Camel trekking in Moroccan Desert

Camel trekking was definitely my favorite part of the trip to Morocco. Sand is as far as the eye can see, and there is a clear sky and quiet. It “hits” you even harder if it’s your first time in the desert.  It’s not just the way the sand has shaped itself but the overall feeling of tranquillity.

It started like this: the door to the desert. I love this photo.

Although it is a very popular tourist attraction there, and many tour guides and agencies have it among their offerings, it is such a beautiful experience.

Going for a camel trek in the Merzouga Desert

It started from this house which was literally at the beginning of the desert.  From there we jumped on a camel:  the people coordinating the camels will assign one for each person in the group, depends on your size.

It was an amazing 1-hour camel trek at sunset, in the desert. It felt weird and unsafe at the beginning, not being used to the camel and I felt the camel was going to tumble and fall with every step it was taking. I think that’s how it feels like when you walk on sand.

We arrived at a desert camp, with a few tents and carpets laid on the sand. The Berbers made dinner for us and set up a fire and played some traditional music. They played and sang for us using Tbilat (it looks like a drum) and Krakebs (a large iron castanet-like musical instrument).

And we drank Moroccan tea under the clear sky. It almost felt unreal, how all the stars were shining at the same time. The sky was so full of tiny spots, having no city lights to seize its greatness. It was not a sight we see that often. Photos cannot capture that kind of sight. You just have to go there and see it with your eyes.

During the night it wasn’t that cold, as I heard. It was the beginning of the November, but I guess there were around 10 °C or more during the night. You can judge for yourself from the photos.

The tents were made out of blankets and wood. The “bed” was made of a small mattress and a blanket on top. Not a luxury accommodation, but it was enough to feel amazing.

Camel trek for the most beautiful moment of a sunrise

The sand was everywhere, so I decided not to be bothered anymore. After the small grains of sand had invaded every inch of my body, we woke up at 5 am and took the way back out of the desert, using the camel as a means of transportation once more.

I was terrified the first time, but the 2nd time was better.

On the way back, the sun was rising and was probably one of the moments worth getting up early for. The “camel drivers” (that’s what they do, they lead the camels) even stopped to take photos of us. Beautiful.

We reached back to the house from which the desert began and had breakfast. And then we hopped in the car and started our way back to Marrakesh.