(Above) Two men light a fire to make tea while riding in the back of an empty freight car while heading overnight from Noudhibou to Choum and onto Zouerat 750km East into the Sahara Desert. The train is filled up with Iron Ore mined in the Mauritanian Desert. Remote communities in the desert rely heavily on this train as it is the only form of transport to many of these villages which have only been able to survive because of this vital link to the coastal town of Nouadhibou.
(Left) Five men sleep as the sunrises, wrapped in thick, fleece blankets to stop the fine black iron ore dust coating the bottom of the wagon while trying to keep warm as the temperature drops to 0°c overnight.
(below) Luggage is lifted and strapped onto the roof of a shared taxi to the closest town, Atar, three hours away, and is where many passengers are aiming to get to once off the train. Atar is another transport junction where you can continue further into the desert to Chinguetti and beyond to Mali or Algeria.