My Epic 18-Hour Sahara Iron Ore Train Ride 🚂

People say I’m crazy. I say thank you!! 🤓

We spent 18 hours on an open iron ore train in the middle of the Sahara desert. It is the longest and heaviest train in the world. Once the train starts, it doesn’t stop. We ate, drank, peed, slept all in that ONE wagon. We experienced crazy heat from the sun and heated iron ore, pleasant winds, bright starry skies, rains, crazy cold winds - EVERYTHING!! It started with us protecting ourselves from the heat to waking up cooped up in sleeping bags! We have iron ore in every crevice of our bodies! 😂

@vidyaravishanker and I boarded the train in Zouèrat where the iron ore is filled in the train and we got off at Nouadibhou. It is free of charge. Locals use this train as a means of transport between certain towns in Mauritania as there is very little to no public transport and getting around in a car is very expensive for the locals. While this was a brilliant experience for us since it was a once in a lifetime adventure, I can’t imagine having to make the journey multiple times a year just to get to places. For us it was a choice, for the locals it’s not.

Hademine Ahmedou made sure we were absolutely safe throughout the journey. Unless you do something silly like jump from one wagon to the other, there’s no way you’ll fall off the train. These guys also made sure we had cold water, snacks, sleeping bags, mats, ski masks to protect from the iron ore and scarves to cover our heads and faces. It was crazy how well prepared they were and even though the train doesn’t have fixed timings, they made sure we boarded the train and had this brilliant experience in the best way possible!!