The Mauritania Iron Ore Train ride is a 17-hour free train ride across a barren stretch of the Sahara and has become TikTok’s hottest travel experience. It’s a wild way to experience a whole other world – but now the Internet is divided, with many claiming that it's part of a growing trend in ‘poverty tourism’.
If you’re a fan of Dune or Mad Max, you’ve probably dreamt about travelling through a lonely red-lit desert scape, free of people, cars, civilization. Which means it’s little surprise as to why the Iron Ore Train ride has captured Gen Z’s imagination. All over social media are videos of adventurers in goggles, face masks and flying turbans, set against a backdrop of orange sand and hot blue sky as they make the 400-mile trip.
However, while it seems like an exciting, off-the-beaten track journey, not everyone on the Internet is impressed. For a start, the train ride is actually illegal for tourists. In 2024, the train’s operator SNIM announced restrictions on tourists riding the vehicle, due to risks such as dehydration and breathing in the toxic iron fumes. Of course, locals have since set up informal avenues to allow travellers to sneak on – only adding to the risk.
Even more significantly, it’s also a contentious symbol of poverty in the country. Mauritania is one of the world’s poorest countries, with over 16% of the population living below the extreme poverty line. The iron ore train isn’t an amusement ride for privileged tourists. The railway line, which links the iron mining centre of Zouérat with the port of Nouadhibou, provides crucial transport for Mauritian merchants, as well as locals living in desert communities.
Some of the most popular videos contain captions lik:, "POV: you wake up on the most dangerous train in the world", with their faces covered in dust. But perhaps most horrifying, some influencers have even documented the fact that they are digging holes in the iron ore to use as a toilet.
As a viral TikTok by @wild_milk put it, it seems like a risky and insensitive way “to cosplay Dune on IG.” She continued: “I need people to start asking themselves, would I do this if I wasn’t able to take a picture or video of it?” The question sparked a discussion in the comments over the ethics of touring impoverished communities. “These folks will pay thousands of dollars to do this, but won’t go to certain neighbourhoods in their own country,” one user said.
It seems to be part of a growing post-pandemic trend of ‘poverty tourism’, in which young, Western, typically white travellers visit underdeveloped regions for the sake of broadcasting the ‘shocking’ ways that people live to their online followings. This often includes visiting slums or disaster zones, before heading straight back to their air-conditioned Airbnbs.
The iron ore train isn’t the only destination to come under a critical lens, either. Favela tourism has also become a heated topic of debate, particularly with many TikTokers posting clips during Brazil’s Carnival. This includes taking favela tours, making viral dance videos, and even getting haircuts in Rio’s most infamous crime hotspots. This is despite the fact that favelas can be incredibly dangerous. Gov.uk advises all tourists to avoid favelas, including favela tours and any accommodation in a favela.
Most recently, a TikTok by an American tourist sparked outrage, after she accidentally booked a hostel in the favelas. “No shade to like the lower class of Brazil,” she began in her video, before proceeding to undermine the impoverished housing around her. “I don’t feel safe walking around these streets, so we’re making an executive decision to get out of here.”
The dismissive way that the travel influencer spoke about the local people rubbed viewers the wrong way. “Clearly travelling a lot doesn’t make you a traveller. Learning and respecting the culture of the land you’re visiting should be a basic,” one commenter said. Roughly 1.5 million people live in the favelas, and more than half of families there are below the poverty line.
Brazilian locals themselves also chimed in, expressing their disapproval over the trend. “As a Brazilian, she definitely should NOT be in the favela. Especially while speaking English,” a user wrote. “Girl. Definitely get out. Favelas should not be a tourist attraction,” another added.
Experiencing and learning from cultures that are different from our own is not just important, it’s necessary. But ‘poverty tourism’ has provoked a discussion over where the line gets drawn. Often, these travel vlogs are dangerous, exploitative and made for shock value. Maybe Gen Z needs to ask themselves: If I couldn’t post this, would I still go?
