Merzouga

If you have ever thought about Morocco, you probably think of dry, arid temperatures, and a desert (at least I did), and though it is very hot, a large part of Morocco does not look very ‘deserted’. With that said, you easily* can take a trip into the Sahara desert by paying a visit to Merzouga, a town on the east side of Morocco near the Algerian border. I say easily with a caveat, because though you can do it, it is not a quick trip. Merzouga sits on the edge of a 50x5km area of sand dunes in the Sahara desert known as Erg Chebbi, where the sand dunes can reach a height of up of 350m above the plain. Merzouga is the main kick off point for nearly all desert tours in Morocco, and when coming here, you will rarely actually stay in the town itself. Most visitors come to Merzouga to ride a camel into the dunes, stay overnight in a camp to stargaze and to get a taste of the authentic and remote Berber lifestyle. The locals here are extremely welcoming, and you are able to get most things you will need for your desert trek from town if you forgot something (sunglasses, shawl to protect from the sand, etc.).

I’ll start off by saying that I went to from Marrakech to Merzouga without a tour company – would it have been easier with one? Of course, and it probably would have ended up being about the same amount of money, but its always a very different experience when you force yourself out of your comfort zone to figure it out on your own. The main difference though? I spent 4 days as opposed to 3 with a tour company, spent nearly 2 full days exploring and got to experience the more local and real side of the less touristy parts of Morocco. The transport was organized on the fly – we knew that we could do it, but just figured it out as we went. The first day was long, and was a bus trip from Marrekech to Ouarzazate (which cost $105 Dirhams (~$15 CAD)) and took about 5 hours to get to.

Ouarzazate

Many do not know of Ouarzazate, unless you are in the film industry. Nicknamed the ‘door to the desert’ or Morocco’s ‘Little Hollywood’, many tourists don’t spend much time here, though you can probably fill up a few days exploring the towns dusty streets. I spent my first of 3 nights in Ouarzazate, and due to bus schedule, had some time to spend exploring the quaint town. 

Main attractions in and around Ouarzazate include the Ait Ben Haddou (ideal at sunrise or sunset, and made famous in GOT recently, among other films), the Taourirt Kasbah (also used in many different movie sets), as well as the cinema museum across the street, or the CLA Studios just to name a few. The Cinema Museum was surprisingly a lot more interesting than I expected it to be, and was well worth the time spent here. The museum showcases different parts of the film industry, where you can walk through the sets of many different past movies (and see how cheap and lackluster some sets really are), see how cameras and equipment have changed over the years, and see different costumes from the films shot here. CLA studios is on the highway just outside of town, and also has full film sets that you can walk all over, and will likely have few tourists at.

After leaving Ouarzazate the next day, we were on our final bus stretch to get into the desert. The bus from Ouarzazate to Merzouga cost 155 Dirhams (~$21 CAD).

The Sahara Desert

The purpose of the trip out to Merzouga was of course, to see the Sahara desert and the sand dunes. After another long bus ride from Ouarzazate to Merzouga, I had made it. Fun fact: Sahara itself translates to ‘desert’, so when you say the Sahara desert, you’re actually just saying desert twice. We had arrive via bus, and the bus got in around 6/7 PM, so we arrived in the dark and didn’t really get a sense of where we really were until the next day, but we wanted to take advantage of the time there. Merzouga itself is right on the edge of the dunes, so if you arrive a day before, take a walk into the dunes yourself to check them out. Whether at night, or during the day, the dunes are impressive. We found some just outside of town, got out of the town lights, were on the verge of entering the midst of the Sahara, and laid down to watch the stars go by before heading to bed for the night.

The tours into the Sahara all generally leave Merzouga around 4 - 5 PM, and the ride into the desert takes about 2-2.5 hours depending on how many stops you want to take for photos, and to give your ass a rest – and believe me – you will need to. The camels that you will ride in the Sahara are dromedary (or Arabian) camels, meaning that they only have one hump that you ride on top of. In contrast, it is Bactrian camels, native to central Asia, which have 2 humps. Dromedary camels are not the most comfortable ride by any means, especially for hours on end, so the breaks are welcomed, but the views are well worth any discomfort that you’ll feel. Your leader will stop as often as you need, and you will have endless opportunities to take those photos for the ‘gram.  On the ride, you will find yourself sitting on top of your camel for the sunset, sticking your feet into many a sand dune and riding your way across this little piece of Sahara heaven until you reach your camp shortly after dusk.

Even though I had been in the desert and sand dunes before in Huacachina, Peru (and bigger dunes in Peru might I add), it was still very surreal being surrounded by SO much sand. For me, seeing both the sunset and the sunrise, while being surrounded by nothing but sand wherever you look, will always be a remarkable sight to see. The wispy clouds on this sunset and sunrise created pink, purple and blue cotton candy skies that couldn’t be dreamt of.

After watching the sunset, it’s back on the camels to head to the camps for dinner and the evening festivities. After arriving at the camp, we were provided with a warm dinner of traditional chicken tagine, vegetables and fruit, as well as Moroccan mint tea to warm you up. After dinner, the Berber organizers built a bonfire while playing instruments, singing and dancing, as we all took in the atmosphere and energy of the night in the Sahara.

Believe it or not, even though you are in the middle of the Moroccan desert, the nights here get COLD, especially if you end up with clear skies like we had. With that said, the clear skies are always welcomed as once the lights of the camps are shut off, you can have some amazing star gazing here. Because of the cool temperatures at night, even though you’re advised to only bring the essentials in your daypack on the ride, be sure to pack some warm clothes to keep you toasty in the chilly evenings, especially if you plan on sleeping under the stars. We were lucky (or unlucky depending on how you want to look at it), as we were here for a nearly full moon that was out at night. The brightly glowing moon shone down on the camp in the evening, providing us with nature’s natural light, but sadly masked most of the stars in the night sky. Either way, it was a gorgeous night for taking in the desert.

Your trip back to Merzouga from camp will be an early start. You will wake up before sunrise, have a quick breakfast, and then pop back onto your camel to head back to town for sunrise. Once again, you will stop on your way back to watch the sunrise and take in the beautiful views from the dunes one last time before making your way back to Merzouga to end your tour, and finally onward to Marrakech or Fes, or wherever your destination may be.

The cost for the Sahara Desert tour from Merzouga including camel ride both ways, dinner, small breakfast, and the overnight in the desert was 350 Moroccan Dirhams (~$48 CAD), and is a very typical price to pay from Merzouga. This was for budget accommodation, though there are tons of higher end places to stay in, including some pretty fancy-shmancy tents depending on your budget and required comforts.

A few last notes:

First – If you want to head into the desert without booking a tour and don’t care about riding camels in, you can easily camp out in the desert on your own. As mentioned above, it can get quite cool in the night, so be sure to pack enough warm gear! Most people don’t even bother with a tent, but you’ll want to start your trek early enough so that you can set up your camp with plenty of time. You will have the entire Sahara dunes to yourself this way, but you will need to plan to be self sufficient for the night and hot morning. Plan to bring a ton of water (more than you think), food, some warm clothes, and don’t go alone (just in case).

Second - What you will come to realize, is that this is not a very authentic Moroccan experience at all. It is a huge tourism trade for them, and though you will see Berber people playing music and dancing around your campfire at night, this is not their typical lifestyle. You will see tons of people doing the same trek to other camps, your camp will be near the edge of the dunes with power and electricity (ran by generators nearby), will have many other camps right next to it, and filter tourists in and out daily. My experience here was still amazing and I’m definitely still glad that I did it, but don’t let the tourism façade blind you from realizing that this isn’t ‘real life’ for them.