Ryanair is flying into one of the world’s oldest conflict zones – they might be onto something

Tell people you are off on holiday to Ryanair’s latest destination, Dakhla, and you will likely be met with confusion. “Where?” they will ask, with a tilt of the head.

The answer is not a simple one – despite Ryanair’s cheery announcement that, with the new route, it is “excited to enhance Morocco’s connectivity and Ryanair’s investment in the Kingdom, driving tourism and economic growth in yet another Moroccan region”.

The truth is, it’s a little more complicated than simply “Morocco”.

Dakhla, you see, is a small desert and coastal city in either the Western Sahara, or the Moroccan Sahara. Since it is the capital of a region at the centre of the longest-standing territorial dispute in Africa, the country to which you attribute it will depend entirely on your politics.

Morocco governs most of the Western Sahara – and has done since Spanish powers left in the 1970s – but liberation movement the Polisario Front claims it as an independent state. The UN calls it a “non-self-governing territory”.

Dakhla does not, initially, sound like prime budget-holiday fodder. And yet, it is a safe, sun-baked town with magnificent beaches, access to the glories of the desert and an abundance of rich Saharan culture.

Some tourists have already found this out, drawn by its sea and wind. Located on a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic, its geography has created a tidal lagoon that provides a giant, shallow basin of water, perfect for excellent (and safe) kite surfing and wing or wind foiling. It’s a perfect place for beginners, but also offers more experienced thrill-seekers the option of venturing out into the unlimited Atlantic.

There’s a laid-back, windswept surfing vibe around the lagoon, reflected in the various eco-lodges dotted around the shoreline. Among them is Lagon Energy, which offers equipment hire, kite and foil lessons, as well as paddle boards (a great option when there’s no wind), plus wellness classes, a spa and healthy food, including vegetables sourced from the garden and fresh fish.

But don’t spend all your time by the lagoon. Turn away from the beaches, and you will find yourself facing Dakhla’s other splendour: the desert. Here, seemingly endless sands and skies make for miles of empty space and silence. The desert around Dakhla is pristine and still home to many camel nomads.

Typically, it is the men who camp in the desert, where they look after their herds, while the women and children spend the weekdays in the city so the children can go to school. Camels are a core part of Sahrawi (Saharan) culture, and spending time with these noble creatures can be rewarding.

There is also plenty of local wildlife to search for among the sands, including eagles and buzzards, desert foxes, snakes, giant lizards and the fluffy-tailed jerboa. Learning which tracks belong to which animals is a particularly seductive activity, especially if they lead you to a warren or a foxhole. Strangely, a small black beetle makes one of the most elaborate designs, and also plays dead when you get close to it.

Make sure you include a visit to the White Dune in your plans; reachable by 4x4, though it’s best to book an official excursion or guide, as the area is completely surrounded by the sea at high tide. It’s well worth the effort, however – blindingly white and dazzling against the blue sea. You’re also likely to see the pink flash of a flamingo.

You will also want to try Dakhla’s oysters. Thanks to the exceptionally clean waters, they are nationally renowned and are flown daily to the most exclusive restaurants in Marrakech and Rabat – but here you can stroll down to an oyster farm and eat them straight from the sea. They grow in the water below Talha Mar, a restaurant and farm, and you can watch the workers tending to them on their underwater blocks, and then order half a dozen before moving on to a seafood tagine.

When evening rolls around, pause for a sundowner (and a spectacular sunset, thanks to Dakhla’s position on Africa’s westernmost coast) at the West Point Hotel’s Pescador restaurant, before strolling into Dakhla town, which comes to life once the sun goes down. The central market area is compact and easy to walk around, lined with shops selling tea and perfume – the two essentials of Sahrawi life. Visit any home, and you will be sprayed with scent and then offered three glasses of sweet, strong black tea, traditionally brewed over charcoal using only rain or well water.

Around you, women in tie-dye milfas (a Sahrawi costume which wraps around the body and head) and men in bright blue boubous (Sahrawi robes) embroidered in gold and silver haggle over prices and buy kilos of dates. If the hubbub makes you peckish, end your day with simple, home-cooked dishes at Restaurant Gladys, a small local spot run by Sahrawi women.

So don’t let the nay-sayers put you off. With its beaches, wild desert and fascinating Sahrawi culture, Dakhla makes for a wonderful – and offbeat – holiday destination, and one where you’ll have that rarest of commodities in glorious abundance: space.

Ryanair flies direct to Dakhla from Madrid and Lanzarote from £25 return; and from London to Madrid from £41 return.