Semara Transportation

Smara isn't a popular destination, neither for tourists nor for Moroccans, so i had to wait a few hours for transport heading this way. From Goulimime, there weren't enough passengers for Smara, so after waiting an hour, the driver filled his vehicle with passengers for Tan Tan, where two of us transferred over to another taxi. For ages, there were just three of us heading to Smara, then suddenly just as I was giving up hope of reaching Smara that day, there was a run of Smara-bound passengers with a mountain of bags. Undaunted by the huge pile of bags and a tiny boot, the driver and several onlookers became creative with bits of string, and after a good few hours' wait, we were finally ready to cross the desert to Smara. The trip took 3 hours, and passed through three checkpoints where I had to get out and show my passport, answering a whole host of questions. Smara used to be off-limits, but has now opened up to tourism...however, tourists are still very thin on the ground, so any foreigner is likely to be questioned at length. It's all very polite and civil, and giving tourism as a reason for your journey is fine...but it is time consuming.

Leaving Smara, grand taxis leave for Laayoune (3 hours) and Tan Tan whenever there are enough passengers...I waited about an hour for my Laayoune-bound taxi to fill up.

The bus/grand taxi station is north of the main road, through the meat market and behind a newish mosque, close to Smara's stadium.