Ten years later, Mauritania is once again welcoming with open arms tourists eager for the Saharan vastness and thousand-year-old heritage. The authorities have taken the necessary steps to secure the country and Western diplomats no longer advise against going there, except in some border areas far from tourist centres. It is therefore with great joy that guides, camel drivers, cooks, hoteliers, restaurateurs and their families today welcome those who are eager to see the authentic Sahara again. Situated between Senegal and the Western Sahara claimed by Morocco, Mauritania is a link between the Maghreb and Black Africa. This melting pot has given rise to exceptional diversity, particularly in human and cultural terms, which does not prevent the country from claiming its own identity. Mauritania have other trump cards up their sleeve. Its panoramas first, ranging from the majestic dunes of the erg Ouarâne to hundreds of kilometers of deserted beaches on its Atlantic coast, through the imposing tabular massifs of the Adrar and Tagant regions. The recognition of its rich cultural past, then, that the cities of Chinguetti, Ouadâne, Oualâta and Tichit obtained by their inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Banc d'Arguin National Park, also a World Heritage Site, and the Diawling National Park, with its promising potential, are among the must-see attractions. A large number of prehistoric sites full of rock paintings and archaeological remains are still unknown or little known. Finally, Mauritania has never experienced true mass tourism, with its inevitable excesses. The best for last: the kindness, hospitality, conviviality and, to say the least, the humanism of the Mauritanians are, in our eyes, their trump card, the ace of hearts. See you in the land of the wise, Inch'Allah!

Acknowledgements: to the previous editorial team, to Sylvain Philip of Détours Mauritanie and faithful disciple of Théodore Monod, to the guide Sid Ahmed Elmah, and to all the Mauritanians who participated enthusiastically in this new edition.