From Fes, we left on an overnight bus that took eleven hours to reach Merzouga. Merzouga is a small village on the edge of the Sahara desert, only about 50 km (30 miles) away from the Algerian border. The buildings are made from adobe, which is a mix of mud and straw.
Merouga is the place to go for Moroccan tourists that wish to spend time in the desert. There are many companies that offer tours and packages for camel treks. The package that we chose included three days/two nights in the desert, and access to the hotel and amenities in the village before and after the trek.
When we got off the bus in Merzouga, it was 7 AM. Being that our caravan of camels was to embark just two hours before sunset, we spent the day wandering around the barren village in the crippling heat, and catching up on sleep at the hotel.
This is me on the roof of the hotel.
The first night in the desert was magical. We were a group of six tourists and three berber guides, and our first trek was for two hours out to a traditional Berber village. Being out the in the desert like that gives one the impression of being on a different planet. It’s strange and beautiful.
Upon arriving, we were served mint tea and tajine. The other tourists with which we were traveling included: an older couple from British Columbia, a guy from Peru named Jorge, and a guy from Spain named Xavi. We got on very well, and enjoyed dinner together.
This is the village where we slept the first night.
After dinner, we gathered around a fire while the Berber people played music. The music was all singing in Arabic and hand drums, and it was powerful.
The best part was the stars. Rob and I spent a good hour on our backs, staring upward, and I swear we could see every star in the sky. It was surreal.
When we woke up in the morning, everybody else had headed back into Merzouga, so Rob and I were out there on our own with our guide, Sa’id. That day, we went even deeper, crossing the black desert - we were actually able to see the Algerian border. Halfway through the day, we stopped at a nomad camp, where we were served tea and bread. This was fascinating, seeing the way that the nomadic people live.
This is a little boy that lived in the camp with his mother and father, he was fascinated by the huge screen on Rob’s smart phone, and he spent about thirty whole minutes killing the phone’s battery while we went through all of Rob’s photos and videos.
This is a solar energy rig that they use to charge their cell phones.
After visiting the nomads, we made our way to the oasis.
This is where we spent much of the early afternoon, as it was far too hot to be on the camels. We had a Moroccan salad (essentially just a huge plate of chopped bell peppers) and we had a nap.
The ride from the oasis to our camp took another hour and a half or so, and it was treacherous. There was a sand storm and the path was all dunes. Maybe I was projecting, but I was getting the feeling that my camel was really struggling to get over the dunes through the storm, carrying me. So, I elected to get off my camel and just walk alongside. At this point, I just pulled the scarf of my turban over my entire face, as there was sand getting into every crevice on my head.
While we were waiting for our tajine to cook, the three of us hung out on the highest dunes around the village and watched the sun set. Sa’id didn’t speak the best Engilsh, but he was playful and warm and we thoroughly enjoyed his company.
Unfortunately, the sky was too cloudy to make out any stars, so we spent the night in the tent and passed out relatively early.
We spent the whole of the next morning slowly riding our camels back into the village of Merzouga. Although the desert was incredible, I was happy to ditch my camel. This was my first time using an animal for utility, and I was not comfortable with how unhappy the camels seemed. But that’s just me, everyone assured me that they were fine.
Upon arriving back at the village, we spent yet another day sleeping in the hotel until our bus to Marrakech was to leave in the evening.
