Gueltat Zemmour

While there is a long coastline, much of it is rocky and not fit for beaches or travel. Large-scale fishing and ports are at Ad Dakhla. Much of the territory is arid desert.

The area to the immediate east of the sand wall (also known as "the Berm") was peppered by land mines and should be considered off-limits to any traveler: the territory had one of the highest concentrations of land mines in the world and even where warning signs were posted, most are gone due to the weather. The SADR destroyed its landmines several years ago but some may remain. The Moroccan side of the wall still contains thousands of mines and is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, the SADR-controlled Free Zone has almost no roads, so profound navigation experience and a 4×4 with high ground clearance is required. The gates in the berm, which can be used by UN patrols, are not open to regular travelers.

The political situation has been in a stalemate for decades. Breakdowns in negotiations have led to threats to break the ceasefire, and indeed, there has been some fighting in the 2020s.

SADR has been recognized by only around 46 countries and has control over only a largely uninhabited eastern slice of territory. Explicit support for the Moroccan view is also scarce, with the United States being the first country to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the region in 2020 (as part of a deal wherein Morocco and Israel would normalize relations in exchange for US recognition of Moroccan claims in the region).

History:

Under Spanish rule, as Spanish Sahara, the territory was divided by Spain into two administrative regions: the northern strip, known as Saguia el-Hamra, and the southern two-thirds, named Río de Oro.

The vast majority of Western Sahara is administered by Morocco, which considers it an integral part of its territory, so the same entry conditions apply as for the rest of Morocco. However, independent travel in the region is restricted. While crossing through Western Sahara while traveling overland between Morocco and Mauritania is usually OK, some travelers have been turned back when trying to enter, especially during periods of political strife. At any time, travelers can be turned back if they are suspected to have any interest in the political or humanitarian situation: any hint at journalistic activities or anything even remotely connected (like working as cameraperson for even an advertisement agency) should be avoided.

Official entry requirements for SADR-controlled areas are unclear, but in practice, the area is entirely off-limits to visitors: you cannot legally cross the heavily guarded and mined berm from the Moroccan-controlled side, and the land border with Algeria, which used to be the entry route, is closed. There are no legal border crossings from Mauritania into SADR-controlled territory, either.

By plane:

From Spain, the Canary Islands and various cities in Morocco: Laayoune, Hassan I Airport (EUN IATA)

From Agadir, Casablanca and seasonally from the Canary Islands: Dakhla Airport (VIL IATA)

Τhe Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) decided to open the Dakhla-Paris route with Royal Air Maroc, as of early 2021.

Even for domestic flights, passport controls are stricter than in the rest of Morocco.

By bus:

Buses connect all larger cities and will drop passengers anywhere along the road when asked.

By boat:

While there has been discussion or restoring the ferry to Tarfaya from the Canary Islands, as of June 2019, it seemed unlikely.

By car:

See also the #Get around section below.