08/01/2026
Let me introduce one of my true idols: Cyril Ribas 🇫🇷
For decades, he has explored Africa, and in particular the Sahel. Cyril has travelled Mauritania in a way very few people have. His humble nature, combined with a passion for nature and history, has taken him to parts of the country that are rarely visited. He knows the desert in detail. The guelbs, the birs, the ergs.
He has driven his Citroën 2CV from the Majabat Al Koubra in Mauritania to Djado in Niger, and he spent two years living in Mauritania.
In 2001, he co-wrote the offroad guidebook "Mauritania au GPS", documenting more than 10.000 km of routes across some of the most remote parts of the country.
In 2004 and 2007, he participated in the Dakar Rally in a 2CV.
His website www.mauritanie-au-gps.fr is an amazing resource for inspiration and knowledge about Mauritania.
And then there is his YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/
With a very distinctive aesthetic and a deep love for vast, empty landscapes, he invites you into his world in a way that feels increasingly rare.
Cyril embraces simplicity, old school mechanics, ultra light travel, careful rationing of food and water and leaves luxuries behind.
Tomorrow, I have the honour of heading into the desert with Cyril as we attempt to cross the Majabat Al Koubra together.
I am humbled to share this journey with someone who understands the desert the way he does ❤️🏜️🔥
