Travel Guide Passe D’amogjar

If there is a track putting Atar at about 85 km from Chinguetti, the old passage, longer of about thirty kilometers, makes you borrow the pass of Amogjar. A detour which, believe us, is well worth it! about 10 km after Atar, turn left and you are in one of the most beautiful sites of Mauritania. It is here that in 1984 was shot Fort Saganne, the film of Alain Corneau, with Philippe Noiret, Sophie Marceau and Gérard Depardieu. A film inspired by the novel of the same name by Louis Gardel, who had set the action of his book in Algeria, near the Moroccan border. For security reasons, the filming was done in Mauritania.Today, since the new track is faster, and therefore used more frequently, the Amogjar pass is no longer maintained. However it is regrettable, the route being really superb! The region is very rich in paintings and rock engravings in particular. If you choose to pass by Amodjar, take care not to go out of the way: scree can fall from the surrounding tabular massifs. Moreover, you could well sink into a canyon ending in a dead end, and not be able to get out of it: indeed, in some places, there is just enough room for the width of a vehicle, without any possibility of turning around! Once the pass is crossed, you will find the new track. Chinguetti is at the end of this rectilinear route.