The hook
One of the longest and heaviest trains on earth, a two-and-a-half-kilometre snake of open ore wagons crossing the Sahara, which the truly intrepid ride for free by climbing aboard and lying atop the iron ore.
01Why it's worth it
Mauritania's economy runs partly on iron ore, and to carry it from the mines at Zouérat to the port of Nouadhibou, the country runs a colossal freight train across hundreds of kilometres of open desert. It is a genuine record-holder, among the longest and heaviest trains in the world, sometimes over two hundred wagons and stretching several kilometres, and watching it grind past across the empty Sahara is a spectacle in itself. But it has become a bucket-list adventure for a certain kind of traveller because you can ride it: there is a single passenger carriage, but the notorious, free, and unforgettable way is to climb into an empty ore wagon and ride on top of the iron ore through the desert, coated in black dust, under the sun by day and the freezing stars by night. It is genuinely rough, dirty, and not without real danger, and it should only be attempted with serious preparation, warm gear, water, and ideally local help. For those who do it, or simply watch it thunder by, it is one of the world's great, raw travel experiences.
02How to experience it
Watch the train cross the desert, or, for the hardcore, ride it, either in the basic passenger carriage or (the classic, risky way) atop the ore in an empty wagon, going well prepared with warm clothing, goggles, food, and water, and ideally with local guidance. Take the safety and the harsh conditions seriously, and check current advice for the region.