Southern Morocco & Western Sahara
Via the west coast we drove south, a nice relaxed start in Morocco. The holiday is now over and the adventurous West Africa trip is about to begin!
Southern Morocco
Sahel region
We start with a beautiful route through the mountains and then from the mountains suddenly a view of the sea! We are in the Sahel region and the landscape is very different.
The last part to the village of Sidi Ifni we drive along the sea and the wind is extremely hard. The sky is yellow-orange from the sand and I keep the windows closed. Wow it’s warm in the car!
Gosh, in the morning the storm just continues. I’m going to the ATM and get fresh bread from the bakery, Moroccan bread is really delicious! Today we drive to Tan Tan Plage and that’s about a 3 hour drive.
Tan Tan Plage
Once again I drive with the windows closed because of the sand wind, this is really tough because it is still tropically warm. I can hardly see the village, there is so much sand in the air! We found a nice campsite and miraculously the sky clears up and it becomes windless. Hallelujah!
Our first goal is the city of Dakhla and then the border with Mauritania, it’s quite a trip! Another 1100 km to the border of Morocco-Mauritania!
Akhfennir on the coast
Refueling in the desert, the photo is in black and white because we are going back in time! The lowest diesel price ever haha €0.90 per liter! It keeps blowing and the desert sand blows over the road, I find it amazing to see and now know that there is a lot of wind in the desert.
Western Sahara
The Gateway to Western Sahara, Laayoune
Laayoune is the largest city in the Moroccan-occupied part of Western Sahara. At the large supermarket ‘Marjane’ in Laayoune I get groceries for the desert. For 5 days extra drinking water and non-perishable food in cans.
Laayoune is a large modern city, locals (men and women) walk and jog in the park. But a woman in shorts with a dog on a leash remains a sight. In this part of Morocco you can still pay with the Moroccan Dirhams and use the Morrocan simcards.
One more time fill up in Laayoune to be sure, bizarrely the diesel is even 2 cents cheaper here! Driving in the desert is cool, long distances with only sand and one asphalt road. There are not many cars on the road, mainly trucks or sometimes a moped.
I often listen to the radio in the car and suddenly I pick up a Spanish station?! Haha I’m driving near Cran Canaria.
Old fishing village Boujdour
At the beginning of the 20th century, Boujdour was a fishing village with about 1,000 inhabitants, now more than 50,000 people live there!
The owner of the only campsite in Boujdour is a cheerful guy, he opens the reception so I can use wifi in his office. In the meantime we chat about everything, on the way back I will definitely go there again!
On my way to Dakhla
The landscape changes from completely flat to sand piles and rocks. Sometimes we drive right along the coast and I can see the sea. The brown sand turns completely white and then completely brown again.
Stopping every now and then for photos. Oops I stop at a military checkpoint, but I am allowed to take photos anyway. Not too close to the edge because it is crumbling and the cliff is high…
The roads are generally good in Morocco but sometimes you have to drive on a dirt road.
Dakhla city
Just before Dakhla I park at Plage 25 and my travel friend Martin is there too, nice! Martin and I go to Dakhla around lunchtime. There is a lovely breeze at the camper place but it is boiling hot in the city. We eat chicken, chips and salad for €3.50?! and I get some vegetables and fruit at the market.
It was nice to visit this city! I enjoy a wonderful sunset and prepare myself for the journey to a new country.
On the way to the border with Mauritania
Leaving for Mauritania on time! We drive through the desert for four hours, sometimes we see the sea, sometimes only sand. Every now and then I stop for a rest or coffee, then Leo and I walk around in the desert. Wow, there is always a lot of wind!
At the Shell just before the border, fill up with diesel and (free) 40 liters of water. The trip went smoothly, it is now 14:00 and we are at the border. Should I cross the border or not? … I take a chance and get in line.
Between 14:00-15:00 the border of Morocco is closed, it turns out. After waiting for more than 2 hours, I have passed the border of Morocco and suddenly I have a fixer in my car?! I can write a whole blog about the next border crossing. Read more in the Mauritania blog!
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