Camel trek in the Sahara
- beachmontabroad
- Jul 28, 2017
- 4 min read
Our camel caravan heading our into the sand dunes of the Sahara desert.
We had been nervous about the scorching heat of the Sahara desert, but our overnight camel trek proved to be one of the most exciting parts of our trip!
After our long drive from Fez, we arrived to the desert town of Merzouga it was 5 pm and still well above 100 degrees. Though the heat was oppressive, it began to cool down (just a little) as a sun lowered in the sky. We dropped our big backpacks at a local hotel in Merzouga and packed a light bag for our night on the dunes.
Our base camp at a local hotel in Merzouga, which sits just feet from the beginning of the Saharan sand dunes.
After some preparations and waiting until the heat subsided by early evening, we loaded up our camels with our gear for the night. We were joined by travelers from Canada (Katy and Francois) and Australia (Jake and Laura) and Canada. Our guides, Mohammed and Mohammed, helped us tie and twist scarves to shade our faces in the traditional way of the South, so that we would be protected from the sand and sun while we trekked through the dunes.
Ms. Cassidy and Ms. Pollock with our new camel friends at our base camp in Merzouga.
Ms. Cassidy and Ms. Pollock had never ridden a camel before, and the procedure for getting onto a camel is a bit different than getting on a horse! First, the camel bends its legs and sits down for you. Once you are seated in the saddle, the camel first straightens its back legs- which puts all of your body weight head-first like you are going to topple over. It's just for a second though, until the camel straightens his front legs and you're up!
Ms. Cassidy, Ms. Pollock and Ms. Pollock's camel snap a selfie before setting off.
Our guides, who were both named Mohammed, led our camel caravan right from the hotel into the sand dunes. They both offered information and jokes during our our one-and-a-half hour trek out to the campsite on the dunes. At first, we could still see some trees and shrubs rising up from the sand. But slowly, the landscape became a 360-degree view of sloping sand dunes, glowing red and orange in the setting Saharan sun. It was beautiful to see such untouched natural beauty.
The trees, shrubs and desert grasses slowly disappeared as we trekked further into the dunes.
The glowing sands of the Saharan dunes just outside of Merzouga. (Click to enlarge.)
Everywhere we looked, it felt like we had stepped into a computer screensaver. The natural, untouched landscape was like nothing we had either experienced before.
As the sun was finally setting, we arrived at our camp site, which was set up like a traditional Berber nomad camp. These camps are designed to be easily moved, yet to provide shelter and protection from the sweltering heat of the summer and the frigid cold of the winter in the desert climate.
Our tent site set up between two sand dunes. While the camp had several separate sleeping tents for guests, we all ended up pulling out mattresses into the center of the camp to sleep under the stars and in the cooler open air.
Together with our new Australian and Canadian friends, we enjoyed some Moroccan mint tea and a delicious traditional meal prepared by our guides. In traditional Moroccan style, the food was served in a large communal dish at the center of the table. We were able to teach our new friends how to eat from the communal plate using bread and our hands. (We were so grateful for how much we had learned through several home-stays up to this point!)
Relaxing and cooling off over a traditional meal in one of the communal tents at our camp site. From left to right: Laura, Jake, Katy, Francois, Ms. Pollock and Ms. Cassidy.
After dinner, our guides taught us some traditional drumming and dancing. The music was beautiful and we were so thankful to our guides for sharing a part of their culture with us.
Our guide, Mustafa, teaching us some traditional Amazigh (Berber) rhythms on the traditional drums. He was amazing, but we need to keep practicing...
Later on, we all climbed up onto a dune to lay out and watch the stars. With no other lights in sight, the stars shone brightly in the expansive sky. We watched in awe, Ms. Cassidy found the Big Dipper and we even saw a few shooting stars!
Sunset over the sand dunes.
We all woke up bright and early to watch the sunrise over the dunes and head back on our camels before the sun rose too high in the sky. Our time in the Saharan dunes was a beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime experience and we are so grateful to the thoughtful and generous guides who took such good care of us.
"We are Fund for Teacher Fellows" - We are also so thankful for Fund for Teachers for supporting us on this grant project!
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