🧭 Western Sahara: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Western Sahara feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 17 written places.
Sahrawi hospitality is unhurried and tea-centred; nothing important happens before the third glass.
Cost level: Budget One of the friendlier destinations for a travel budget - daily costs sit well below western Europe. Estimate a daily budget →
✓ Considered polite
- Accept the traditional three rounds of sweet mint tea - each glass has its own character
- Dress modestly - loose clothing covering shoulders and knees suits both the culture and the sun
- Greet with salam alaikum and take real time over hellos
- Use your right hand for eating, greeting and passing things
✗ Better avoided
- Rush a meal or a bargaining session - both are social rituals
- Photograph people without asking, especially women
- Show public affection - it is a conservative region
- Wear beach clothing in town - save it for the lagoon and the coast
💡 Worth knowing
- Cash Moroccan dirhams cover nearly everything - ATMs cluster in Laayoune and Dakhla, so stock up before long desert stretches
- Friday midday pauses much of daily life around prayers
- Alcohol is limited to a few licensed hotels and restaurants
- Distances are huge and desert buses run long hours - carry water and snacks
Plugs and voltage
Type C, E · 220 V travel adapter →
CurrencyMoroccan dirham (MAD)
LanguagesArabic, Spanish
Driving sideright
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.