A night in the Sahara desert in Merzouga
A recap of the last stage of our trip to Merzouga, at the gates of the Sahara, with the best for last: a 1.30-hour hike on a camel back to watch the sunset from the dunes and spend the night in nomadic tents.
Even better than in our imagination, we had a magical and unique moment. A dream that has become reality.
When we reached the end of the road, there was nothing left but the immensity of the desert, majestic, silent, with giant dunes of ochre color… Words are not enough to express the sensation; you absolutely have to experience this at least once in your life.
After 1h30 of hiking on horseback, we arrive at our (tourist) campsite where nomads are waiting for us. There is absolutely everything you need: spacious tents with beds, toilets (built of concrete), a large tent for gathering for dinner and lunch. On the menu: Moroccan salad and chicken tajine with prunes and almonds (I still can’t even think about it).
After the meal, there is an entertainment with musicians and everyone gathers around a campfire.
The next morning, we set off at 6:00 in the middle of the night on horseback to return to Merzouga. Once again we witnessed the magical spectacle of sunrise in the desert.
Many thanks to Morocco Views !
Comments
samra
10 June 2015
This paid deserves to be discovered, so I invite you to visit the great southern part of Morocco by quad and SUV from Marrakech… enjoy one or more nights in the heart of the dunes of Chegada and explore the Draa Valley… Marrakech quads is an invitation not to miss.
I’m going to Morocco in two weeks in March, and I’m really, really eager to go explore the dunes of Merzouga! I hope the weather won’t let me down… 🙂
aurelienpelsener
3 January 2014
These tents are installed only for tourists.
As for the few Bedouins that remain in Morocco, they can be found in the desert areas but not in the dunes!Thanks for this nice account. I have done two types of desert excursions in Tunisia.
The first one is very similar to this one, in the middle of the dunes, with a fairly touristy campsite.
The second most authentic, with just a guide and a night in a small Berber community.Even though the two experiments were interesting, it is clearly the authenticity that has left the strongest impression on me.
Going to the Sahara is one of my projects: I dream of traveling in this immense desert «nomad-style» just like you did… and maybe even more local/less touristy…
After that there is always the reality of the places; the special tourist excursions that sell typical things and then put so much of it back that it becomes artificial (like the tours on the islands of Lake Titicaca in Peru). But here, as you can see, it seems to have been a reasonable balance between the typical/touristic.And spending a night in a Bedouin tent also appeals to me a lot. But I thought it was less of a «luxury» setup. Surely these tents are designed to cater to the tastes and needs of tourists, who have a higher «status» than the Bedouins, accustomed to a «harder» life…
Thanks anyway for this sharing of an adventure and these beautiful images… They only strengthen my desire for the desert 😉
Thank you Amandine for your comment!
I think you can find excursions with real nomads!
Our one was more suited to tourists, for example: there are toilets and washrooms near the campsites…
It must be a wonderful experience to travel with the nomads; I hope that one day we will be able to experience it too 🙂
Charlier
8 November 2013
I did two great hikes in the Moroccan desert and also in Mauritania in 1999 and 2000, with wonderful memories and meeting amazing people!!! To be done if you can!!! A real vacation outside the beaten track!!
Thanks Odette! We’re going back to Morocco next year, to Essaouira/Agadir and Marrakech, I think we’ll have more opportunities to go on desert trips 😉
I dream of seeing the desert one day; it must be incredible and bring indescribable emotions… I love the camels’ heads in your photos; I could die laughing! 😀
This series of photos brings back great memories for me! An experience I would love to relive!
We also have beautiful memories in our minds… the sunset and sunrise… so moving!
On the other hand, 3 hours on a camel ride is something we still remember!!
husband
15 February 2022
It was a wonderful trip that we recommend to everyone who wants to discover all of Morocco.
We traveled all over from the north to the south, the mountains, imperial cities, small towns, and oases, arriving in the desert where we spent two nights in this hotel.
We had an excellent stay with this company Moroccodeserttour4x4.com. Discover the excursions we recommend to all future travelers. The staff did not disappoint our expectations; they were warm, helpful, and professional. We really enjoyed the tour in which we were the only ones in a 4x4 with our pleasant and friendly Berber. We appreciated having a guide because he fully satisfied our curiosity to discover the customs of this beautiful country; we heard him in a living room voice of someone who knew nothing about it, which made the stay even better!