Some routes are a checklist. This one is a fever dream: start at the pyramids of Egypt, work your way to Morocco, then drop south into Mauritania to ride one of the longest trains on Earth — the iron ore train — perched on top of the ore itself, across the open Sahara. It's raw, it's dusty, and for a certain kind of traveller it's the trip of a lifetime.
A quick honesty note up front: the full Egypt→Morocco leg is not a clean overland border-hop today — Libya and stretches of the Algeria land route are difficult or closed to most travellers, so in practice people fly the awkward gaps and go overland where it's genuinely doable. Treat this as a highlights route, not a single unbroken bus ticket.
1. Egypt — where it begins
Start in Egypt. Give the classics their due — the Giza pyramids, the temples of Luxor, a felucca on the Nile in Aswan — then, if you have time, the Red Sea for cheap diving. Cairo is chaotic and wonderful and the perfect place to shake yourself into Africa-overland mode. It's also where you'll do the mental adjustment: this trip rewards flexibility over schedules.
2. Across the top — the idea vs the reality
On paper the dream is a straight westward run: Egypt → Libya → Tunisia → Algeria → Morocco. In reality most travellers fly the hard middle and pick up the overland trail where it's safe and open — commonly around Tunisia and then Morocco. Don't let purism strand you at a closed border; the spirit of the trip is the adventure at each end, not martyrdom in the middle.
If you want a genuine overland stretch in the north, Tunisia is a rewarding, easy one — Tunis, the ruins of Carthage, the blue-and-white lanes of Sidi Bou Said, and the edge of the Sahara at Douz.
3. Morocco — the great backpacker staging post
Morocco is the hinge of the whole trip. Lose yourself in the Marrakech medina, ride into the dunes at Merzouga, trek the Atlas Mountains and villages, wander blue Chefchaouen, and catch your breath on the coast at Essaouira. It's the last place that feels "easy" before things get wild — stock up, rest up, and sort your onward plan south.
From Morocco you head down through the Western Sahara coast road toward the Mauritanian border — a long, empty, wind-scoured drive that is an experience in itself.
4. Mauritania and THE train
Mauritania is the payoff. The country is mostly Sahara, and running across it is the iron ore train — often 1.5 to 2.5 km long, one of the longest and heaviest trains in the world. It runs between the mines at Zouérat and the port of Nouadhibou, and travellers ride it the famous way: on top of the open ore wagons, or empty-return in the hopper, across the desert.
What it's actually like:
- It is not a tourist service. No seats, no schedule you can fully trust, no facilities. You climb onto a freight wagon and hold on.
- Cover everything. Iron ore dust gets into everything — wrap your face, your bag, your camera. Wear clothes you'll happily throw away.
- Go prepared. Bring far more water and food than you think, warm layers (the desert night is cold), a headtorch, and a mat — the ore is brutal to sit on.
- The reward: hours of total Sahara silence, a sky absolutely drowned in stars, and sunrise over the dunes from the top of a moving train. Few things in travel compare.
Base yourself in Nouadhibou for the ride, and give the Banc d'Arguin birdlife and the old caravan town of Chinguetti a look while you're in the country.
How to actually plan it
- Think in legs, not one line. Fly the closed/hard gaps, go overland where it's open (Egypt internally, Tunisia, Morocco, the Morocco→Mauritania coast).
- Check current border and safety status for every leg close to departure — this region changes fast, and some stretches need permits, convoys, or simply aren't advisable.
- Time it for winter (roughly Nov–Feb) so the Sahara isn't murderous, and build in slack days — nothing here runs to your timetable.
- Bring cash and patience; ATMs and connectivity thin out fast the further you go.
This isn't a trip you book in an afternoon — it's one you assemble. Start with the country guides above, then let farpacker help you shape the doable legs into a route and a day-by-day, and flag where you'll need to hop a flight instead of a border.