UCPA Dakhla · Dakhla Peninsula, Morocco
Learning to kitesurf between the desert and Dakhla lagoon
A full week with UCPA Dakhla in May 2022: beginner kitesurf lessons facing the dunes, a camp beside the lagoon and evenings around the fire.
In 30 seconds
Place A UCPA camp beside Dakhla lagoon, with pale dunes on the opposite shore.
People The camp team, warm and energetic with everyone, whatever their level.
Activity A beginner kitesurf course, with one session in the morning and another in the afternoon.
- Access
- taxi or UCPA transfer from Dakhla airport
- Season
- April to October, according to UCPA
- Ideal stay
- one week (7 nights)
- Best for
- adults, including complete beginners
Why we came
In May 2022, the eco-domes at UCPA Dakhla are still being built. We therefore sleep at a hotel in central Dakhla and take the shuttle to the camp beside the lagoon each day. There, the sand slopes towards the water, with pale dunes and low cliffs opposite. For one week, everything revolves around kitesurfing: one session in the morning, another in the afternoon, then a fire and group activities in the evening. In October 2026, UCPA presents its village directly on the PK25 kite spot. Our experience captures that transitional period, when each day is divided between town and the lagoon.
The stay, hour by hour
Six days, twelve moments
Day 1 · From town to camp
8:25 Dakhla
We arrive in Dakhla on a flight from Paris. A UCPA shuttle is waiting at the airport to take us to the camp.
9:37 The camp
The terrace immediately places the camp: mismatched patterned tiles, chairs facing the sand and the lagoon beyond. There is nothing around it but this open landscape. Staggered arrivals and departures form the group gradually.
19:58 The first evening
In the evening, everyone gathers around the fire. There is an activity on most nights: learning to make msemen, bringing something from home for regional night, playing table football or simply listening to music.
Day 2 · At the camp
15:27 The afternoon
In the resting area, a ginger-and-white cat sleeps among red rugs and cushions. Three different instructors coach us during the week.
Day 5 · The lagoon in the morning
9:30 The sand
The sun breaks through a milky sky. From the camp terrace, the view runs past a line of stakes, across a wide expanse of sand and towards the lagoon. Dunes and low cliffs close the horizon. The wind is up. We prepare the equipment, cover our faces with thick blue sunblock and walk down to the water. For us, one sentence sums up learning here: “It feels like learning to kite on the moon.”
Day 6 · At the camp
Kitesurfers on Dakhla lagoon
Photo: Moussa Idrissi, Pexels License
19:49 The evening
We are back at camp in the evening. On one night during the week, a djembe session takes place around the fire.
Day 7 · Town, then the lagoon
9:43 In town
On our free day, we begin in Dakhla and have breakfast in town.
12:14 The market
At the market, a narrow shop overflows with kitchenware, baskets and colourful household goods stacked from floor to ceiling. We make our way through the tight aisles and buy spices before taking the shuttle again.
14:04 The terrace
In the early afternoon, we stop between town and the camp, on a wooden terrace level with the lagoon. The water is green over the sand and turns blue farther out. We eat oysters and seafood.
14:16 At the table
In the middle of the table are shared seafood platters, a basket of bread and juices served with red straws, with the lagoon behind us.
15:39 The ochre coast
After lunch, the coast turns ochre. An oyster farm draws a line through the turquoise water below; farther away, a few small boats are moored by the shore.
Day 8 · Departure
13:25 At the camp
We return to the camp one last time before the shuttle takes us back to the airport.
The route, stop by stop
Traced from the positions of our photos.
-
01 / 01 · 22 to 29 May
El Argoub
Base map: Natural Earth
The room
We do not stay in the eco-domes presented on the UCPA website in October 2026. In May 2022, they are still under construction, so we sleep in a hotel in central Dakhla with a pleasant rooftop and travel to the lagoon by shuttle. In October 2026, UCPA advertises earth-built domes for 3 guests, without air conditioning.
Things to do and included equipment
The beginner course page schedules 5 days of kitesurfing or another activity depending on the wind, with all kitesurfing equipment supplied. During our week, there is one session in the morning and another in the afternoon. Coaching is organised by level, including complete beginners. Away from the water, group life centres on the fire: a msemen workshop, regional night, table football and music.
Eat
The course includes full board, with tajines, couscous and a French-Moroccan breakfast buffet. We particularly remember very good meals and a nap after almost every lunch.
The vibe
During our week, camp life centres on the terrace, then on the fire and music in the evening. In October 2026, UCPA advertises a village for no more than 50 people, with a bar, terrace and pool. The days remain physical: before getting onto the board, we cross the sand to the lagoon in the sun and wind. That repetition gives the week its rhythm, slightly removed from the rest of the world.
That's why
From the camp terrace, the sand runs straight down to the lagoon. That daily walk to the water is the detail that best sums up the week.
You'll love it if
- you want to learn kitesurfing from scratch
- you want the lagoon directly below the camp
- the lagoon and desert are enough to fill your week
Skip it if
- you want to go into town every evening: the camp is a long way from Dakhla
- you expect to ride every day: the programme follows the wind
- you are travelling with children: the village is for adults only
Our take on UCPA Dakhla
We would return to UCPA Dakhla to learn kitesurfing. The camp puts each lesson directly in front of the lagoon, surrounded by sand, wind and low cliffs. For beginners, the format works: the published course details specify 1 instructor for 4 students, all equipment and an average of 5 hours to reach the water start.
The week is more demanding than it first appears. Walking through the sand, two daily sessions and the wind quickly take their toll. The village therefore suits adults who want to build their entire stay around kitesurfing, rather than travellers looking for nights in town or a schedule independent of the weather.
During our stay, progress comes quickly. We prefer high tide because we can stand, which makes learning easier. The wind does not let us down and an alternative activity is planned when it drops. We would keep the programme exactly as it is; we would simply arrive in better physical shape.
Your questions
Where is the UCPA Dakhla village?
UCPA Dakhla is at PK25, on the kite spot of Morocco's Dakhla Peninsula, according to information published by UCPA in October 2026. UCPA lists it as Eco Camps Dream Kite UCPA, reached from Dakhla airport.
Do you need kitesurfing experience for UCPA Dakhla?
No. UCPA Dakhla's beginner kitesurf course requires no previous experience. The details read in October 2026 specify 1 instructor for 4 students, all equipment included and an average of 5 hours to reach the water start.
When is the best time to kitesurf in Dakhla?
UCPA recommends April to October for its Dakhla village, with windy days averaging 15 to 25 knots. Its booking calendar lists departures from February to November. A week at the end of May falls comfortably inside the main season.
How do you get from Dakhla airport to the UCPA village?
The transfer between Dakhla airport and the UCPA village is included when the flight is booked through UCPA. Without that flight, UCPA quoted a taxi at about €50 each way in October 2026 and asks about transfer requirements in a welcome email sent one week before arrival.
The essentials
UCPA Dakhla is designed around a one-week stay, from April to October, for adult beginners and experienced riders.
| Detail | UCPA Dakhla |
|---|---|
| Access | Taxi or UCPA transfer from Dakhla airport |
| Season | April to October |
| Accommodation | Earth-built eco-domes on the spot, 3 guests per dome (UCPA, October 2026) |
| Coaching and level | 1 instructor for 4 students, courses by level |
| Length and rhythm | 7 nights, 5 kite days depending on the wind |
| Best for | Adults, minimum age 18 |
| Official website | ucpa.com |
We paid for this stay ourselves in May 2022.
Adapted from the original French article.
The address
UCPA Dakhla
Sports village · Dakhla, Presqu'île de Dakhla, Morocco
- Access
- Taxi or UCPA transfer from Dakhla airport
- Season
- April to October
- Accommodation
- Earth-built eco-domes on the spot, 3 guests per dome (UCPA, October 2026)
- Coaching and level
- 1 instructor for 4 students, courses by level
- Length and rhythm
- 7 nights, 5 kite days depending on the wind
- Best for
- Adults, minimum age 18
- Official website
- ucpa.com
- Getting there
- According to UCPA in October 2026: taxi from Dakhla airport, about €50 each way, or a transfer included with a UCPA flight
- Coordinates
- 23.9100° N, 15.7830° W
23.9100° N, 15.7830° W
How this story was made
Stay paid for by us in May 2022.
We have nothing to sell you. We are simply here to share the incredible experiences we are lucky enough to live.
Tom and Julie
