Smara, also spelled as Semara and Samara is a historic city situated in Western Sahara under Moroccan control. Geographically Smara is located between 26°44′22″ N latitude and 11°40′13″ W longitude, around 210 km southeast of the Western Saharan capital, El-Aaiún and 750 km northeast of the city of Dakhla.

History of Smara:

According to the documented history, Smara was founded in the year 1869. A religious and political leader shaykh Ma al-‘Aynayn, who proclaimed Smara as his holy capital in 1902 and founded an Islamic library as well in the town.  After Spain released Smara from its control in 1975, Smara fell under the control of the Polisario Front and later Morocco occupied Smara in the very next year in 1976.

Conenctivity to Smara:

Smara houses an airport, with scheduled flights from Casablanca, Ouarzazate, Zagora and Rabat. The airport is located around 2 km away from the city centre.

Smara has good connectivity by bus many northern Western Saharan and southern Moroccan cities, including Laayoune and Agadir, provided by CTM, Supratours and Satas. The local transportation of Smara is served by minibuses, rental cars and taxis.

Food and Shopping in Smara:

The modern city Smara houses all kinds of tourist favor shops and restaurants that are spread up all around the city. Products like handicraft items, clothes and artworks are relatively cheaper in Smara than other Western Saharan cities. There are also many nice food corners in Smara serving customers with Western and African menus.

Things to do in Smara:

• City tours
• Shopping
• Walking

Places to see in Smara:

Zawiy Maalainin:

Zawiy Maalainin is a ruined stone fortress in Smara. It is one of the prime tourist attractions of Smara. There is also a mosque within the fortress wall.

Mosque in Smara:

Being a Muslim dominated area, Smara houses many magnificent mosques with historic importance. Generally mosques are not allowed for non-Muslim people, so non-Muslim tourists can have the beauty of mosques from outside.

Smara Airport:

Smara Airport is one of the three functioning airports of Western Sahara, situated 2 km away from the city centre. The airport is well constructed and maintained and also receives non-travelers for its pleasant surroundings.

El-Aaiun:

Situated around 210 km northwest of Smara, El-Aaiun is a Western Saharan capital, home many renowned historical attractions, including an old Spanish Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi. Other highlights of the city include multi-use stadium Stade Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf, Hassan I Airport and desert beaches.

List of other places of interest in and around Smara include:

• Zaouia Cheikh Cheikhna Maoulainain
• Mosquée Cheikh Maoulainin
• Tarfaya
• Guelta Zemmour
• Centre Artisanal
• Laayoune Off Road
• Dchira
• Windfish Pro-Center
• Massage du Monde
• Moroccan Berm
• Dakhla
• Bir Lehlou
• Laayoune-Plage

Best time to visit Smara:

The tour of Smara can be enjoyed best between the months of June and September.

Hotels in Smara:

Smara houses some fine hotels, but not in large number, so tourists can take the suggestion of visiting city El-Aaiun or Dakhla to find a wide range of hotels with world class facilities. Buses are regular between Smara and El-Aaiun but not between Dakhla and Smara but rental cars would be helpful. In below list, the first 7 hotels are in El-Aaiun (around 210 km from Smara) and the rest of the hotels are in Dakhla (around 750 km from Smara):

• Hotel Nagjir Ville
• Hotel Salwan
• Camping Sabor del Sahara
• Hotel Josefina
• Hotel Residence Lajwad
• Hotel Parador
• Le Camp Bedouin
• Bab al Bahar Hotel et Spa
• Auberge des Nomades du Sahara
• Palais Touareg
• Rio Aguila Aventure
• Ocean Vagabond
• Dakhla Evasion
• Dakhla Spirit Lagoon Camp
• Lagon Bleu Dakhla

The post Smara Tourist Places to Visit in Smara, Moroccan, West Africa, Africa appeared first on MustVisitPlace.com.

Guelta Zemmur is a small town in Western Sahara under Moroccan control, located between 25°09′ N latitude and 12°22′ W longitude. Guelta Zemmur is the site of Moroccan military base and is located close to the Moroccan Berm, a sand wall in Western Sahara constructed to distinguish Morocco from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic since Western Sahara is a disputed territory between these two countries. Guelta Zemmur is situated around 260 km southeast of the Western Saharan capital, El-Aaiun.

History of Guelta Zemmur:

As like the rest of Western Sahara, Guelta Zemmur was the part of the Spain until 1975 when Spain peacefully left the territory. Later it was used as a military stronghold by the Polisario Front. Currently Morocco is a part of Morocco.

How to reach Guelta Zemmur?

Hassan I Airport in El-Aaiun is the major nearest airport to Guelta Zemmur, located around 260 km away from the midpoint of Guelta Zemmur. The airport handles flights from/to Agadir, Casablanca, and Las Palmas, served by Royal Air Maroc, CanaryFly and Binter Canarias.

Buses are generally not frequent between Guelta Zemmur and other Morocco controlled Western Saharan cities and towns. If visitors hire a car would be ideal for both local and intercity travel.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Guelta Zemmur:

Guelta Zemmur is the home town of Sahrawi human rights activist Mohammed Daddach. There are some nice shops and food corners in Guelta Zemmur, of which most are traditional options. So tourists are suggested to bring food pockets and other essentials from where they begin their journey to Guelta Zemmur.

Things to do in Guelta Zemmur:

• Walking
• Tour of surrounding mines
• Shopping

Places to see in Guelta Zemmur:

Moroccan Wall:

Moroccan Wall, a sand wall, constructed by Morocco to separate Morocco from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, in Western Sahara. It is located close to Bou Craa, measuring a length of 2,700 km.

Mines around Guelta Zemmur:

Guelta Zemmur is surrounded by many prominent mines with continuous operation. Visitors can explore these mines through a guided tour to know mining processes followed in Western Sahara.

Smara:

Smara is a historic town, situated around 320 km northeast from Guelta Zemmur by road. Founded in 1869, Smara is known among visitors for many of its attractions, mainly famous for a large ruined fort Zawiy Maalainin and a mosque. There is also an airport.

List of other places of interest near Guelta Zemmur include:

• Traditional Market in El Aaiún
• Stade Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf stadium
• Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi
• Dakhla Waterfront
• Windfish Pro-Center
• Massage du Monde
• Moroccan Berm
• Dchira
• Guelta Zemmour
• Centre Artisanal
• Tarfaya
• Laayoune-Plage
• Laayoune Off Road

Best time to visit Guelta Zemmur:

Bou Craa generally experiences a dry weather year round and the best time to visit Guelta Zemmur is from June to August.

Hotels in Guelta Zemmur:

It is difficult to find upgraded hotels in Guelta Zemmur for comfortable stay. So below is provided the list of hotels in El-Aaiun (around 260 km from Guelta Zemmur) and Dakhla (around 700 km from Guelta Zemmur). Buses are not regular between these cities, so visitors can hire a car for comfortable intercity travel.

• Hotel Nagjir Ville
• Hotel Salwan
• Camping Sabor del Sahara
• Hotel Josefina
• Hotel Residence Lajwad
• Hotel Parador
• Le Camp Bedouin
• Hotel Doumes
• Hotel Calipau Sahara
• Hotel Erraha
• Hotel Buenavista
• Bab al Bahar Hotel et Spa
• Auberge des Nomades du Sahara
• Hotel Oued Eddahab
• Hotel al Wahda
• Hotel Sahara Regency

The post Top Tourist Places to Visit in Guelta Zemmur, Moroccan, West Africa, Africa appeared first on MustVisitPlace.com.

El Marsa is a beach city in Western Sahara, under the Moroccan control. It falls under Laayoune Province of Morocco’s Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region. El Marsa is geographically positioned between 26°08′ N latitude and 14°30′ W longitude, around 25 km southwest of El-Aaiun, the capital and largest city of Western Sahara. El Marsa is located on the highway N1 leading it to Boujdour and holds a port on the Atlantic Ocean. El Marsa has facilities of a hospital, many restaurants and shops. In terms of population, El Marsa is the 2^nd largest city in Laayoune Province following the capital El-Aaiun, according to the 2004 census.

How to get El Marsa?

Hassan I Airport is the closest airport to El Marsa, located around 27 km from the heart of El Marsa. This airport is served by Binter Canarias, CanaryFly and Royal Air Maroc      with flights from/to Agadir, Casablanca and Las Palmas. Taxis are generally available at the airport and visitors can also hire a car for comfort and convenient airport travel.

There are buses regularly plying between El Marsa and El-Aaiun. One can rent a car in the city for local travel, sightseeing purpose and inter-city travel.

Food and Shopping in El Marsa:

There are all sorts of shops can be found in El Marsa, ranging from cloth and shoe stores to electrical and electronic devices. Although there are shops and restaurants in El Marsa, visitors can reach the nearby capital El-Aaiun for more qualified options. Some tourist favor restaurants in El-Aaiun (around 25 km from El Marsa) are listed below:

• Cafe dubai
• La perle
• Café las dunas
• Pizzeria Samir

Things to do in El Marsa:

• Exploring beaches
• City tours
• Shopping

Places to see in El Marsa:

El Marsa Port:

The port of El Marsa is the major economy source of El Marsa and a famous tourist attraction as well. It is a nice sightseeing spot, can be reached by rental vehicle from the city centre.

Beaches of El Marsa:

Being located on the Atlantic Ocean coast, El Marsa attracts a large number of water sport lovers for its striking beaches. There are also many nice restaurants on the beach-line with a variety of delicacies.

El-Aaiun:

El-Aaiun is the capital city of Western Sahara, located around 25 km northeast of El Marsa. The city is the site of many renowned manmade and natural attractions like Stade Sheikh Mohamed Laghdaf, the Spanish Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi and desert beaches.

List of other places of interest in and around El Marsa include:

• Bir Lehlou
• Smara
• Moroccan Berm
• Dakhla
• Guelta Zemmour
• Laayoune-Plage
• Windfish Pro-Center
• Massage du Monde
• Tarfaya
• Centre Artisanal
• Laayoune Off Road
• Dchira

Best time to visit El Marsa:

El Marsa is a year round destination, although the most preferred time to visit El Marsa is from June to August.

Hotels in El Marsa:

There are hotels limited in El Marsa, so visitors are advised to drive towards the capital El-Aaiun, where all sorts of hotels can be found with a wide range of amenities. It is also advised visitors to book hotel rooms well in advance prior reaching the site to avoid difficulty in finding hotel rooms during peak season. The below list includes hotels in El-Aaiun (first 7 hotels, around 27 km) and Dakhla (rest of the hotels, around 510 km):

• Hotel Josefina
• Hotel Residence Lajwad
• Hotel Nagjir Ville
• Hotel Salwan
• Camping Sabor del Sahara
• Hotel Parador
• Le Camp Bedouin
• Hotel Calipau Sahara
• Hotel Erraha
• Hotel Buenavista
• Bab al Bahar Hotel et Spa
• Auberge des Nomades du Sahara
• Hotel Oued Eddahab
• Hotel al Wahda
• Hotel Sahara Regency
• Hotel Doumes

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