Travel influencers posed for wedding pictures on the world’s most dangerous 2km-long iron train through the Sahara Desert.
Kristijan Ilicic, 35, and his blogger wife Andrea Trgovcevic, 29, from Croatia, had the most extreme post-wedding photoshoot during their unconventional honeymoon to Mauritania in Northwest Africa.
The daredevil newlyweds, who wanted their honeymoon to ‘be unique’, climbed onto the heaviest, longest, and most dangerous freight train, the Train du Desert, for the dirty 20-hour journey through harsh conditions.
Wow: Kristijan Ilicic, 35, and his blogger wife Andrea Trgovcevic, 29, from Croatia, had the most extreme post-wedding photoshoot during their unconventional honeymoon to Mauritania in Northwest Africa. In one snap, Andrea hung over the moving train as Kristijan held onto her hand to pull her back
Travel influencers Kristijan Ilicic and his blogger wife Andrea Trgovcevic, from Croatia, posed for wedding pictures on the world’s most dangerous 2km-long iron train through the Sahara Desert
Kristijan and Anna donned wedding finery for their unique photos, despite the fact temperatures can reach 45C during the day
Kristijan shared the incredible shots with his 337,000 followers on his Instagram page @kristijanilicic.
Speaking to the Mail Online Kristijan said: ‘We got married and decided to go on a bit different honeymoon than is expected.
‘We wanted our honeymoon to be unique, special, something we would remember for the rest of our lives so it couldn’t have been a cliché with white sands, turquoise sea and palm trees.
‘I’ve already visited more than 150 countries in the world, and both of us have seen so many beautiful beaches, from Thailand, Seychelles, Aruba, Curacao, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Mauritius… We really saw a lot.
Kristijan and Andrea wanted their honeymoon to ‘be unique’ as they have already visited the typical honeymoon style destinations
‘This time it had to be something completely different. And we found it in… Mauritania.’
Mauritania’s Train du Desert operates a daily service from the port at Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast to the iron ore mines in Zouerat to a little port on the Atlantic Sea, Nouadhibou.
Passenger cars are sometimes attached to freight trains, but more often than not, Mauritanians choose to dangerously ride on top of the ore filled freight cars, free of charge.
However, if are common and the temperature can reach more than 45C during the day and below zero at night.
The daredevil newlyweds, who wanted their honeymoon to ‘be unique’, climbed onto the heaviest, longest, and most dangerous freight train for the dirty 20-hour journey through the harsh conditions of the desert
Kristijan shared the incredible shots with his 337,000 followers on his Instagram page @kristijanilicic
They wanted their honeymoon to be special and something they would remember for the rest of their lives
The pair didn’t want to opt for a cliché honeymoon with white sands, turquoise sea and palm trees
The travel blogger said: ‘More than 200 cars carry only iron ore, there are no passenger cars, so you simply climb onto it and the more than 700 kilometers ride can begin.
‘The 20-hour ride is really challenging though, the weather conditions are extreme. During the day temperatures hit more than 45 degrees Celsius and when the night falls, it drops down below zero degrees.
‘That is the place where we decided to do our post wedding photo shoot!’
The couple stayed on the freight train for the full 20-hour journey and they found the conditions during the night the hardest part of the journey.
Kristijan said: ‘The hardest part was the night, because temperatures were going below zero and it’s dusty, with wind and iron ore going onto you through the night.’
However the pair admitted that it was worth the harsh night because ‘everything else was really exciting and full of adventure.’
The couple also posed up a storm in the desert before they hopped on the freight train for the truly unique wedding album shots
The sweet couple oozed glamor as they posed for some stunning sunset snaps amount to the dunes of sand
The couple referred to their honeymoon destination as ‘the most underestimated tourist destination’ and said it actually has a lot to offer
The pair posed up a storm on top of the freight cars for the truly unique wedding album shots which were taken by Kristijan’s friend @lucky_m_e on Instagram.
In some jaw-dropping images, the bride and groom can be seen posing in their wedding attire and goggles as the train speeds through the desert.
In one snap, the Andrea hung over the moving train as Kristijan holds her hand to pull her back.
The couple referred to their honeymoon destination as ‘the most underestimated tourist destination’ and said it actually has a lot to offer.
The newlyweds said the 20-hour ride was ‘really challenging’ as the weather conditions are extreme in the desert
Before the journey the pair snapped a selfie during the day where temperatures hit more than 45 degrees Celsius
Kristijan even done the viral Gangnam style dance while on top of the train which he shared to his Instagram
There are no passenger cars, so the couple had to climb onto the train for the 700 kilometer journey
Kristijan said: ‘What we have learned is that Mauritania is the most underestimated tourist destination with no more than 6,000 people visiting each year.
‘It really has a lot to offer. And that is not just because it has very well preserved ancient libraries and the famous ‘Eye of Sahara’ (recently even presumed to be the drowned Atlantis), but even more because the people are very welcoming.
The pair even ended up getting married again after villagers surprised them with a traditional ceremony.
The couple stayed on the freight train for the full 20-hour journey and they found the conditions during the night the hardest part of the journey
The pair said the hardest part was the night, because temperatures went below zero and it was very dusty
Andrea was covered in black dust and iron after spending the night on the freight train with her new husband
‘In a village we visited, local people managed to surprise us with a wedding ceremony in accordance with their local, traditional rituals.
‘Andrea and I were dressed in their traditional wedding clothes, and it was a two hour dancing, drumming, singing experience I’ll never forget. And by the way, yes, it seems that Andrea and I got married twice.
‘Everything was so touching, surprisingly beautiful, unexpected and pure.
‘It was really not a typical honeymoon, but it was also the trip of our lives.’
The pair even ended up getting married again after villagers surprised them with a traditional ceremony
They were dressed in local traditional wedding clothes, and it was a two hour dancing, drumming and singing experience