SHIPPING TO DRAGON ISLAND IN DAKHLA
At the meeting point of the Sahara desert with the Atlantic coast, in the great south of Morocco, there is a magic bay. In the middle of the bay, Dragon Island stands like a mirage on the horizon. What's better than a catamaran excursion to discover all the hidden treasures of the Dakhla Lagoon and its mysterious island
NAVIGATING THE LAGOON OF DAKHLA IN CATAMARAN
The lagoon of Dakhla is a playground of several tens of kilometers, where we often meet kitesurfers but also dolphins, flamingos and other marine migratory birds. The waters of the lagoon are also among the most fish-rich in the world. The catches of croakers can measure up to 2 meters and weigh up to 80 kilos. The island of the dragon when it offers, it seems, the most beautiful panorama on the whole bay
Despite my apprehension of boats and my strong predisposition to seasickness (), I take my courage in both hands and decided to accompany Mike in a day of sailing on the lagoon catamaran. As soon as I am told "dolphins" and "dragon" in the same sentence, I feel myself growing wings. I can not go through such an opportunity. Everybody aboard !
Jaqueline and Neil, a couple of British globetrotters dropped anchor in Dakhla after successfully crossing the Atlantic sailing on their small catamaran. For a few months, Neil, the captain of the boat, shares his baby with birds of passage like us. The can carry up to 10 people, and Neil makes sure to tailor the tour to his passengers. For us, lovers of fauna and flora, the itinerary includes a flamingos safari and dolphins and a collection of rare shells on the island of the dragon
AN INITIATION TO SAIL ON THE LAGOON
We particularly enjoyed the introductory sailing session. Neil gives us all the functions of sailors while we deploy our sails to sail on the waves, propelled by the wind. "Ho hoist, to port, to starboard! The interactive navigation session is particularly fun. And then, I do not even have seasickness, class
Desert Landscapes and Breathless Sea
On the way to Dragon Island, we drive along white sandbanks, where many kinds of migratory birds and waders stroll, including a group of flamingos. We had explored the other side of the bay on the mainland on a 4x4 tour the day before, but catamaran sailing offers a whole new perspective from the open sea. With no boat around, you really feel like explorers at the end of the world
EXPLORATION OF HERNÉ ISLAND ALIAS DRAGON ISLAND
Do you know why it's called Dragon Island? Look carefully ! In profile, the island Herné recalls the silhouette of a legendary dragon sleeping on his stomach. Once on the mainland, we discover a deserted island with wild beaches with white sand and translucent waters reminiscent of the tropical islands of Southeast Asia. We begin by basking with natural white clay that is abundant on site, before rinsing in the turquoise waters of the lagoon. Then there was a hunt for shells, then climbing the rocky promontory overlooking the island. The panorama from the top of this plateau has nothing to envy to the superb view of the famous Whitsunday Islands in Australia. The sandbanks form a kind of oil painting with different shades of blue. It's almost too good to be true
MEET THE DOLPHINS OF DAKHLA
Back on the catamaran, Neil welcomes us with a good barbecue served to good franquette. We then settle on the trampoline of the catamaran armed with our binoculars while he throws the boat at full speed towards the open sea, in search of the resident dolphins of the region. Two types of dolphins live in the temperate waters of Dakhla Bay: bottlenose dolphins and humpback dolphins are rarer. On the way back, watching the waters off the coast, we see a humpback dolphin, very shy but curious. It's the excitement on board. We shout, we chuckle, we laugh nervously, we shout again. Dolphins have the power to make us fall back into childhood. Flipper will follow our sailboat for a while before disappearing into the depths. We can say that luck smiled on us that day
CAN WE GO ON THE ISLAND OF THE DRAGON ON FOOT
At high tide, Dragon Island is surrounded by a vast expanse of turquoise water. From our camp located at the tip of the dragon, we can then go there by kayak or small motorized boat. At low tide, the water seems to completely retreat around the island, and you can almost walk across the bay. But we must pay attention to the movements of the tide, the risk of being wrecked from a desert island for the evening
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