Page 300 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Morocco

298  MOROC C O REGION B Y REGION

q Tarfaya
235 km (146 miles) south of Tan Tan.
@ from Tan Tan or grands taxis.
The spectacularly scenic route
between Tan Tan and Tarfaya
follows the coastline, where
cliffs give way to dunes of
white sand.
Tarfaya, today an expanding
fishing port, was a stop on the
Service Aéropostale, the French
airmail service, in the 1920s and
1930s. There is a statue of writer
and airman Saint-Exupéry who
has left vivid descriptions of
flying over this desolate region
Angling from the cliff-top near Tan Tan Plage in terrible sandstorms. It was
also the rallying point for the
9 Guelmim beautiful Aït Bekkou Oasis, Green March of 1975 (see p62).
17 km (11 miles) to the southeast,
56 km (35 miles) south of Sidi Ifni.
* 38,000. n (0528) 87 29 11. is the largest in the area.
@ from Agadir, Marrakech, Laayoune
and Tan Tan, or grands taxis. ( Camel 0 Tan Tan and Tan
souk (Sat). _ Moussem of Asrir (Jul).
Tan Plage
Also known as Goulimine, 125 km (78 miles) southwest of
this small settlement of red Guelmim on road N1. * 50,000. ~
houses with blue shutters was an @ Agadir, Tarfaya and Laayoune, or
important centre on the caravan grands taxis. _ Moussem of Sheikh
route from the 11th to the 19th Ma el-Ainin (May/Jun).
centuries. Today, it is known chiefly
for its camel souk. The moussem The province of Tan Tan is
of Asrir, 6 km (4 miles) southeast, is sparsely populated by pastoral
attended by the Sahraouis, known nomads and fishermen. The road
as the “blue men” because of their from Guelmim is good but police Boundless expanses of desert near
indigo clothing. checks are frequent since the Laayoune
region remains a military zone.
Environs Tan Tan has a certain raffish w Laayoune
Fourteen kilometres (9 miles) to charm, with everything from 117 km (73 miles) south of Tarfaya.
the north are the Abeino thermal shops and mosques to the petits * 100,000. k from Agadir,
springs with bathing pools for taxis painted in blue or mustard. Dakhla and Tan Tan. @ from Agadir,
men and women. The vast Plage In the medina, Saharan-style Dakhla and Tan Tan. n Avenue de
Blanche (White Beach), 60 km bric-a-brac is for sale and there l’Islam; (0528) 89 16 94.
(37 miles) west of Guelmim, can is a colourful Sunday souk. A
be reached along tracks. The moussem held in May or June, A large oasis on Wadi Sagia
honouring local resis tance el-Hamra, Laayoune is today
hero Sheikh Ma el-Ainin, is the economic capital of the
the occasion of a huge camel Saharan provinces. Since Spain
market. At night women dance relinquished the territory in
the guedra in tribal tents. 1975 (see p62), Morocco has
On the coast, 25 km (15 miles) invested in making Laayoune
away, is Tan Tan Plage where a modern town.
low-key tourism development Dakhla, 540 km (335 km)
has begun. further south, stands on the tip
of an attractive peninsula. The
Environs bay is one of the most beautiful
Road R101 leads across the places in the country and an
desert to Smara, about 245 km internationally renowned spot
(152 miles) south of Tan Tan. for kite surfing. Dakhla is the last
Today no more than a garrison town before the border with
base, this legendary town put Mauritania, 350 km (217 miles)
A trader at the famous camel souk up fierce resistance to the away. The border can be
in Guelmim expansion of French rule. crossed easily.
For hotels and restaurants see p313 and pp330–31

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 1st October 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm