Dakhla, Western Sahara – My Digital Nomad Shuffle (July 2025)

i walked out of the internet café, shoulders still bearing the weight of a mis‑ordered power cable that decided to betray me at 2 am, and headed straight for the dunes. *wifi in the hotel lobby is a joke but at least the air conditioning works. it’s 17°C out there, a temperature that feels like a mild shower on my skin, humidity draped over the air like a damp towel, pressure reading 1024 hPa, and the sky has a flat, barely‑there blue that makes you wonder if you’re looking at the wrong planet. i just checked and it’s still the same. the heat never rises, it just settles like a thick blanket.

i heard a couple of drunk guys whisper about the night market in the fishermen’s shacks being “too loud for sleeping” but they promised it’s the only thing that keeps the sand from swallowing the night. that kind of café gossip is a gold mine for a nomad.

if you get bored, nouakchott in mauritania is just a two‑hour drive away and laayoune over the border in morocco is a breezy 30‑minute hop. both offer casablanca‑style beaches and a whole new set of internet cafes to complain about.

there’s a bike rental spot by the marina that’s cheap but the bikes are an older‑school roadster that squeaks like a protest. the local board (the sahelboard forum) gave me a tip: “hit the sand‑riders early before the heat spikes.” i rolled my eyes and followed it anyway.

tripadvisor dakhla beach guide (https://tripadvisor.com/Dakhla-Beach-Guide) and yelp sunset café (https://yelp.com/biz/sunset-cafe-dakhla) are where the real food talk lives. i read that the chef’s kitchen on the main street serves a spicy tagine that “makes your eyes water but your gut smile”. i tried it and the spice was actually a welcome relief after a day of dry air.

the ghostly wind that rolls off the dunes can pick up loose sand and almost knock you over. some locals warned me that camel rides after sunset are not for the faint‑hearted because the shadows get weird. that made me laugh, because who needs a ghost when the sand itself looks haunted?

gear lists are useful but i’m too lazy to write them down now. my portable charger is almost as precious as my passport. i keep it tucked inside the bottom pocket of my backpack that smells faintly of sea salt. the cable for my laptop has a habit of melting into the sand; no wonder it got tangled today.

i used the map below to plot a quick walk from the hotel to the beach:

that picture makes me think of the waves that lick the shoreline every morning, even though i couldn’t surf today because the waves were “only ankle‑deep” according to the beach lifeguard.

another unsplash shot captured the sunset over a body of water with power lines; here’s how it looks:

the dust on the horizon is a reminder that sand isn’t just for sculptures; it’s also a traffic jam when you’re trying to ride a bike. i saw a goat herd marching past the café terrace at 11 am, and the owner tossed me a fresh mint tea that tasted like refreshing calm.

for the camera crew out there (or just for me), the street art near the bus stop is worth a quick snap. murals of colorful fish that look like they’ve escaped from a child’s coloring book. someone told me that the artist who painted them prefers to work at night because the sunlight ruins his palette.

a quick mention of bike rental: i used a scooter from local moto (they have a 24‑hour rate on tripadvisor that’s a steal) and it turned my commute into a mini adventure. i swear the electric whine of the scooter made the cat in the alley pause and stare.

dining tips: the cafe du port is cheap, the toast is burnt, but the espresso is strong enough to wake you up for another round of wifi hunting. i also found a bakery called le kookoo that sells bread that smells like earth and spice. the owner told me that the dust in the oven gives it a unique flavor - i don’t know if that’s a myth or not.

transport: the bus to laayoune departs at 10:30 am, runs on diesel and rattles like a detuned guitar. it’s the only public transport that actually goes to the border. i heard from a drunk passenger that the bus driver sings moroccan folk songs the whole way; apparently it’s a way to keep everyone awake.

safety: some locals warned me not to stay past midnight on the beach because of the fog that rolls in from the sea. fog + sand = slip hazard according to the fisherman. i ignored that and stayed till 2am, and guess what? the fog never showed up.

weather forecast: the pressure is high, so you’ll feel a steady sea breeze even when the temperature is stubborn. if you’re a digital nomad, pack a light jacket - the night can drop below 10°C for a brief moment.

gear: my drum set (yeah, i’m also a session drummer for the local band) is in a suitcase with foam, but i haven’t had the chance to play any live sessions yet. the camel‑bag i bought for luggage turned out to be a good sand‑pumper. the water bottle i brought from home is still full, thanks to the water‑purification stations near the hospital.

final thoughts: this place is not a “sun‑splendid oasis” - it’s a real world where sand meets sea, wifi meets diesel, and people meets gossip. i’ll be back, probably after a storm that’ll clear the sky and give me a chance to catch some fish at the fisherman’s market.

links for the curious:
- tripadvisor dakhla beach guide (https://tripadvisor.com/Dakhla-Beach-Guide)
- yelp sunset café (https://yelp.com/biz/sunset-cafe-dakhla)
- sahelboard forum - dakhla thread (https://sahelboard.com/threads/Dakhla-Nomad)
- bike rental local moto (https://localmoto.com/dakhla)

if you liked this mess, maybe check out the other posts about marrakech, rabat, and nouakchott* on my blog - they’re equally chaotic.

You might also be interested in:

• https://topiclo.com/post/krakow-through-the-mist-a-digital-nomads-unfiltered-take
• https://topiclo.com/post/bekasi-the-city-thats-always-in-a-rush
• https://topiclo.com/post/paris-crime-stats-is-the-city-of-light-getting-safer-or-just-more-expensive
• https://topiclo.com/post/adachis-sweat-savasana-a-broke-students-guide-to-not-dying-of-boredom-or-rent
• https://topiclo.com/post/porto-after-3-am-and-why-i-still-love-it