Western Sahara is a travel destination in Northern Africa. Its capital is El Aaiún. May and April are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Western Sahara
Dakhla Lagoon (natural) — World-class kitesurfing and windsurfing destination — a 40 km sheltered lagoon between the Atlantic coast and a sandy peninsula, with warm shallow water, consistent year-round trade winds, and a growing eco-resort scene.
Laâyoune (El Aaiún) (city) — Largest city in Western Sahara and its administrative capital — a Moroccan-developed coastal city with wide boulevards, the Hassan II mosque, and the departure point for exploring the vast Saharan hammada and Atlantic coast.
Dakhla City (city) — Laid-back Atlantic fishing town at the tip of a 40 km peninsula — fresh seafood market, Sahrawi culture, camel markets, and the starting point for desert excursions into the flat stony hammada that stretches to the horizon.
Cap Blanc (Ras Nouadhibou area) (natural) — Dramatic peninsula tip marking the boundary of Western Sahara and Mauritania — a graveyard of rusting shipwrecks lies offshore, while the Atlantic beach produces some of West Africa's best surf and a remarkable ship-cemetery shore drive.
Smara (As-Smara) (landmark) — Ancient inland city with deep Sahrawi cultural significance — the ruins of the Zawiya of Ma el-Ainin (early 20th century) serve as a pilgrimage site and the mud-brick old quarter preserves traditional Sahrawi architecture in the desert interior.
Oued Draa Estuary (natural) — Remote northern estuary where one of Africa's longest seasonal rivers meets the Atlantic — a seasonal flamingo colony and important migratory bird stopover; the surrounding stony desert holds prehistoric rock carvings.
Aridal Fossil Beds (natural) — Paleontological site in the Saharan interior exposing Cretaceous marine fossils including mosasaurs and ammonites — the shallow sea that once covered the Sahara deposited these extraordinary specimens in the flat limestone plateaus east of the coast.
Cintra Bay (natural) — Remote and virtually untouched Atlantic bay south of Dakhla — pristine beaches stretching for kilometres with no development, exceptional fishing grounds, and the hauntingly beautiful sand dunes cascading directly into the ocean.
Sahrawi Nomad Camps (Desert Interior) (landmark) — Traditional Sahrawi nomadic encampments in the open hammada — camel-hair tents, tea ceremonies, camel rides, traditional music, and the extraordinary silence of one of Africa's least-visited stretches of the Sahara Desert.
Akhfennir Wetlands (natural) — Coastal wetland and lagoon system on the northern Atlantic coast — rare freshwater oasis in an arid region attracting significant populations of flamingos, oystercatchers, and other wading birds on seasonal migration.