Riding camels to camp in the Sahara Desert, Morocco
The stunning sand dunes of the Sahara Desert, Morocco.
Riding camels to watch the sunset and then on to the Tassili Luxury Desert Camp in the Sahara, Morocco with a fine dinner, drumming around the campfire and a stunning sunrise.
Is a luxury desert camp worth the money?
The Sahara: fables of romantically dressed nomads riding their camels into the sunset and discovering picturesque oases fringed with vibrant green palm trees. This was what motivated us to book what was (for us!) an expensive Sahara tour from our base in the Dades Valley.
We were assured that it was only half a day’s drive to the Sahara, and we’d get a two hour camel ride through the desert to our camp and an hour’s ride back again in the morning. Betwixt the two we’d stay in a small luxury camp and watch the sun set and then rise again the following morning.
The whole experience cost 260 euros each, which was a big chunk of our overall outlay on the holiday. It had better be worth it!
Approaching the Sahara Desert, Morocco
Sometimes you just have to stop to take in the view
Any journey in Morocco takes much longer than you think
From Marrakech most people (including us) go to Merzouga because it’s closest. It’s still a good 10-12 hour drive from Marrakech though, so you definitely need at least a 3 day tour (and even that involves a lot of driving). Fortunately, we were staying in the Dades Valley and so were half way there – many tour guides book an overnight stop in the Dades Valley on their Sahara tours, which includes driving along the incredibly romantically-named (and incredibly beautiful) Road of a Thousand Kasbahs.
As we’d already discovered, any journey in Morocco takes much longer than you think, and it was a good seven hours before we finally arrived in ‘the desert’. The drive there from the Dades Valley was, to be honest, relatively uninspiring – mainly through the flat plains between the High Atlas and Anti Atlas Mountains. There were several nomadic groups camping on the plains – they travel down from the mountains and high valleys in the winter because the plains are warmer and not as dry (still very dry though!)
We stopped for lunch at Café Touroug and definitely wouldn't recommend it – full of big tourist groups and terrible food at high prices. We then stopped at a roadside shop where you could buy a scarf to use as a turban and all manner of other Arabian/Moroccan/Saharan memorabilia – we managed to escape without buying anything despite having been forced into being dressed up as Sultans for a photo (Chris insisted on it being immediately deleted from all devices). Merzouga and the whole area around it is also pretty touristy – lots of hotels and souvenir shops. At this stage it really wasn't feeling like money well-spent!
But when the Erg Chebbi sand dunes finally rose up in front of us – looking very much like a mountain range from the flat plain, we all felt shivers of excitement. We were earlier than scheduled so we went for a walk in the dunes – welcome exercise after the long drive, especially given how difficult it is to climb them! Sand dunes are immensely photogenic as you can see from the pics.
Finally, the sand dunes rise up in front of us – looking very much like a mountain range from the flat plain – and we all feel shivers of excitement.
A slight issue arose when we couldn't find our camels – how does one lose a camel?! Quite easily it emerges, as they are ‘parked’ in various locations throughout the dunes waiting for their tourists – it’s very hard to tell one group from another – they don't have labels! But we soon found them and were very speedily instructed to mount – and it turns out that doing so is not easy. You cling onto your metal bar for grim death as the camel stands up with two huge lurches in each direction - a very rocky experience. But then we set off, led by a young lad and with all camels loosely roped together to avoid issues. It was fantastic; a truly fun and magical experience – despite being ‘the tourist thing to do’. After an hour or so we dismounted (even more hazardous than getting on) and climbed a huge dune to watch the glowing sun slip down below the horizon. Fabulous.
Camel ride to Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, Sahara, Morocco
Riding towards the Sahara sunset
Tassili Luxury Desert Camp
After a further short camel ride, we arrived at our camp – the Tassili Luxury Desert Camp. It consisted of just 6 tents of black canvas which was much more in keeping with nomad camps (which are created from animal skins and bear no other resemblance whatsoever to the desert camps!) Our camp was certainly not obtrusive like the many white ones we saw, and, lying among the tranquil Erg Znaigui dunes, wasn't within sight of any other camps – quite unusual for Merzouga. We were welcomed with traditional Moroccan tea and pastries. Our tent was positively palatial with enormous beds and ensuite including shower. Dinner, served in the central ‘dining tent’ was absolutely delicious – the best food we ate during our whole trip to Morocco (a chicken & lemon tagine served with an aubergine & cheese tagine).
One of the key things we wanted to do on our trip was stargaze – however clouds had gathered, completely obscuring everything but the moon. What are the chances?! But our disappointment was mitigated by the camp staff setting up a big campfire and playing traditional Berber music into the night – hugely atmospheric. They even managed to get the very disparate guests all laughing and singing together – there were guests from the US, France, China, Italy and Spain so it was no mean feat. A magical evening and very special.
We then discovered to our delight that sunrise wasn't until 8.10am (4th January and my birthday!) so hauled ourselves out of our warm, very comfy beds (it’s a tough life this camping) to climb a nearby dune to watch it. It was absolutely stunning – even better than the sunset, with out-of-this world colours and views across the desert. After a good breakfast (Berber omelette, bread with honey, jams, olives etc), we reluctantly bid farewell to the Sahara desert – we would have loved to explore and immerse ourselves in it further by staying another night. You can book the Tassili Luxury Desert Camp direct through Booking.com, or request it when organising your desert tour. We’d highly recommend it.
Spectacular sunrise over the Sahara, Morocco
The drive back to the Dades Valley was far more enjoyable, as Daoud took us off the tourist trail, by another route. We stopped near Erzoud to see huge fossils (mainly of ammonites) preserved in the rocks at the side of the road. During the Paleozoic Era, approximately 300 million years ago, the Moroccan Sahara was the floor of a large, shallow prehistoric ocean and thriving with early life.
Fascinating fossils of the Anti Atlas
We then stopped at the most fantastic fossil shop at Timerzit. It was truly incredible – like being in a natural history museum crammed with exceptionally beautiful and unique ancient marvels. Thankfully, the practicalities of hauling a load of rocks back to the UK restricted our purchases because we’ve since discovered that technically the export of fossils from Morocco is illegal (albeit poorly enforced). Scientists are concerned that Morocco’s fossils trade (which took off in the 1980s) has massively depleted its ancient natural resources and also represents a huge loss to science and history. In 2019 more than 50,000 Moroccans earned a living in the fossil trade, according to the Geological Society of London. They work as hunters using high-powered machines and manual digging tools (such as axes), as merchants and artisans, and in any other way that they can to earn a living. It’s a complex issue when you recognise the poverty of most Moroccans living in this area – probably regulation is the answer. But what do we know?
The Todra Gorge
We also stopped at the Todra Gorge on the return journey which was spectacular (towering vertical rock cliffs up to 200m high) but very touristy, with tacky souvenir stalls lining the narrow road that runs through it. Graham’s still hankering after rock climbing there though (there was also a via ferrata), and there are apparently some fantastic walks from the Todra Gorge. Tinghir, at the entrance to the Todra Gorge, also looked highly appealing – with a huge kasbah and a beautiful palmeraie. Interestingly, each family owns one palm tree as well as their garden and they are passed down through the generations. Sadly, we didn't have time to explore any of this on this trip – maybe next time?
So, was the trip worth 760 euros and two days of our holiday?
Yes. We have some very precious memories and stunning photos. What would make it even better? Go for two nights, so you explore and ‘feel’ the Sahara more rather than just dashing there and back, and also increase your chances of a starry, starry night and gazing at the Milky Way from the glowing warmth of the campfire while listening to Berber music. The stuff that dreams are made of.
*If you’d like to do a desert tour, we also highly recommend Plein Desert. Daoud specialises in this area and especially in the Sahara, and can arrange multi-night trips that focus on getting away from the crowds, getting off the beaten track and finding the ‘true desert experience’.