The Iron Ore Train

The infamous Iron Ore Train, the longest and heaviest in the world, rumbles between Nouadhibou and Zouerat via Choum in Mauritania. You can ride it to get to... well, god knows where... but you can ride it. There are seats available, but what's the fun in that? You want the real experience? Sit with the ore. It's hot, and cold, and dirty, and it's one of Africa's greatest, and most uncomfortable, thrill rides. The train passes through the beautiful Mauritanian desert and its vast sand dunes and rock formations.

Understand

The route through Mauritania

Construction of the Iron Ore railway line began in 1960, and the line opened 1963. It consists of a single, 704-kilometre (437 mi) track linking the iron mining centre of Zouerat with the port of Nouadhibou, via Fderik and Choum. The train itself stretches 2.5-3 km. The Mauritania state agency Société nationale industrielle et minière (SNIM) controls the line.

Prepare

The 460-km journey to Choum runs daily, and typically takes 12-14 hr. It takes a further 5-6 hr to get to Zouerat.

If you're planning to travel westward with the ore, know that you'll scorch during the afternoon and then shiver after the sun goes down. Goggles would be a good idea because of the dust. Although the train doesn't go very fast, the desert winds can be both strong and persistent. A large, heavy duty plastic bag (such as the ones Air New Zealand or Virgin Atlantic supplies for pushchairs/baby buggies) to seal your luggage in against the dust would be a great idea! If you're travelling westward, you'll be sitting on top of the ore. If you're travelling the empty train eastward, you'll still be in a pile of ore dust. The recommendations for either direction are much the same.

From November to February, Mauritania is cooler. In the summer, the heat is scorching.

It may seem easier to take the train from Nouadhibou, and it is somewhat cleaner because there is no ore on board. On the other hand, travelling with the ore is the point for many people, and when you arrive in Nouadhibou, you can get a hotel where you can wash out the dirt and dust. There's nothing in Choum, so you'll have to get a taxi to Atar before you can bathe.

Women may want to consider travelling with a male companion for safety reasons.

Packing

• Buy some second-hand clothes in Nouakchott to keep warm at night, when the temperature drops.
• Sunglasses at a minimum, or better yet, goggles to keep the dust out if your eyes.
• A scarf to wrap around your face.
• Water -- at least 3 litres per person.
• Food to eat before you get on the train. Because of the dust, you may not want to eat on board. Easy-to-eat snacks such as nuts and dried fruit can help you get through it.
• A warm sleeping bag and/or blankets.
• A heavy plastic bag to cover your backpack.

On the train

When the train finally arrives you can either choose to engage in (hopefully) unarmed combat with the locals to board and grab a prime place on the floor or amble on at your leisure later and then elbow a space for yourself with those you think are by then too worn out or wounded to protest too much.

Theoretically, if you pay an additional 1,000 ouguiyas, you'll get a First Class ticket and be guaranteed a seat. (The windows will still be stuck open at various angles, so you'll still be coated with black dust, both from the desert and the empty ore buckets further forward.)

If you've got a vehicle, it's possible to make arrangements in advance to load it on a flat bed carriage where the train starts from 3 km to the south (rather than at the station). Then you can sit in it with the windows closed and, if you have air conditioning, the engine running in real first class luxury for the whole 12 hours or so!

Travel in the ore bucket cars is free – just climb aboard – where it will be even hotter and dustier than in the "passenger carriage".

Your train will probably stop half a dozen times before you reach Choum to let trains pass going the other way and to offload freight sporadically. Lots of your fellow passengers will get off each time to pray. This is your chance to go to the toilet and stretch your legs. Men may want to squat or kneel before they urinate directly into the sand so the unpredictable and ever-changing direction of the wind does not give them or others a golden shower. Take your luggage and water with you each time though, in case you can't get back on the train fast enough or slip when boarding.

Beyond Choum, the train continues to the mines, and you probably won't find any services for travellers there.

Stay safe

Be careful aboard the train as it lurches violently when accelerating or braking. But, then again, if safety (let alone comfort) is your primary concern, you might want to reconsider taking the Iron Ore Train.