After riding deeper into Mauritania, I reached Ouadane, an ancient settlement rising from the edge of the Sahara.

From a distance, the town seemed to blend almost completely into the surrounding desert, its stone buildings built from the same colours as the rocky landscape.

From Nouakchott, I headed inland and deeper into the Mauritanian Sahara, leaving the Atlantic coast behind for one of the country’s most remote and extraordinary sights: the famous iron ore railway.

The journey took me across long desert roads, through small settlements and into landscapes where sand, rock and open sky seemed to continue without end.

Leaving the noise and congestion behind, I travelled deeper into Mauritania in search of something completely different: silence, isolation and a night surrounded by untouched desert.

The road led away from the main towns and into a landscape that felt increasingly remote, with vast plains, rocky formations and almost no sign of modern life.

Leaving Nouadhibou behind, I continued south toward Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital. On the map, the route looked simple: one long road cutting through the desert.

In reality, it became one of the strangest and most unpredictable rides of the journey so far.

Leaving Nouadhibou behind, I continued deeper into Mauritania, facing long desert roads, powerful crosswinds and sand constantly drifting across the tarmac.

The distances between settlements were growing, traffic was becoming scarce and the environment felt increasingly unforgiving.

Crossing into Mauritania immediately changed the character of the journey. The familiar roads and infrastructure of Morocco were behind me, replaced by open desert, military checkpoints and long stretches where even a small problem could become serious.

My first major destination was Nouadhibou…