Is It Safe to Travel to Mauritania?Advisories checked 9 November 2026. Check the official advisory on the day you travel: governments change them often, sometimes weekly.
The US rates Mauritania Level 3 (Reconsider travel). The UK advises against all travel to parts of Mauritania. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel, with stricter advisories for some regions.
The governments disagree: the strictest advice comes from the US and Canada (level 3), the mildest from the UK (level 2). Some regions carry stricter warnings than the rest of the country.
The three advisories side by side
US Department of State
3Level 3“Reconsider travel”
“Reconsider travel to Mauritania due to terrorism, crime, and limited health infrastructure. Some areas have increased risk.”
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
2Level 2“Advises against travel to parts of the country”
“FCDO advises against all travel to areas east of a line drawn between but excluding the towns of Kankossa, Akhreijit, Ghallaouia, Zouerat, Fderîck and onwards west to the border with Western Sahara. FCDO advises against all travel to areas within 25km of the Malian border in the south, including Khabou.”
Government of Canada
3Level 3“Avoid non-essential travel (with regional advisories)”
“Natural disasters and climate section – added information on El Niño”
Why the advice differs
Each government uses its own scale. The US and Canada each have four levels for the whole country. The UK only states whether it advises against travel to the whole country or to parts of it. We place all three on a common 1 to 4 scale (see below); the scales are not identical, so the same level can mean slightly different things.
The UK’s level 2 for Mauritania comes from advice against travel to parts of the country, not the whole country.
Specific areas with stricter advice are named by: UK and Canada. A country-wide level can stay low while one region carries a stricter warning.
The advisories were last updated on different dates: US 17 August 2026, UK 19 October 2026, Canada 20 October 2026. An older advisory may not reflect recent events.
Regions with stricter warnings
These are the governments’ own words. We do not add or change any region names.
FCDO advises against all travel to areas east of a line drawn between but excluding the towns of Kankossa, Akhreijit, Ghallaouia, Zouerat, Fderîck and onwards west to the border with Western Sahara. FCDO advises against all travel to areas within 25km of the Malian border in the south, including Khabou.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, updated 19 October 2026.
Canada also gives regional advisories for Mauritania on its official page (updated 20 October 2026). Read the Canadian advisory
What the levels mean
TravelDecl places each government’s advice on a common 1 to 4 scale so the three can be compared. The wording in each column is the government’s own.
| Level | Meaning | US | UK | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Level 1 | Normal precautions | Level 1: Exercise normal precautions | No advice against travel | Exercise normal security precautions |
| 2Level 2 | Increased caution | Level 2: Exercise increased caution | Advises against travel to parts of the country | Exercise a high degree of caution |
| 3Level 3 | Reconsider or avoid non-essential travel | Level 3: Reconsider travel | Advises against all but essential travel to the whole country | Avoid non-essential travel |
| 4Level 4 | Do not travel | Level 4: Do not travel | Advises against all travel to the whole country | Avoid all travel |
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- Travel advisories for every country
Questions
What level is the Mauritania travel advisory?
The US rates Mauritania Level 3 (Reconsider travel). US advisory updated 17 August 2026. The UK advises against all travel to parts of Mauritania. UK advisory updated 19 October 2026. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel, with stricter advisories for some regions. Canadian advisory updated 20 October 2026.
Does the UK advise against travel to Mauritania?
Not for the whole country. The UK advises against all travel to parts of Mauritania. UK advisory updated 19 October 2026. In its words: “FCDO advises against all travel to areas east of a line drawn between but excluding the towns of Kankossa, Akhreijit, Ghallaouia, Zouerat, Fderîck and onwards west to the border with Western Sahara. FCDO advises against all travel to areas within 25km of the Malian border in the south, including Khabou.”
Is Mauritania safe for tourists?
TravelDecl does not give its own verdict. Here is what the governments say: The US rates Mauritania Level 3 (Reconsider travel). The UK advises against all travel to parts of Mauritania. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel, with stricter advisories for some regions. Advisories checked 9 November 2026. Check the official advisory on the day you travel.
Check the official advisory on the day you travel. Each card above links to it.
Sources and methodology
- US Department of State: travel advice for Mauritania, updated 17 August 2026. US Department of State: public domain (US Government work).
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: travel advice for Mauritania, updated 19 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Government of Canada: travel advice for Mauritania, updated 20 October 2026. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Levels on the common 1 to 4 scale are mapped from each government’s own rating: US levels 1 to 4 as published; UK: no advice against travel = 1, against travel to parts = 2, against all but essential travel to the whole country = 3, against all travel to the whole country = 4; Canada: its four risk levels in order. We do not combine them into a single score.
Advisories checked 9 November 2026. This page has not yet been checked by hand.