The most beautiful natural sites to discover Sahara

Located at the western end of the city, the founding source of the oasis of Ghadamès was 6 m deep in its centre and "water at 30 ° C. It irrigated virtually all the gardens of the palm grove, directly via seguia, small canals where the water ran towards each plot.

Where séguia did not surrender, balancier wells (dalou) were allowed to extract and transport water. The amount of water allocated to each garden was cleverly determined: a percé cup, the gâddous, was the unit of minimum irrigation time, the quantity of which then varied depending on the day and night: The day noûba had fifteen times fewer units of hydraulic time than the night noûba. Similarly, each seguia had a number of different hydraulic time units depending on the quantity of gardens served.

However, the sophistication of the hydraulic system did not prevent the flow of the source from at the end of the th century falling. Work was undertaken that Italians continued in the 1930 s, even to build a deep well to extend the palm grove to the east, but without great success. Under French administration, in the 1940 s, another well was drilled and the concrete irrigation canals, as seen near the gardens near the Ain el-Faras source. In the mid th century, the Ain el-Faras source was used only for irrigation in the northwest and southwest of the oasis.

In December 2005, important work on upgrading dry artesian well was carried out in partnership with UNDP. The source has been renovated and refurbished, and during the event the children have come diving so it is true that it has the size of a beautiful swimming pool. During our last passage, she underwent further maintenance work. The approaches of the old town behind the source have also recently been the subject of renovation by the UNESCO programme, such as the large door overlooking the oasis on the right, surmounted by a growing and star.

To the west of the source, you can see a former water where the camels come refreshing after their long Saharan crossings.

After a beautiful cruise to reach the island, you can visit the ruins of a Crusader defensive castle built in 1116 by Baldwin ^I of Jerusalem. The castle passed into the hands of Salah el-Din in 1170, then the Mamelukes in the ^13th century. Artifacts from the ^2nd century BC have been found, as well as traces of foundations from the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods. Another attraction of this excursion is the opportunity to swim and snorkel away from the crowds, in transparent waters.

the "Fjord" is the nickname of this cove in the Gulf of Aqaba with its sublime colors. Located 15 km south of Taba, the Fjord is a diving site sheltered by a protected bay. The coral reefs are dazzling. Experienced divers can venture into the Fjord hole, a coral bed at a depth of 16 meters, with a hole that goes down to 24 meters. Less experienced divers will observe the wide variety of fish and corals in the shallow banana shaped reef. For the others, enjoy the calm of the bay and the turquoise waters.

Just before reaching the economic capital of Mauritania, the Etoile bay is astonishing by the shape of the rocks sculpted by erosion that surround it. It is almost closed and is an ideal shelter for passing sailboats or kitesurfing. This bay has revealed many archaeological sites, unfortunately very degraded since the expansion of Nouadhibou. For the amateurs, Adama (+222 465 307 23) manages an oyster farm, where you can taste excellent oysters. It is located in front of the Auberge des Dolphins.

North of Nouadhibou, until 1997, around 300 monk seals had been counted here and along the Western Sahara coast. When you consider that the world population of this species has dwindled to just 500 individuals, it's easy to see how vital the Cap Blanc reserve is, especially as the remaining monk seals are scattered in several small colonies and therefore not very viable. In 1997, the authorities found 150 monk seals stranded on the beach, not counting those that may have died at sea. The cause of this catastrophe has never been fully elucidated... There have been suggestions of a virus or the animals ingesting toxic algae.

In any case, the current political situation in Western Sahara prevents any reliable census of the surviving monk seals.

Several dozen are present on the Atlantic coast, 30 km north of Nouadhibou, but in the Western Sahara. A Spanish NGO, in cooperation with Mauritania, is working to protect the species. Today, meeting a monk seal at the foot of the Cap Blanc cliff is utopian, even if the museum's janitor keeps the legend alive. If you'd like to take up the challenge, arm yourself with patience, a good camera and a stroll along the wind-sculpted coastline. If you can't spot a monk seal, you'll probably see plenty of birds, and be able to pick up a nice harvest of shells!

Access to the 60 border islands of the lake is made by the village of Doro Léléwa, km from N'Guigmi; it is a fishing village that transforms into a large market on Sunday. To go there fishing silures and tilapia, agree with the representative of the Township Chief of N'Guigmi, who deals with the management of natural resources.

You can climb on the cliff behind the school, after having clearly specified your intention to the people around you to avoid any misunderstanding (the military are susceptible and vexent at all the fingertips!).

The blue waters of the lake then come at your sight, identified from the green of cross-palms, and from the red of the massifs to the background… A real treat for your eyes! A few canards ducks above the lake, while some frightened swallows escape your passage from their nests dug into the cliff.

The jebel itself is a place of visit because it can climb on its southern slope and have a superb panorama of this region of the Nile, close to 100 m high: Karima, Nuri, Merowe, as well as the archaeological site at the foot of the mountain. The temples of Mut and Amun revèlent their Plan. Once at the top of the "python", take a dream of all the conquerors on these shores… Bring yourself water and take a quarter of an hour to climb (no need for equipment) and 30 seconds to get down! The sands accumulated by the elements for centuries on this wall allow an express and original descent. Moving slides or stairs… Make sure you don't leave your sandals, if you have!

On the right, after crossing a land strewn with rubbish, a trail accessible to all vehicles leads to a promontory from which you will discover a true ocean of sand.

The place to understand everything about the date palm and the territory of Tozeur! Eden Palm is a unique and innovative concept: the intelligent discovery of the universe of the date palm and the date. The visit is in three parts: an exhibition, a visit of the palm grove, and the discovery of the laboratory. On the exhibition side, you will discover all that links men to date palms, in the palm grove you will test your knowledge in situ and finally in the laboratory you will discover all that can be created around the date. A warmly recommended visit!