Western Sahara is a disputed territory on the west coast of North Africa. Both Morocco and the Saharawis (the native people of Western Sahara) claim the region. Although the conflict has yet to be resolved, Morocco is presently in control of Western Sahara. The United Nations actively works to keep the peace in Western Sahara and has a hand in present efforts to resolve the territorial dispute. The UN drew up a cease-fire in 1991, which, despite some violations by both sides, has generally kept the region stable. However, you’ll have to watch for minefields (especially in border and rural areas) and do without basic emergency services such as a police force and emergency medical care.

Just arriving in Western Sahara is an adventure. As it is not a recognized, independent country, but instead is claimed by several groups, you never quite know what you will find here. Western Sahara is sparsely populated and mostly desert. It is hot and dry all year, but cold at night. Winds whip across the desert sending stinging sand at the legs and faces of travelers. The desert here is nothing if not desolate. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince, was stationed in Tarfaya, Western Sahara and used the surrounding desert as the desperately isolated setting of the novella.

The primary language is Hassaniya Arabic; it is mutually unintelligible with Standard Arabic, which almost no one speaks. The most common second language is Moroccan Arabic, which is also mutually unintelligible with Standard Arabic. If you don’t have a grasp on Hassaniya or Moroccan Arabic, you’re in for an adventure as almost no one speaks English or another foreign language. Tourism is not common here, so finding English speakers at tourist sites is just as uncommon as elsewhere in Western Sahara.

Western Sahara is well off the beaten track. Few people reside here let alone travel here. You can meet your basic needs like food and shelter for very little money. Even renting a car is relatively inexpensive, which is good as public transportation is nearly non-existent. Filling it up with gas is cheap too, as it isn’t taxed and costs about half that of the price of gas in Europe. Even group tours (even luxury tours) of Western Sahara are cheap as they are not in high demand and the cost of living in the territory is low.

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