We are running two exploratory trips to Western Sahara in 2026. Please note if you request a single supplement, we will do our best to accommodate but this will only be able to be confirmed closer to departure. It may be required to share a twin room in some locations. Part refunds of the single supplement fee will be issued if this is the case.
Itinerary
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Day One, Mar 22 2026 Arrival in Laayoune
• Arrive in Laayoune, the capital of Western Sahara and transfer to your hotel.
• The rest of the day is to be spent at leisure.
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Day Two, Mar 23 2026 Journey to Smara
• Today, we have an early start as we descend into Le boulier (the abacus), a secretive and hard-to-reach field of car-sized sandstone boulders, sitting in a trough filling up with sand. Driving down to this place is an unforgettable experience.
• Next, we will head east to the Seguiet El Hamra, the intermittent red river channelling rainwater from the deep Sahara to the sea. We will follow it until we come into view of Smara. The first recorded visit in Smara by a Westerner dates back to 1930. We will also stop along the way at pre-Islamic grave sites and Zaouïa.
• We will spend the night in Smara.
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Day Three, Mar 24 2026 Explore Smara
• In the morning, we’ll drive a short distance to get to several prehistoric sites where we’ll find rock engravings. Rhinos, antelopes, elephants and ostriches once roamed these lands and have inhabited them since.
• In the afternoon, we’ll visit Smara and enjoy the atmosphere, history and authenticity of a place very few people explore.
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Day Four, Mar 25 2026 Akhfenir
• Today, we will head north-west on a desert road parallel to a military defensive line and an old Paris-Dakar track. During this drive, we will stop and have a packed lunch in the middle of nowhere.
• In the evening, we will reach Akhfenir, a one-street town on the Europe-to-Senegal truck road. We will spend the night in a guest house by the sea.
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Day Five, Mar 26 2026 Cross the Desert
• After breakfast, we drive on desert tracks towards Khaoui Nam, the Grand Canyon of this part of the Sahara. It is 100m deep, with a huge waterfall which only flows a few days out of the year and will be the background of our lunch break.
• In the afternoon, we head across more desert tracks alongside a red salt lake and flat-top mountains. We end the day on top of a breathtaking 50m-high red dune.
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Day Six, Mar 27 2026 Khenifliss National Park
• Today, we will head to Khenifliss National Park, which is home to pink flamingoes and other birds and is where the sea and dunes meet.
• Next, we take a short drive east, which will bring us to Tarfaya, a former Spanish outpost, then a French stopover for the Aeropostale (the flying postal service linking France to South America). There is also a small museum on site.
• Sunset on the Spanish fort and overnight stay in Tarfaya.
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Day Seven, Mar 28 2026 Return to Laayoune
• After breakfast, we will head back south through the smallest roundabout village of Tah. We will explore viewpoints on the Sabkha of Tah, a 250 sq-km trough 65m below sea level. This is one of the lowest points in all of Western Africa.
• We’ll then drive on a desert track right on the border line between Western Sahara and mainland Morocco to get to the sea and head back to the capital city, Laayoune.
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Day Eight, Mar 29 2026 End of Tour
• Today, the tour ends.
- Western Sahara Exploratory Tour
- Tour Price: £1895
- Deposit: £350
- Single room supplement: £110
- Tour Price: £1895
- Talk to a travel rep
info@lupinetravel.co.uk