• • Witness the famous Djemaa El Fna square in Marrakech as it comes alive at night with food stalls, story tellers, and snake charmers
  • Explore the Essaouira’s historic walled medina
  • Visit shipwrecks, the fishing harbour, and historical sites in and around Tarfaya
  • Spend time in the old Senegalese capital of St Louis, exploring the streets of the old town characterised by its pastel-coloured colonial-era architecture
  • Kick back on the banks of the Senegal River, in Langue de Barbarie National Park. With its impressive array of birdlife, a boat trip is a must for the wildlife enthusiast
  • Explore cosmopolitan Dakar with its vibrant arts and crafts scene, superb music, museums, galleries, and mosques
  • Take a trip to Ile de Goree, an intriguing island off the coast of Dakar known for it’s role in the Atlantic slave trade
  • Walk around the beautiful Naila Lagoon, home to an array of migratory birds
  • Enjoy kite surfing or quad biking across the sweeping sand dunes in Dahkla
  • Observe traders negotiating at the camel market in Nouakchott

First, we’ll stop at Sidi Ifni, a former Spanish town dominated by white-washed and art-deco style buildings, including the old Spanish consulate. We’ll visit Legzira beach to see the impressive sea arch. This beautiful stretch of coastline has been battered by the Atlantic wind and waves for centuries, resulting in 2 stunning sea arches, one which collapsed in 2016. Walking on the cliffs gives you the chance to take some great photos. If the tide is out you should be able to get some great shots posing under the arch.

Heading south, we will make a brief stop at Naila Lagoon, a beautiful lake surrounded by rolling sand dunes in the Khnifiss National Park. The lagoon is home to many migratory birds such as flamingos, grey herons and whimbrels, as well as a huge variety of fish.

Western Sahara, or Sahara Occidental, is classed by the United Nations as a ‘disputed territory’. Many different tribes have called this region their home over the centuries. The Saharawi people of Western Sahara have been fighting for independence since the Spanish left in the 1970s. Huge swathes of the territory are ruled by Morocco, with a more autonomous region administered by the Polisario.

Tarfaya is the first significant town we will reach after crossing into Western Sahara from Morocco. In 1975 hundreds of thousands of Moroccans gathered at Tarfaya as a staging point to launch the ‘Green March’ orchestrated by King Hassan. This was the event that saw Morocco attempt to stake its claim to Western Sahara after the Spanish agreed to leave the territory.

We’ll spend a few hours around Tarfaya for a chance to visit sites of interest, including:

• A number of shipwrecks along the coastline which make for a dramatic scene as the Atlantic ocean erodes them one crashing wave at a time
• Casamar (also known as Port Victoria); established by Donald Mackenzie it served as a small trading settlement on a rock off the coast in the 1870’s
• The monument to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who managed the Aéropostale during colonial times as mail was flown back and forth between France and Senegal
• The fishing harbour where small artisanal boats compete with massive trawlers from all over the world for the huge variety of fish species

  

If time permits, we will stop at a local hammam that draws on natural thermal waters, the perfect way to wash away the Saharan dust before continuing on to our hotel in Dakhla. Located just 20kms or so north of the Tropic of Cancer on a narrow spit of land sticking into the Atlantic Ocean, the scenery in and around the city is beautiful. Pristine beaches and dramatic cliff faces dominate the view. Dakhla has become a well-known kite surfing destination due to the reliable coastal winds, and it’s well worth going up the old Spanish lighthouse for great views of the surrounding landscape.

From here we have a day’s drive down to Nouakchott for the night at a local auberge before heading North East. Before reaching Atar we’ll make a stop at Terjet oasis – a small unsuspected lush green paradise, in amongst the mountains of sand. It’s a great place to take a short hike, or relax in the shaded river to cool off.

The next day you’ll have time to explore Atar before heading out on a day trip to Chinguetti. We’ll visit one of the 5 historic libraries here to get an insight into the significance of Chinguetti as a hub along the Saharan trading routes.

A full day’s drive takes us back to Nouakchott where once again we will be welcomed at our auberge. The next day you’ll have time to visit different sites of interest. The fish market, or port de peche, is considered one of the liveliest in all of West Africa, and guaranteed to impress with hundreds of colourful local fishing boats lined up along the beach. It’s also worth visiting the bustling central market, or the camel market, to watch the traders negotiate amongst the crowds livestock. Mauritanians are largely descended from the Maures and therefore have a unique ethnicity in this region. Mauritanian men wear a distinctive traditional robe called the ‘Dara’ and women often wear a wrap around called the ’Malaffa’.

Depending on the weather and road conditions we will cross the border into Senegal at either Diama or Rosso, where the River Senegal comes into view for the first time. The bright green landscape here is quite a contrast from the endless sand of the Sahara.

On one of our days here there will be the option to take a short drive north to the beautiful old colonial city of St Louis, the former capital of Senegal. Originally founded as a trading post, St Louis is located at the mouth of the River Senegal and is spread out along a narrow island, reached from the mainland by an impressive cast iron bridge.

The old quarter is full of colourful architecture from the French colonial period, with most buildings now home to a number of restaurants, bars, art galleries, and boutique clothing shops behind wooden shutters. Walking around the narrow streets is, at times, reminiscent of being in New Orleans or Havana.

As we wave the River Senegal goodbye it’s one long drive to Dakar, our final destination on this trip. We’ll have two nights to explore Dakar, a cosmopolitan and vibrant city, so there will be plenty of opportunity to see the sights. Lose yourself in art galleries and markets or visit the recently opened Massalikul Jinaan mosque or the African Renaissance monument. Take the ferry to the beautiful UNESCO listed island Île de Gorée to learn about its role in the Atlantic slave trade.