The Big Western Sahara Region Quest

Between Ocean and Sand, we will follow the steps of famous desert lovers Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Michel Vieuchange or Charles de Foucauld in our quest meeting the Sahara populations and their traditions. We will visit mysterious cities such as Smara, the forbidden city and Dakhla, the city of the singing winds. We will experience many aspects of centuries old tribesmen culture at Tan-Tan Moussem festival as today’s Moroccan Sahara population’s mixed lifestyle in Laayoune. Our journey will cross sand dunes, astonishing uninhabited deserts, but also the Atlantic Ocean’s grandiose shores and crystal cleared lagoon waters. Our adventurous travelers may meet few western tourists but many migrating birds, flamingos, camels, dolphins and even climb on the back of the last sleeping dragon in Africa!

Highlights:
♦ Laayoune or El Aaiún - is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara
♦ The forbidden city and Dakhla - situated on a narrow peninsula of the Atlantic Coast
♦ Tan-Tan Moussem festival - a unique tribal and camel game, part of the UNESCO heritage

Day 1. Arrival and city tour in El Aaiun (Laayoune)
Laayoune is the largest city of Western Sahara with a population of 290 000 in 2024 and is de facto the administrative capital of the Moroccan Sahara region, since Western Sahara came back under Moroccan rule in 1976. The city was founded by the Spanish captain Antonio de Oro in 1938 and was the capital city of the Spanish Sahara. Laayoune has still closed ties with Spain and the canaries islands with daily flight connections to Gran Canaria.
In the late afternoon we will discover on foot the city and some of its many hidden treasures like the souk Jemal, the Mechouar square and mosque, we will meet local artisans and learn more about the Sahrawis’ art, culture and many traditions.
Hotel Sahara Line or similar -/-/-

Day 2. Laayoune - Tarfaya- Cap Juby - Akhfennir - Khnifiss National Park
After breakfast we will travel to Tarfaya (100km) and cap Juby. During the Spanish colonial era, Tarfaya was known as Villa Bens until 1958, when it was unified with Morocco after the Ifni war. The famous French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint Exupéry (1900-1944) lived there for almost 2 years (1927-28). His worldwide reputated philosophical fairytale "Le Petit Prince" has been translated in more than 300 languages and dialects. In Tarfaya we will visit his museum built aside the old Aeropostale's airstrip. For lunch, guests will have the opportunity to taste the local seafood of the day in the fishermen village of Akhfennir. After lunch we will continue to Khnifiss National Park, a pristine natural reserve and important birds nesting ground: Ruddy shelduck, marbled duck, Audouin’s gull and flamingos inhabit the lagoon permanently, while about 20 000 birds stay in the lagoon area in the winter season. We will visit this natural reserve by boat and have the opportunity to see and climb some of the most picturesque sand dunes on the Atlantic Ocean’s shores.
Hotel Sahara Line or similar B/-/-

Day 3. Tan Tan Moussem Festival
We will drive through the desert towards Tan Tan early in the morning and will arrive on the Moussem’s festival localization nearby Tan Tan beach. Every year since 1963, more than 30 tribes from southern Morocco and other parts of Northwest Africa gather there for several days of festivities. On the program Sahrawi songs and dances, camel trading, horse races, berber tribesmen cavalry charges, carneval and poetry contests. Several hundred tents are set up to accommodate them. Since 2008, the moussem was included by UNESCO on the list of intangible cultural heritage in Morocco, as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible Heritage of Humanity. This festival is famous in the whole Sahara region and will be an unforgetable experience for the ones wanting to learn more about the Sahrawis millenium traditions and collect colorful pictures and memories. We will overnight in a tent camp or similar basic accommodations allowing us to come even closer to Sahrawis lifestyle.
Overnight at Tan Tan Festival tents camp or similar basic B&B accommodation in Tan Tan city B/-/-

Please note! The Tan Tan festival’s program is subject to change on short notice and that due to participation of many middle east delegations to this amazing event, accommodation place for the night is expected to be basic and can be changed.

Day 4. Tan Tan city and beach - Laayoune surroundings
Today, after we stop in Tan Tan city and the Tan Tan beach, we will drive back to Laayoune through the dramatic coastline. We will reach Sahara Line hotel around lunch time. In the afternoon we will visit the surroundings of Laayoune including the 3 small Oasis of Dcheira and its Spanish fort ruins, cross the wadi Sadiyyar towards the city’s famous northern golden sand dunes. Before aiming back to the city suburbs and its two famous markets where local women buy food, while men trade camels and other domestic animals. We will finish this afternoon at a local's private home, experiencing another very important tradition known in the whole Africa as the Sahrawi Tea ceremony.
For the ones interested in local gastronomy, we will recommend place where they serve famous camel meat tadgin and Zaaza drinks
Hotel Sahara Line or similar B/-/-

Day 5. Smara, the forbidden city
We will wake up early, because we have about 250 km trip ahead of us. We will drive through some of the most remoted and uninhabited desertic areas, we will arrive at Smara, also known as the "Forbidden city". Smara was founded back in 1869 as an oasis for travelers. In 1902, cheikh Ma al Aynayn moved to Smara and declared it his holy capital, and since it has been an important center of religious learning. Reaching the mysterious Smara was also the goal of the brothers Vieuchange, early 20th century French writers and explorers. Michel Vieuchange's painful journey through the rebel held Sahrawi lands in 1930 disguised as Berber tribeswoman reaching Smara on 1st november 1930 and him catching the disentery that led to his death on the return. His diary and pictures were published by his young brother in 1932 as Smara the forbidden city, which became a bestseller for any desert and adventures lovers. Here we will visit the Zaouyya of Cheikh Maalainin, one of the oldest Quran, Arabic School and Islamic Librairy in Sahara and get a city tour including la grande mosquée d’Es Smara. On the road back to Laayoune, we will stop in the desert to admire 7000 to 20 000 years old rock paintings. We will thus learn from these amaizing prehistorical paintings that a rich fauna including rhinoceros, girafes, crocodiles were thus living there in deep forests crossed by large rivers.
Hotel Sahara Line or similar B/-/-

Day 6. Transfer by bus to Dakhla, The city of the winds
After breakfast we will take a 7 hours private bus drive to Dakhla and its peninsula. Founded back in 1502, the city first developed as Villa Cisneros under Spanish rule and became an important fishing and trading hub in the controlled Spanish territory. Today and thanks to its outstanding situation and windy cool climate the Dakhla's peninsula is year after year attracting more and more kite surfers from the whole world. Upon arrival at the hotel, we will go for a city tour including seaside promenade, catholic church and last, but not least, the very colorful local market
Hotel Mansour or similar. B/-/-

Day 7. Dakhla's lagoon - white dune and Dragon Island (or Porto Rico beach)
After a traditional breakfast, we will drive towards the Dakhla's lagoon and embark our boat towards the white Dune and Dragons island. On the way, we may see colonies of flamingos and even watch some dolphins used to swim in these waters. Walking in shallow waters, climbing the white dune, strolling on the back of the dragon and swimming nearby bird colonies are among the experiences you may expect from your day. In case of (unlikely) too strong wind enabling reaching the white Dune by boat we will reach it through land and afterwards enjoy the famous Porto Rico beach nearby.
Hotel Mansour or similar B/-/-

Day 8. Travel back home
After breakfast departure to Dakhla airport to return back home

Gallery