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Western Sahara travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Dakhla, Western Sahara
Dakhla, Western Sahara. Photo: YoTuT from United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4hflight from London
Moroccan dirhamcurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type C, Eplugs

Kitesurfing lagoons where the desert meets the Atlantic

Don't miss

  1. Dakhla lagoon
  2. Atlantic coast
  3. Desert camps
Good forDesertsBeachesAdventure

Best time to visit Western Sahara from the UK

Check FCDO advice; access is very limited.

13.8 C14°J16.1 C16°F20 C20°M23.1 C23°A26 C26°M29.4 C29°J34.4 C34°J34.2 C34°A30.1 C30°S25.6 C26°O19.3 C19°N15 C15°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Bir Lehlou, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Bir Lehlou for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Warmest: July (34°C) · coolest: January (14°C)A 20°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
13.816.12023.12629.434.434.230.125.619.315

Festivals and events

  • FiSahara Film Festival Oct · Sahrawi camps (Algeria)

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 4h
Distance
2,924 km
Main airport
EUN

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Western Sahara to your bucket list Search flights to EUN

Practical info and travel guidance

Moroccan dirhamCapital: Laayoune (disputed)
Type C, E · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
19
EmergencyAmbulance 150
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against travel to parts of Western SaharaCheck which areas before you book.
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Western Sahara, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 29 June 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Western Sahara before you book and again before you go.

Open Western Sahara on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.