Nouakchott: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Nouakchott is the capital of Mauritania, 10 m (33 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport (NKC), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 92 places to stay.
Key facts
Open Nouakchott in Google Maps
Daylight in Nouakchott runs from about 11 h 5 min a day in late December to 13 h 15 min in late June (computed for 18.09° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Nouakchott is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport (NKC), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre, whose 11,155-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Nouakchott: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Nouakchott · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 92 places to stay in Nouakchott. Of the 54 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (26), and 1 are five-star. Guests have left 1,405 reviews in total.
Hotels in Nouakchott: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Pikine, 399 km (Senegal) — flights
- Touba, 359 km (Senegal)
- Guédiawaye, 398 km (Senegal) — flights
- Thiès, 380 km (Senegal) — flights
- Rufisque, 399 km (Senegal) — flights
- Saint-Louis, 236 km (Senegal)
- Thiès Nones, 382 km (Senegal) — flights
- Diourbel, 383 km (Senegal) — flights
- Nouadhibou, 336 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Louga, 276 km (Senegal)
Twin towns and sister cities: Madrid, Lanzhou, Amman, Tucson, Bamako, Regional Council of Île-de-France, Brazzaville.
Common questions
Which airport serves Nouakchott?
Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport (NKC), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre.
How big is Nouakchott?
About 1.2 million people live in Nouakchott, across 1,000 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Nouakchott in?
Africa/Nouakchott, currently UTC+0.
What currency is used in Nouakchott?
The Ouguiya (MRU). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Nouakchott?
Our booking partner lists 92 places to stay in Nouakchott, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Nouakchott?
Pikine (399 km), Touba (359 km), Guédiawaye (398 km), Thiès (380 km), Rufisque (399 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.