Dakhla

A peninsula, a bay, a desert

Dakhla sits on a tongue of sand. The peninsula runs 40 km south of the mouth of the Oued Ed-Dahab and is no more than 2 km wide in places; the town, built on the peninsula, lies 30 km north of the Tropic of Cancer and 1,690 km from Rabat. Founded by the Spanish in 1884 as Villa Cisneros, it hosted a base of the Aéropostale, the French airmail company, in 1925.

Between the peninsula and the mainland, Dakhla Bay is 37 km long and 13.5 km wide; a ridge of dunes separates it from the ocean along its whole length. This sheltered lagoon is what makes Dakhla: flat, shallow water inside, the Atlantic swell on the other side of the peninsula, and desert all around.

Hotels and kite camps are spread along the lagoon, some close to town, others further out. Distances quickly add up once you leave town: Sabaro suggests choosing where to stay according to what you came for, by the water to ride, in or near town for a more varied stay.

Wind and tide

The wind. It blows from the north-east, at 15 to 25 knots in winter and over 30 knots in July and August. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 1991-2020 normals for the Dakhla station count on average 323 days a year when the wind reaches at least 10 m/s, about 19 knots: from 22.5 days in December to 30.4 days in July. Sabaro keeps summer for experienced riders and recommends winter for learning.

The kitesurfing season runs from late February to late October; the schools stay open all year.

The tide. It changes everything. The riding area is huge at high tide and much smaller at low tide. Sabaro advises checking the tide times when you arrive and planning your sessions around them.

The water. The average surface temperature ranges from 17.6 °C in January to 21.8 °C in September. Sabaro recommends a wetsuit, especially in winter and in strong wind.

Who it suits. Beginners, intermediates and advanced riders all find their water: flat and shallow inside the lagoon, choppy with waves outside it. At Dakhla Attitude, instructors are certified by IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) or VDWS (Verband Deutscher Wassersportschulen, the German federation of water sports schools), and children under 15 must take private lessons.

Out of the water

• The White Dune is reached by 4x4, along a track about 50 km from town.
• Herné Island, known as Dragon Island, can only be reached at low tide; water surrounds it the rest of the day. The 4-hour catamaran trip stops there for a swim.
• PK25 (kilometre point 25), at the entrance to the peninsula, draws kitesurfers and campervans, and has a hot sulphur spring; its calm waters are good for swimming.
• Westpoint and Oum Labouir, on the Atlantic side, about ten kilometres from the centre: Westpoint is a well-known surf spot. Lassarga, a fishing village at the southern tip of the peninsula, is known to surfers.
• Porto Rico, beaches about 80 km south of Dakhla.
• The Asma spring, in the desert, on the programme of 4x4 outings.

Oysters. The bay is the centre of Moroccan oyster farming: in 2023, 57 of the 63 oyster projects recorded in Morocco were in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region.

Birds. The bay is a Ramsar site, meaning it is on the Ramsar Convention's list of wetlands of international importance; it is Morocco's second most important wintering site for migratory waterbirds, with close to 60,000 birds on average between 1995 and 2000. Sabaro recommends winter, the wintering season, for birdwatching.

Getting organised

• Arriving. Dakhla airport is about 6 km from town, around ten minutes by taxi. Dakhla is a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop. By road, Agadir is 1,167.7 km away.
• Getting around. A vehicle is best for exploring the area. For desert outings, Sabaro recommends a local provider with a driver.
• Road rules. Any route leaving the paved coastal road requires prior approval from the gendarmerie or the armed forces: have your provider check this before each 4x4 outing. For Western Sahara, the road to Mauritania and the border area, your country's foreign ministry advice is in the "Travel advice" table on this page.
• How many days. For kitesurfing, a week, as in Sabaro's "Kitesurfing in Dakhla, 7 days" trip idea: enough to learn or progress, with some slack for days when the tide or the wind do not suit. Without riding, Sabaro suggests three or four days: the White Dune, Dragon Island, a catamaran trip, the oysters and a rest day.

Not to be confused. Dakhla shares its name with an oasis in Egypt's Western Desert, Dakhla, next to Kharga, which Sabaro covers on a separate page. Check the country and the airport (VIL for Dakhla, Morocco) when you book.