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Dakhla
Dakhla Location in Western Sahara
Coordinates: 23°43′N 15°57′W / 23.717°N 15.95°W / 23.717; -15.95
Country	Western Sahara
Claimed by	Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Controlled by	Morocco
Population (2006)
- Total	67,468

Dakhla (Dajla), or ad-Dakhla (Arabic: الداخلة‎) (formerly Villa Cisneros, which is its current name in Spanish), is a city in the Western Sahara with about 67,468 inhabitants^[1]. It is about 550 km south of El Aaiún on a narrow peninsula of the Atlantic Coast. It is the capital of the Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira region.

Dakhla was founded as Villa Cisneros in 1502 by Spanish settlers during the expansion of their Empire.

During the colonial period, the Spanish authorities made Dakhla the capital of the province of Río de Oro, one of the two regions of the Spanish Sahara. They built a military fortress and a modern Catholic church, both of which remain points of interest for visitors to the city. A prison camp also existed here during the Spanish Civil War, at which writers such as Pedro García Cabrera were imprisoned.

During the 1960s, the Francoist dictatorship also built here one of the three paved airports in Western Sahara at Dakhla Airport. Between 1975 and 1979, Dakhla was the province capital of the Mauritanian province of Tiris al-Gharbiyya, consisting of its annexed portion of Western Sahara. Dakhla Airport is used as public airport and by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. The 3 km. long runway can receive a Boeing 737 or smaller planes. The passenger terminal covers 670 m² and is capable to handle up to 55.000 passenger/year.

The main economic activity of the city is fishing.

Climate

References

1. ^ Stefan Helders (2006). "Western Sahara - largest cities (per geographical entity)" (in English). World Gazetteer. http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&lng=de&dat=32&geo=-70&srt=npan&col=aohdq&men=gcis&lng=en. Retrieved 2006-08-24.  
2. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Dakhla". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=69006&refer=&units=metric.  

External links

• Lexicorient
• Google Maps satellite view

Coordinates: 23°43′N 15°57′W / 23.717°N 15.95°W / 23.717; -15.95

From Wikitravel

Ad Dakhla (Dakhla) is a city in southern Western Sahara.

Get in

By plane

There is an airport with almost daily flights from/to Casablanca.

By bus

There are a few buses daily from as far away as Casablanca and Marrakech. Buses are run by CTM, Supratours and Satas. There are no regional operators.

Supratours and CTM buses run to and from Agadir (approx. 20 hours, ca. 300 dh). Supratours has two buses per day, while CTM has one. Be prepared for countless checkpoints along the way.

By car

There is only one road running south for Laayoune, Dakhla is well signposted.

Get around

The city centre is small enough to navigate on foot. Should you want to head further out, petits taxis are abound and are metered.

Get out

North

Ticket for any bus heading north can be bought at the corresponding agency, they all have offices around the town centre (Satas is a bit further south).

South

There is no regular public transport running south to Mauritania or to the border, but finding a lift is usually not a problem. You can try to get a lift from overlanders (ask around at Camping Moussafir) or catch a ride with the Mauritanian traders, who gather on a lot opposite from the first police checkpoint north of Dakhla (take a petit taxi to get there for about 15-20 dh, or walk the 7 km). The going rate is 250Dh for a car (a minivan) or 350Dh for a Mercedes. The cars leave in the morning.

You can also organize your ride to Nouadhibou (350-400 dh, ca. 10 hours including border crossing) or Nouakchott (600 dh, min. 12 hours) at Hotel Sahara in the centre. Ask for Tawfiq. The cars leave around 7AM.

Be prepared to spend several hours on both sides of the border. The Mauritanian visa can be easily obtained at the border for EUR 20 (as of January 2009). Be sure to check the current situation beforehand.

Do

There are windsurfing and quad driving opportunities north of Dakhla. Inquire locally. A kite shop next to the Supratours office at the waterfront is helpful with all the necessary info. You can wind- and kitesurf on both the western (ocean) and eastern (lagoon) side of the peninsula.

Eat

Many pastisseries offer cheap pastry. The restaurant at Sahara Regency hotel has decent Europan food, though the choice is limited. There are also numerous eateries in town.

• Sahara Regency Hotel. Drink bottled beers on the roof, and watch the sunset over Dakhla.  edit

Sleep

There are plenty of budget hotels clustered around the city centre. Due to military presence, most only have twin rooms and you will pay almost the same price if you are alone. Twin rooms usually cost 60Dh. Prices, as always, are negotiable.

There are a few campings by the road to the north of Dakhla. Camping Moussafir is a popular spot with overlanders, and is located just south of the first checkpoint out of town.

• Hotel Riad. in the centre (pedestrian zone) has rooms from 30 dh per person. The facilities are shared and a bit disgusting. There are similar places nearby, including Hotel Sahara.  edit
• Hotel Sahara Regency. is the only top-end option, offering all the modern standards, including a restaurant serving wines and spirits, and free WiFi.  edit