We left the flood plains of Essaouira braced for a few long days of driving. We were aiming to spend the night in Tan Tan but were delayed by a long stop over at the Majane store to stock up on supplies for the days ahead – it was the last Majane we would see! As night fell we decided to stop at a campsite outside of Goulimina. The place was run by a bunch of very chilled out Moroccan hippies and although there were no showers there were hubbly-bubblies (shisha pipe)! We had our first braai of the trip and spent the evening smoking hubbly under the clear night sky.
On Saturday morning we crossed the Drâa River for the final time and then drove into Western Sahara – the disputed country which Morocco claims as “Moroccan Sahara”. The first thing we noticed was the increased military presence as our Fiche’s were used up rapidly! The terrain was incredible. It was much flatter than anything we had seen before. On the left we had rocky desert and on the right the desert fell off a steep cliff into the Atlantic. At times we moved away from the sea and for many kilometers it felt as if we were driving through a giant construction site. At dusk we pulled off the main road about 30km before Laayoune and followed the track for a long way into the desert. Eventually we arrived at a small but immaculately kept campsite on the edge of a giant chott (salt pan). It was run by a friendly French woman and her husband and was completely self-sufficient. It was great to be in a secluded place away from the regular camper-vans. We enjoyed a peaceful night and awoke to colourful sunrise over the chott the next morning.
The drive to Dakhla was long and much the same as before with stunning, barren scenery, blue ocean and many check points! Dakhla, situated on a peninsula, is the last major town before the border into Mauritania. This bustling fishing town has a very chilled surfer atmosphere. We were unlucky in that we were three days too early for a large music festival and kite-surfing competition which apparently attracts up to 30,000 people! That night we free-camped on the edge of the ocean.
We used Monday for some much needed R&R! This involved a long run on the beach followed by a swim and lunch at a bougainvillea-terraced seafood restaurant. We also snuck onto the free wireless internet offered by the Great Western hotel and found the most amazing French patisserie and ice-cream café next door. “La Maison du Thé” comes much recommended for any African traveller seeking a little bit of extravagance! That evening we went to the Dakhla’s central market to buy fish, meat, vegetables and water. Finally, before setting up camp on the eastern side of the peninsula (for our quick get away the next day) we filled our jerry cans with diesel which is far cheaper in Morocco (Western Sahara) than Mauritania.
