The city of Dakhla is in Western Sahara* located along a 50km peninsula bordering the Atlantic Coast. The geography here is as unique as they come with one side hosting a flat-water lagoon, while the other boasts some first-class wave action ideal for surfing. And while there are several nice things to see and do in this city, the focus of this article will be the places that you can visit near Dakhla, some 50kms. or so away. You can only visit these places with a 4×4 vehicle that you can either rent and self-drive or through a tour operator. Now because it’s Africa, you’re probably thinking this would be another safari adventure; and while you’ll definitely spot some wildlife on this trip, safari is not what Western Sahara is particularly known for.
Watch our Dakhla Day Tour video
First things first, about Dakhla
Even though the places below are not exactly in Dakhla, you’ll probably encounter the term Dakhla Tours often in your research and get confused about what’s in the itinerary. In Dakhla itself, you can visit some markets, restaurants, mosques, and other points of interest in one day and all within walking distance, for free. But if you’re looking for the tour that people pay for, these are tourist sites outside of Dakhla and can only be reached by car as there is no public transportation available. I guess it’s named as such because you start your tour from Dakhla because that’s where most accommodation (hotel and hostel) is located unless you’re staying in a full-board beach resort, in that case, that would be a bit outside of Dakhla city too.
Being a city in the Sahara you’re probably thinking about having to deal with the extreme heat that is dominant in that region, but you’d hardly feel that in Dakhla. One of the things you’ll most enjoy here is the year-round temperate climate. However, the region can get quite windy, which is why various forms of surfing are so popular here.
Is it safe?
In our experience, yes. We did not experience any form of harassment or street sellers following us around. In the sites themselves, you will only see fellow travelers so that’s pretty laidback too. It is however natural to feel concerned about visiting an area where political control is disputed. But in my opinion, these issues do not affect the tourist experience. To err on the safe side, it wouldn’t hurt to always check out travel forums and embassy pages for the latest travel advice.
Top Tourist Attractions near Dakhla
The true beauty of Africa, ancient cultures, remoteness, amazing people, great food, adventure, surf-quality waves, the Sahara Desert — these are just some of the words to associate with Western Sahara. If you’re looking for something completely different from the usual safari trips that Africa is known for, then you can consider this place and I can recommend this to solo female travelers as well.
Below are the places we visited, which we booked through a private tour guide recommended by our hostel. We were 4 tourists in the vehicle plus our guide. It was me, my partner and 2 Moroccans, and our guide who doesn’t speak English so thanks to the Moroccans we were with for the free translation.
Ostrich Farm
This was our first stop and I can recommend making sure not to include this in your itinerary because there’s nothing interesting to see, just these creatures who are lined up to be slaughtered for some restaurants buying them. We did not know this was included in our itinerary, because we booked super last minute. I am showing a photo below so you can see what to see there if you’re still curious.
La Dune Blanche
This was our next stop. This geological wonder is home to thousands of pink flamingos with its own blue and green lagoon in the middle of the bay, though we didn’t see them during our visit. The area is the result of wind activities in the region and is one of the most impressive natural attractions in Western Sahara and can highly recommend. Apart from admiring this beauty, you can go for a short stroll along the dunes and down to the shallow ripples of the sea. We were told that during high tide, the area is completely surrounded by water so the best ways to reach here are by boat ride or kitesurf. Note that it’s extremely windy here.
Watch our La Dune Blanche video
Porto Rico Beach
Not far from La Dune Blanche, we found ourselves on this lovely beach with almost white sand, clear waters, dramatic cliffs, and unique rock formations. The area is quite secluded, we only were with a few tourists and believe there were locals too. The sea is not very still but the waves are just about right even for the non-swimmers to still enjoy a peaceful dip. Next to the beach, you’ll find what seems to be a lagoon surrounded by cliffs, where waves are more relaxed, though not exactly accessible by kids and handicapped. No stores or sellers around for snacks and refreshments so make sure to bring everything with you.
Watch Porto Rico in 2 minutes
Imlili Desert
Our next stop before lunch is Imlili Desert, stretching long and wide about 100 km south of Dakhla. Now at the mention of ‘desert,’ you’re probably thinking long stretches of sand and you won’t be wrong. What makes Imlili unique, however, is the over 160 saltwater pools in the area. Seeing that many water pools smack dab in the middle of the desert is one of the strangest, yet marvelous things you’ll ever see. We were told there are freshwater wells nearby that attract various animals too looking to quench their thirst. When we arrived, we saw others in the middle of their “fish spa”- feet dipped in the pools as the fishes supposedly eat the dead skin cells off. We did the same as we were invited to do so by the guide and there were no signs against it either. We were informed much later that this is not good for the fishes as the oil from our skin pollutes and endangers them. That does make sense and whether that’s accurate or not, it wouldn’t make your experience any less if you keep your feet off the pools and let them swim in peace. Learn from our mistake and please don’t hesitate to inform fellow travelers if you see them doing that.
Watch Imlili Desert in 2 minutes
Lunch Break
So this is not really a tourist site but it’s unique enough that it’s an experience in itself. The first stop of our tour was actually the wet market in Dakhla where we bought all the foods (not included in our tour price) that were grilled here by someone we paid separately (not included in the tour). We get to relax in our own big receiving tent while we all take turns helping prepare the food. We all ate from a big plate with hands and had a nice sweet tea after. Time permitting, you can probably steal a good nap. It’s a simple lunch of grilled foods and various types of olives but you eat in a special way with good company and that’s definitely something you”ll remember when you look back on this trip. Watch our Dakhla Day Tour video to get a better grasp of this experience.
Asmaa Hot Spring
This was our last stop, which I gladly did not join but was happy to take photos and videos of. Picture a hot spring in the middle of all that waves and sand. On average, the temperature of the water is about 38°C. The sulfurized water bursting out of the spring is said to be great for natural massage therapy. The water smells funky, almost like a rotten egg but apparently, that’s the sulfur and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. There’s no toilet to wash it off so you dry off with your own towel and shower in your hotel. I saw someone came for this with shampoo and soap in hand so I guess you can take an actual “shower” here too.
That was our last stop and we were dropped off in our hostel afterward, all good acquaintances after a day of tour together. The 2 Moroccans were staying in the same property as us and invited us for a nice coffee at Cafe La Hacienda, a cozy fancy-looking restaurant in Dakhla, and might be worth checking out.
I recommend doing this tour if you are in Dakhla. It’s a nice experience and doesn’t feel like a tourist trap. All in all and you get to see more of Western Sahara. There are other experiences to try and see such as the Oyster Park if you want to try freshly-caught oysters and other kinds of seafood. In fact, Dakhla oysters are like a global benchmark when it comes to taste and quality. There’s also Dragon Island, which is another point of interest that we’ve heard about. We’ve only seen this from afar during our tour but it seems you can actually visit this island via a catamaran on a different type of tour.
Watch our Asmaa Hot Spring video
Local Tour Operators In Dakhla
The easiest way to visit Dakhla is through a local tour operator. We used an independent one where we paid for the food and entrance fees of some sites but you can easily find providers that offer all-inclusive. You can easily research them online or ask your accommodation for recommendations. Like us, you can do this on a budget by joining others and in that way, you get to meet other travelers too. If you’re a big group or a family, you might want to do a private one where everything is handled by them including the food and where the guide is possibly English-speaking too. Scanning online, below seems to be the local tour operators in Dakhla. We haven’t used them so please do your own research by looking at their reviews, comparing prices, and services. Make sure to request an English speaking guide if you’re interested in history.
Dakhla Surf Travel : Saharianoss
*Western Sahara is currently in dispute whether it belongs to Morocco or should be an independent country but I’m considering this irrelevant in this article, which focuses mainly on the tourism angle.
