Banc d'Arguin

Mauritania’s Banc d’Arguin NP is rarely visited and has only been reviewed once, about 18 years ago. However, this is the number one place for waterfowl and migratory waders among the several "bird WHS" along the West African Coast. It is “better” than Djoudj and the Saloum Delta, and only the 2025 nomination Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau comes close but still has only 50% of its numbers. We spent a full day and a night in its core zone, stretching 170km along the Atlantic Coast.

The Banc d’Arguin is so rich because it lies next to an ocean upwelling that produces nutrient-rich cooler waters. This sets a whole food chain of phytoplankton-filter feeders-fish-birds-marine mammals in motion. 

We approached it from the South, driving for 2.5 hours from the capital Nouakchott. This is mostly a good paved road, where our drivers even clocked 130km/h. The surrounding landscape is rather featureless, though you will see some dromedaries roaming around. We made a first stop at Mamghar, one of the seven fishing villages inside the park. The smell of fish is predominant here: the people leave their gutted fish drying out on the fences surrounding the corrals for the goats.

On the outskirts of town, you can walk onto the seabank and observe bird colonies that have found their nesting or resting spot right there. We saw two sandbanks right offshore fully covered by a variety of bird species, including larger ones such as pelicans. A bit more inland, there …

The global significance of Banc d’Arguin is incontrovertible – “Of the estimated seven million wading birds which use the Atlantic flyway, approximately 30% spends the winter at Banc d'Arguin, which hosts the largest concentration of wintering waders and one of the most diversified communities of nesting piscivorous birds in the world.” However, like most “wetland” WHS, it is primarily a destination for ornithologists who can give it the right amount of time and expertise at the optimum season of the year.

The Park is huge and stretches along c30% of Mauritania’s coast. Its designated area is about 50% maritime and 50% land and a 4x4 vehicle is essential for the latter. The nearest asphalt is at the Chami entrance at approximately the mid point N-S. From there it is 30kms across sandy and often unclear tracks to the fishing village of Iwik which is the main place for hiring the boat necessary to reach the “banks” themselves where the main birding areas are. Any attempt to go north or south from Iwik can take you on tracks leading into dunes or areas inundated at high tides and having treacherous crusted surfaces. Our local driver drove these to the southern exit at Mamghar in order for us to see the Cape Timrit area. From there we had hoped to take the “classic” c170 kms “low tide” sea shore drive to Nouakchott but the tide times were not convenient and we had to “force” a route east out of …