All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Banc d'Arguin National Park
Wildlife Safaris in Banc d'Arguin National Park
A vast shallow-water national park on Mauritania's Atlantic coast between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, where the Sahara meets the sea. A UNESCO World Heritage site of mudflats, sandbanks and islands, it is one of the most important wintering grounds on earth for migratory shorebirds and holds huge breeding colonies of flamingos, pelicans and terns.
Why here
Banc d'Arguin is one of the greatest bird spectacles in the world, and almost nobody sees it. Where the desert runs straight into the Atlantic, a huge area of shallow water, mudflat and sandbank becomes the single most important wintering site for wading birds migrating down the East Atlantic flyway from the Arctic, with millions of birds gathered on the exposed banks at low tide. Add year-round breeding colonies of greater flamingo, white pelican, spoonbill, cormorant and several tern species on the low islands and the numbers become staggering. You explore it the traditional way, sailing out from the Imraguen fishing village of Iwik in a lanche, a wooden sailing boat, to drift near the colonies with a local guide, the same boats the Imraguen still use to fish. It is a quiet, low-impact way to reach the birds and it puts money into the fishing community that co-manages the park. For a birder or anyone who loves a wild coast, this is a world-class site with no crowds.
Best months
The park can be visited across the cooler months, with the greatest numbers of migratory waders present in the northern winter from November to March; flamingos, pelicans and terns breed and can be seen year-round. Trips run by sailing boat from Iwik and depend on the tide, since the birds mass on the banks as the water drops, so timings are set around low water. The Atlantic here is cool and often windy; bring a windproof layer, sun protection and binoculars. Facilities are basic and the village is remote.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Reconsider Travel
US State Dept Level 3 Reconsider Travel for Mauritania over terrorism and crime; check your own government's regional guidance before booking (as of 2026-07). Visit with an established local operator. The park lies off the road between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou; reaching Iwik means a long drive and then a 4x4 track, so most visits are one- or two-day trips arranged from Nouakchott. The boat trips are tide-dependent, so let the operator set the timing. Bring binoculars, a windproof layer, sun protection, water and cash; accommodation near the park is simple.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Mauritanian Best Tours
OutfitterMauritanian Best Tours is a Mauritanian operator with more than twenty years of local experience, running private and small-group trips the length of the country. At the Banc d'Arguin National Park it takes visitors by road to the Imraguen fishing village of Iwik and out onto the shallows in traditional lanche sailing boats to watch the park's flamingos, pelicans, terns and wintering shorebirds. It also runs Adrar desert circuits to Chinguetti, Ouadane and the Richat Structure.