Explore With Lotta

In 2025 I did a thing I’ve secretly been longing of doing for a few years… riding the notorious train that carries iron ore across the Sahara, in Mauritania. From the moment I first heard about it, I knew I had to experience it.

While working as a doctor in Gambia, the idea of traveling to Mauritania immediately popped into my mind. That spark turned into a long journey through West Africa, traveling as two girls through Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania using local transportation.

About the train

The iron ore train is the longest and heaviest train in the world, also known as the “most dangerous“. It stretches for several kilometers, carrying massive amounts of iron ore from the desert to the African coast. The route goes between Zouérat – Choum – Nouadhibou, then back with empty wagons.

The ride can take up to 20 hours, sometimes longer if the train stops in the middle of nowhere.

How to get on the train

If your goal is to ride on top of the train, exposed to all elements, you don’t buy ticket for it. You hitchhike the train for free. But the journey is not legal – it has been specifically banned for tourists since 2024. This has affected where you can get on the train and how you should go about it. Now, it’s important not to get caught when getting on the train. It’s usually still bright when getting on in Zouérat, which makes this departure location almost impossible to succeed. Choum on the other hand is the next stop and the train arrives after dark. That makes it a better place to sneak on the train, but makes the journey on the other hand a few hours shorter.

This journey has become increasingly more popular for travelers seeking adventure. But it is important to keep in mind that locals that need to take the train regularly expose themselves to toxic iron ore and endure extreme conditions. Travel the iron ore train with respect for the locals. There is sometimes a passenger wagon at the end of the train where you can travel legally with other passengers.

The train does not have a scheduled departure and arrival. The times vary by hours, so you need to arrive on time on the day of travel and be prepared to wait. Sometimes the train doesn’t even stop where it is supposed to, so your travel plans might change suddenly. The iron ore on the train varies greatly between bigger chunks of iron, to very fine powder. The powder is softer, but gets everywhere.

What to bring

Preparation is essential for this trip. You will be exposed to extreme weather with no infrastructure or network for hours. Here’s what I packed:

• Goggles – ski goggles will protect your eyes from the most iron ore. But it will still get into your eyes.
• Face mask – stops some of the iron ore from getting into your mouth, but just like with your eyes, it will still get in.
• Head torch – you will ride the train though the night, and without light you won’t be able to see anything.
• Warm clothes & layers – it gets cold at night. If you travel during winter, it can become freezing. Plus the wind!
• Sleeping bag – or enough warm clothing. But the sleeping bag was cozy.
• Power bank
• Plastic bags for your bags and valuables
• Water & snacks (always bring extra, share if needed)
• I recommend buying a scarf in Mauritania, it helped protecting your face and hair.

The dangers

Riding the iron ore train is not without risk:

• Extreme temperatures: blazing heat by day, freezing nights.
• Riding on top with no safety measures: falling or jumping between wagons is dangerous.
• Unpredictable stops: the train can halt in the middle of nowhere for hours.
• Wrong wagon choice: some wagons may be left behind, leaving you stranded.
• Trying to catch the train when it’s moving

Having a local contact or guide is highly recommended — someone who knows the train’s rhythm and can help if things go wrong.

My experience

I rode the iron ore train in August, 2025, during summer in Mauritania, and the iron ore train was banned for foreigners at the time. My friend Jessy and I were traveling through West Africa together, and after lots of planning and consideration, we decided to have a guide for our trip in Mauritania. This would not only make our journey a lot easier and safer, but also ensure we could see all the incredibly cool places there are to see in Mauritania besides the train. The guides also have local contacts, so they know better when the train should arrive and if it might stop or not. We decided to travel with Time for Mauritania, since they were able to customize our trip to our budget and needs and were generally just amazing!

PS: If you are planning to travel to Mauritania in February 2026, Time For Mauritania is organizing a group trips between 1st and 15th of February. To get a discounted price for this trip, mention the code ”LOTTA-TIMEFORMAURITANIA” when contacting the company (contact them for more info about the trips). I can highly recommend!

We traveled to Choum at the end of our trip to catch the train from there. We chilled, had dinner, and waited for the train for hours. We were the only people there and did not meet any other travelers on our journey on the iron ore train. Suddenly, at about 10 PM, the train arrived. We rushed to our car and sped to the train. You never know for how long it will stop — it could be only for a few minutes. (The process of us getting on the train)

The adrenaline was pumping when we climbed on the train and threw all our belongings with us. Would they catch us? We were wearing our torches but stayed low until the train started moving. Then it was just… bliss for me. Feeling the wind on my body, standing on the powdery iron ore and seeing the night desert pass by, with the noises of the wagons — I just wanted to stay awake and keep taking it in.

Doing the ride in August had its pros and cons. During the day, it was much warmer. But also at night! The temperature was actually comfortable most of the night; only for a short time did I feel like I wanted to stay in my sleeping bag. I’m blessed with good sleep, but ironically I slept like a baby on the iron ore train. The sounds and the rocking wagons were actually soothing me to sleep (I still laugh at myself for this; I’ve never heard of anyone having that experience on the train). I had an alarm to catch the sunrise but almost felt like I wanted to keep sleeping, haha!

For the rest of the ride, we enjoyed the views, drank water, and had Pringles for breakfast. The ride was about 12 hours. I ran out of data right before the train set off, but I could see on the offline map that we were getting closer to Nouadhibou. I didn’t want it to end. The views of the desert were incredible; we saw camels and interesting small huts in the middle of nowhere.

About half an hour before Nouadhibou, our train stopped. We waited for about an hour, and then the conductor came walking to let people know that the train would not continue. The conductor saw us and immediately started speaking to our guide, clearly not happy with our presence. But thanks to our guide, we managed to get by without paying any bribes.

We took our things down and carried our packs across the desert to the closest road. We got picked up and started driving towards the city. On the way, we were stopped at a police checkpoint and told to get out of the car and go inside to speak. I got nervous — it’s banned to ride the train, and you could clearly see that we had just been on it.

As we entered, there was a police officer waiting by a counter. As we came closer and handed over our passports, I could see that he was struggling not to laugh. We looked so silly, and trying to recognize us by our passports was not easy. Jessy had put iron ore on her face as a beard, and the police officer tried to keep it together. He asked if we enjoyed the ride, and we said yes. They let us go, and we rode to a hotel where we took multiple showers without fully getting clean.

One of my most frequently asked questions: where is the toilet?

There is obviously no toilet on the train, but people usually dedicate a corner for that. You just do it as you would out in nature. 🌿

Reflections

I loved this experience. It was thrilling, adventurous, and liberating — far beyond my expectations. The weather suited me perfectly, and I would absolutely do it again!

Would you ever ride the iron ore train?