A Night in the Sahara – Camel Rides and Camping the Erg Chebbi Dunes of Merzouga
The Sahara Desert
The Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert, stretches across North Africa, spanning roughly 9.2 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles) and covering parts of several countries.
Merzouga is a Saharan village in Morocco which is the gateway to the sand dune field “Erg Chebbi” in the famous Sahara Desert. The region is called as “Dunes of Merzouga”.
We headed to Merzouga from Marakkesh to get the true Saharan experince. The drive from Marrakesh to Merzouga covers about 600 km and typically takes 9-12 hours. We broke up the trip by visiting a number
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Merzouga Village
of notable and memorable tourist sites, staying a few days at each stop before continuing on to Merzouga. I will be writing about them in my other posts.
As we approached Merzouga, the landscape transformed into vast stretches of red Saharan sands of Erg Chebbi extending endlessly in every direction. When we stepped out of the car, the heat hit us immediately, around 45°C. It was early July and we knew it would be scorching, but we decided to go anyway. We all agreed that if you don’t feel the heat, you don’t truly feel the desert. Although Merzouga is called a village, we could only see a few adobe style resorts, all completely surrounded by the endless sands of the Sahara and nothing else.
At the Merzouga village we were asked by the lodge to stay in allotted rooms until close to sunset. We had booked an overnight stay at one of the luxury desert camps for the full experience. The camel rides dont start until late evening as it is very hot during the day. We filled our bottles with enough water for the camel ride and we waited for the sun to start going down.
And when the sun started descending over the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, the camels started showing up across the lodge one by one.
The camel herders shared some insights about camels and taught us how to climb onto them. As soon as we climbed onto the camels and they rose to their feet, we were greeted with breathtaking ariel view of the Sahara Desert.
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Starting our Camel ride in the Sahara
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A tiny wanderer in endless sand.
The mesmerizing sight of the Sahara Desert, with its soft red sands shimmering in the rays of the setting sun, was breathtaking. We saw several groups of camels moving in single row one behind other which added a surreal touch to the scene. Watching them climb the dunes one after another was truly awe-inspiring.
The ride to our tents took about 1.5 hours, and the camels moved quite
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As the sun set, the dunes turned red
slowly. They didn’t always stay on top of the dunes, if a dune sloped downward,they would go down with it, making it tricky to maintain balance and were holding on to the handle tight. We had to stay alert through out the ride, and quickly realized that sitting on a camel and navigating the dunes is not as easy as it looks.
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Our campsite in Sahara desert
We were pleasantly surprised to find that the luxury tents were quite sophisticated. They had electricity, proper beds, and even a shower and washroom. It was fascinating to learn that they source water from within the desert to supply the tents and generate electricity using solar panels set up in the dunes. There was not much price difference between the normal tents and the luxury tents. We were happy we booked the luxury
tents as the normal tents dont have shower and washroom. Our luggage had already been delivered to our tents via 4×4 vehicles designed to be driven on the dunes.
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Inside the luxury tents in Erg Chebbi- Sahara Desert
Once it got dark, the camp fire was set and the locals sang songs and played music for us. A delicious dinner was prepared at the tents and served to us in a large tent where we got to meet several other groups and had a chat with them. After dinner, we spent some time sitting on the dunes outside the tents, and at 9pm, all the lights were turned off to give us a truly authentic Saharan experience.
It was then that we saw flickering lights scattered across the desert like tiny stars. Our guide told us they were other groups of tents set up for the night. Soon they all turned their lights off and we were immensed in the thick darkness of the Saharan Desert.
We asked our tour guide if he could take us for a walk in the dark, and he kindly agreed. We walked without any lights or cameras. The guide tied a shawl to himself and Shekar, and Varun held onto Shekar, and I held onto Varun as we slowly made our way through the darkness. At one point, the guide said “stop,” but we didn’t notice and ended up slipping into a dune, having to climb back up. We couldn’t stop laughing as we tumbled into the dune, briefly
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Campfire in the desert.
losing each other and having to shout out to reconnect in the dark. It was then that we realized how well the locals know the terrain, able to navigate the dunes even at night. We sat atop a dune for a while, gazing at the night sky filled with billions of stars before returning to our tent.
Though we had brought mini fans, it was still too hot to sleep inside. So, we decided to stay outside, pulling our beds onto the sand and chatting with our neighbors from Canada and Egypt. Even though we didn’t get much sleep, we didn’t feel tired, carried away by the unique feeling of being in the heart of the Sahara.
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Sunrise over the Saharan dunes
The next morning, we had coffee and stepped out to watch the sunrise over the dunes. The desert dust gave the horizon a hazy, cloudy look, but it was still amazing to see the sun rise over the Saharan sands. We returned to our lodge afterward.
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The Sahara Desert – Erg Chebbi
Even if we had stayed another day, we would have had to return to the lodge during the daytime, as it is far too hot to remain at the tents.
Have you ever visited the Sahara Desert? We’d love to hear about your experience. Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below!
Tips and Advice
How to Get to the Moroccan Sahara Desert
The base town is Merzouga in Morocco. The drive from Marrakesh to Merzouga is over 600 km and typically takes 9-12 hours. Some bus services take longer than 12 hours. Overnight bus is best.
When to Visit
The best time to visit the Sahara Desert is from March to May or October to November. We recommend visiting at the end of May or early June for pleasant weather and to avoid any rainfall.
What to take
Take plenty of water. A thermos to keep it cool can be very useful in the desert. A battery-operated fan is essential if you are visiting during summer, as campsites have limited power outlets. Bring binoculars because the Algerian border is just about a kilometer from the campsite, and with them, you can see the desert stretching into Algeria.
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