northern and eastern regions to tourists. Verify if your destination is restricted before traveling.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Diphtheria in Sub-Saharan Africa
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •The area near Western Sahara is heavily mined, and travel through this area is highly inadvisable.
- •Check your embassy or consulate travel advisories carefully.
- •There are certain parts of Mauritania that have been closed to tourists by the Mauritanian armed forces (usually in the eastern and northern portions of the country).
- •Religious norms: Mauritania is an Islamic country, and the government recognizes Islam as the sole religion of its citizens (and indeed Mauritania has one of the highest percentages of its citizens being Muslim in the world at about 99.97%).
- •Mauritanians who convert to other religions lose their citizenship. The death penalty is statutory for apostasy and blasphemy, i.e., criticising or disrespecting religion.
- •It is unwise to speak badly of Islam, hand out non-Islamic religious literature, or encourage people to participate in religious debates.
Staying healthy
- •For the majority of Westerners, the local water in any part of the country (including Nouakchott) is not safe to drink.
- •Malaria is endemic in the southern part of the country, and visitors should always use a mosquito net there.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers looking into Mauritania face a wall of conflicting information. Official embassy guidance pushes for total avoidance, while independent travelers suggest the reality on the ground is less dire than the warnings imply. The provided discussions focus entirely on logistics, visa processes, and the appeal of the iron ore train rather than specific safety reports, crime statistics, or actual street-level threats. There is no consensus on safety because the available accounts lack concrete experiences regarding violent crime, scams, or dangerous areas. You are left to weigh official warnings against the silence of travelers who have not yet documented specific security hazards or safety incidents in the country.
“I'm wondering how worth and safe the country is. I've been checking guides and photos and definitely looks worth and interesting ; the other point, the safety is not that clear: according most embassies recommend to stay away from it unless there is an imperative reason, however some other people on the Internet mention it's not that bad.
— r/travel
“I'm not so concerned about safety but is dealing with police a big hassle?
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / E / F · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 117 / ambulance: 101 / fire: 118
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12