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First Sighting
At first glance you could believe you’re on the moon. Or maybe Mars. Below you an orange ocean spreads out. Untouched, not even the criss-cross of highways to split the earth and divide it into a patchwork quilt.
Dakhla Peninsula – the city & lagoon
Touchdown presents you with a different view: a city off in the distance. Even a municipal pool. And a highway so flat that you can drive on the wrong side of the road because you can see a car coming literally miles away.
“You can rent a boat there,” the driver points out. “And see that building, it was the first hotel in Dakhla.”
Although your mind hasn’t fully grasped it yet, you are in Dakhla. A destination renown for its lagoon and reliable wind, Dakhla lies about 400 kilometers from Mauritania. And yet you’re still in Morocco. The 2-hour flight that brought you from Casablanca could have easily taken you back to Paris. That’s how far South you are.
Once you leave the Dakhla peninsula, your eyes can’t decide where to settle. The Sahara Desert stretches on one side with mountainous rocky dunes, and on the other side, the lagoon lays shimmering in the late morning light.
A Surprising Arrival
“Oh no,” your teenage son murmurs when the driver stops at a rustic entrance in the middle of nowhere. “Did you read the reviews before you booked this place?”
The landscape reveals its secrets slowly.
Your son starts to laugh as you bounce along in a golf cart descending a winding desert road. Wooden bungalows blend naturally with the sand and rock. Cacti and palm trees line walking paths, and an infinity pool appears to spill over into a sandy oblivion.
A multi-lingual host gives you a welcome tour. She walks you by the bar, the evening restaurant, the yoga area, the spa & wellness center, and the internet workspace. She finishes at your own bungalow where you spot a solar panel on the roof of your temporary home.
On to a Seaside Lunch
After a quick change of clothes, you set out for the beachside restaurant. Despite the reviews raving about the delicious food, you’re expecting burgers and fried fish, not the beach ocean-side lunch of your life. When locally sourced, oven-roasted cabbage dressed with a cashew cream sauce arrives followed by a rainbow-colored salad with fresh pomegranate and nuts, you settle in to savor a true meal. The lunch is served as a variety of tapas, and soon roasted sea bream and other vegetable dishes arrive. A mouth-watering dessert tarte and fresh fruit finish off the meal.
Everything is delicious and perfectly plated, so you’re surprised when the waiter says, “Lunch is very simple, but you’ll really enjoy dinner here.”
The Adventure Begins
Your curiosity is piqued, but nature calls. No, not that nature. The wind, which has been rustling your loose curls throughout lunch, is now insisting you give it the attention it deserves. And besides, one by one kites are rising from the sand, coloring the sky with their billowing arches. Yellow, blue, striped—pop. The wind lifts the kites, lets them sink a little, and then pop! fills them once again. Brown bodies skim across the shimmering lagoon as kites glide through the faded blue sky.
Kite surfing, wingfoiling, and wind surfing in Dakhla Lagoon
Near the water sports academy, a couple train on “wings” while, in the water, a man and his son climb into a boat equipped with a bar.
“They’re learning to wing foil,” a blonde with sun-streaked hair explains. She shows you a photo of a board that appears suspended over water supported only by a small stand. You’ve seen them before in Dubai but assumed they were motorized.
“No,” she says, “it’s designed to use the wind and aerodynamics to lift the board out of the water.”
Your attention drifts to a petite woman who is wrestling her wind surfing equipment in the breaking waves near shore. Concerned, you ask, “Is she going to make it?” The academy manager nods you back to the surf, where the woman has now mounted the board and is pumping the sail as she gains speed across the lagoon.
“You want to try it?”
“I’ll stick to this for now,” you say with a nervous wave of the hand.
As she hands you a helmet and wetsuit and motions to the women’s locker room, the excitement mounts. You’re about to go kite-surfing!
Family time
Two hours later, sticky with salt and exhilarated by the afternoon spent on the water, you bump along in the golf cart back to your room. “That was dope,” your son announces.
Smiling, your husband looks back over his shoulder at the two of you, and for a split second you see your little family. Together. Sunkissed and happy.
Cocktails and a magnificent sunset await you followed by a 5-star dinner that will thrill your tastebuds. Tomorrow you’ll wake up early to explore the mountainous dunes that once collapsed into the ocean. Lunch and kite-surfing lessons will fill your afternoon. Another day of delights.
But right now, in this moment, you’re present.
Dakhla. You mouth the word, letting it sink in.
Your teenager drops his lanky arm over your shoulders. “You did alright,” he says with a crooked smile. “My friends are going to be so jealous.”
So much for deep thoughts. You can’t help but laugh. Traveling with teenagers makes you see things differently. And although you won’t think of it as bragging, you will definitely tell all your friends about Dakhla too!
If you enjoyed this blog on our family vacation in Dakhla, you might enjoy this one on our trip to Chefchaouen.
If you’re ready to start planning your Dakhla Dream Trip, click here or call us at +16172562527
