Digital Nomad in Dakhla: Your Definitive Travel Guide to Western Sahara
While living in Morocco, we met some fellow nomads at the coworking space who wanted to digital nomad in Dakhla – so we said, why not!
I had honestly never heard of it until then and was a little apprehensive at first. However, we quickly discovered it is a legendary kite spot and knew we had to see for ourselves.
Our week in Dakhla was full of kiting, surfing, and of course working. Keep reading to discover all there is know when you digital nomad in Dakhla, Western Sahara.
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Digital Nomad in Dakhla, Western Sahara: A Complete Guide
Where is Western Sahara?
Western Sahara is located along Northern Africa’s west coast. It borders Morocco to the north, and Mauritania on all other sides. The territory contains only about 500,000 residents, with almost half living in it’s largest city, Laayoune.
The other major city and burgeoning tourist destination, Dakhla, is the Moroccan administration’s capital. It is located on a peninsula once occupied by Spanish whalers, who decimated the local marine population.
The city is surrounded by the Sahara Desert and has a unique blend of desert landscapes and coastal features. Dakhla is renowned for its beautiful beaches, making it a popular destination for water sports enthusiasts, particularly windsurfing and kitesurfing. The strong winds and favorable conditions attract visitors from around the world.
Locals pronounce it dock-lah – but the ‘ck’ makes a sound like your hocking loogie. I cant really make that noise.
Is Western Sahara a country?
Its complicated.
Western Sahara is recognized as a non-self-governing territory by the UN, after it’s Spanish decolonization in the 1970s. The UN maintains that the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara have the right to govern themselves, despite not having fully attained self-government. The aim of this classification is to protect developing territories and their inhabitants.
The Polisario Front, a Sahrawi nationalist movement currently in exile in Algeria, is considered by the UN to be the legitimate representatives of the Sahrawi people, with a right to self-determination. They currently occupy the most inland parts of Western Sahara.
Meanwhile…
After the Spanish decolonization (and actually for some time before), Morocco has laid claim to the disputed territory and currently occupies about 80% of it (starting from the west and north).
Despite the UN’s stance that the territory should remain independent, the United States became the first to recognize Morocco’s claim in 2020 (in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel). There is now even a US Consulate in Dakhla, although it was mostly for publicity and sits practically empty.
So is Western Sahara a country? Long story short, it’s still very much disputed.
Is Western Sahara Safe?
The UN and African Union have been very specific that the dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawi’s Polisario Front must be resolved peacefully, and have supported missions to reach a ceasefire.
As long as you stay on the western half of the territory (the Moroccan side) away from the disputed border and wall, there’s no real danger from military conflict. The climate however, is very harsh and almost uninhabitable, so its best not to venture too far from civilization.
I personally felt more safe in Dakhla that any other part of Morocco. I never experienced any type of harassment or cat-calling; even the taxi’s were honest and didn’t try to rip us off.
The people we met were very kind and generous – we met a sweet high school girl who wanted to practice speaking English with us, and made friends with our neighbor who made us the most delicious fish tajines after kiting.
Why go to Dakhla?
Here is my honest review of Dakhla. The town itself is very sleepy. There are several nice restaurants, the medina is interesting to explore, the main road is very well-kept and looks cool lit up at night, and there are a couple boardwalk-type areas that seem new.
But despite becoming increasingly popular for tourism, it seems most people stay in their resorts and in general it really feels like a ghost town.
I would say there are two main reasons to go to Dakhla:
- Your bucket list. If you are the type of traveler trying to cross off as many countries as possible and experience places most people haven’t heard of, this is a pretty easy one to check off. Its generally safe, and easy to get to from Morocco or even France.
- Wind sports. The wind is just popping off and the surrounding landscape is incredible. Just north of Dakhla in the lagoon is a kitesurfer’s paradise. Jack and I had one of our best sessions in Dakhla; the wind was so strong and the desert landscape is otherworldly.
How to Get to Dakhla, Western Sahara
By Plane
Royal Air Moroc flies direct to and from Casablanca and Agadir (Morocco), as well as Paris each day.
When we decided we wanted to visit Dakhla, we were staying in Marrakech. Surprisingly, there are no direct flights from Marrakech, so we took the train from Marrakech to Casablanca, then flew to Dakhla from there.
Our roundtrip tickets were about $200 USD each, plus $30 each for the train. This was still the cheapest option for us over driving, or flying from Marrakech with a layover in Casablanca (about $400).
By Car
It is also possible to drive from Marrakech (or anywhere else in Morocco) to Dakhla. There is a decent highway that runs the entire way, although its not well-lit at night. Make sure you bring your passport for the occasional police check points.
But unless this road trip is specifically on your bucket list, I wouldn’t exactly recommend it. Renting a car in Morocco is quite a hassle and very costly for a trip like this, not to mention the 17+ hours of driving.
Since it gets too dark to drive at night, it’s necessary to stop halfway, making this a two day drive at the minimum.
We came really close to doing this with some other nomads we befriended. But in the end, flying just seemed way better for essentially the same price.
By Bus
This option would take foreverrrr – but it is an option, and all you have to do is sit there! There are buses from Casablanca (26 hours), Marrakech (23 hours), and Agadir (20 hours) to Dakhla every day. It is relatively cheap compared to flying or driving, about $40-60 USD (400-600 dh).
Where to Stay in Dakhla, Western Sahara
There are basically three parts of Dakhla…
The Lagoon
The top of the peninsula on the lagoon is where all the kite spots are located, and on the ocean side you can surf waves. As you drive down the highway, the kite-filled lagoon looks like a field of wildflowers dancing in the breeze.
The entrance of Dakhla is still 25km away from here, but there are many all-inclusive kite camps and resorts. If kiting is your priority, and you can afford it, these kite camps and resorts are a great experience.
They are practically on the water right next to the kite spots, you meet lots of fellow kiters, and some plan other excursions around the area as well.
We planned this trip pretty last minute so unfortunately all the kite resorts were either booked or veryyy pricey. Here are some options:
City Entrance
Venturing further south into the peninsula, you reach the entrance of the city of Dakhla. I’m not exactly sure what this neighborhood is called, so I’m calling it “City Entrance” for now. When taking a taxi, we would just name a restaurant or business to get dropped off near. There are a few nice restaurants, markets, and surf shops in this small area.
This is the area we stayed for a week when were digital nomads in Dakhla and I liked the central location. We were still in Dakhla so we could walk around and go to different restaurants, and if we wanted to go to the city center, it was a quick taxi away. But we were still on the northern edge, so its about as close to the kite spots as you can be without staying at the kite resorts (still about 25km away).
Despite being a fairly small neighborhood, there are quite a few Airbnb’s, as well as some hotels and resorts.
Medina
The majority of the city and city center (or medina), is located even further south after the airport. In this area you will find the majority of the restaurants and shops; and there are quite a few Airbnb’s available. Despite this being the most ‘lively’ area in Dakhla, it still seemed pretty dead compared with the hectic souks of Morocco.
Getting Around Dakhla, Western Sahara
Renting a car is definitely the easiest way to get around. If you plan to kite and aren’t stay at a kite camp, its especially convenient as the kite spots are 25km+ from Dakhla. However, when we stayed in Dakhla, we did not have a car and managed just fine.
It’s relatively easy to hail a taxi – they just drive back and forth on the main road between the city entrance to the medina. And its only 6dh (about $0.60) each way!
Since we didn’t have a car, the kite shop we rented our gear from generously drove us out to the kite spots each day. Shout out to Dakhla Riders!
Things to do in Dakhla, Western Sahara
Kitesurf
This is definitely the main draw to the area. The wind is so good, I only used a 7 meter kite and I was flying around. The kite spots are very interesting and require knowledge of the area to get to, unless you decide to stay at the kite resorts. The tides move in and our very drastically so the kite areas grow and shrink throughout the day.
The surrounding landscape feels like you’re kiting on Mars. There are also several downwinders, including the La Dune Blanche (see next). Unfortunately we cant travel around with all our kite gear, but no worries – Dakhla Riders hooked us up.
La Dune Blanche
On the North-East side of the lagoon is a big white sand dune – hence the name. This is another kite spot (for experienced kiters), but you can also get to it without a kite with a tour company.
Dune Buggy & ATV
On no-wind days, pretend your in Mad Max and rip it on the sand dunes in a buggy. You can find many tour companies offering this excursion posted on billboards around town, or on google.
Surf
On the ocean side of the peninsula, you can surf the waves. We rented surfboards (I think $20 or $40 USD per day?) and headed to the beach, Oum El Bouir, near the rocky part that sticks out into the ocean a bit. The waves were pretty small when we were there, good for beginners.
Imlili Desert
About 130 km from Dakhla (on the other side of the lagoon) in the middle of the desert is a large expanse of ponds. There are all kinds of flora and fauna unique to the desert, as well as camels. Small fish might even tickle your feet and eat your dead skin.
Best Places to Eat in Dakhla
- Restaurant Dakhla Plaisance – Seafood and Oysters; its a little bit north of the city and very unassuming. When you turn off the main road, keep driving toward the ocean even if it looks like an abandoned industrial building. This place had amazing seafood at Moroccan prices – if you’re with a group, get the large seafood platter with vegetables.
- Aguachiles Dakhla Mar – Mexican; one of the best spots in the “City Entrance” neighborhood. The food was amazing, but it is a bit pricey.
- Restaurant Flamant Rose – this spot serves anything you could be craving: pizza, burgers, tacos, tajine… and at a good price.
- Cafe Restaurant Terassa – Cafe; serves a nice French / Moroccan breakfast, but are also open until dinner as well. I ordered shrimp paella which was great.
- Samarkand – Moroccan; we are here twice. Really good tajines at Moroccan prices.
- Restaurant Villa Dakhla – Seafood and Pasta; a little more high end, but very good and you can sit overlooking the water.
Can You Digital Nomad in Dakhla, Western Sahara?
I would say yes – you can digital nomad in Dakhla. However, just being honest here, unless you are consistently kiting, there isn’t much else to do so you might get bored after a while.
The WIFI in Dakhla is decent. We had some trouble with video calls dropping and streaming, and occasionally it would go out completely. But in general it was usable and probably differs depending on your accommodation. (We also had like 5 people in one Airbnb all using it at the same time, so that was part of our problem lol).
Is Western Sahara Worth Visiting?
My vote is… yes! I had a great time exploring Dakhla and Western Sahara, and hope you do too.
Let me know if you plan to digital nomad in Dakhla, Western Sahara – and if you have any more questions!
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