Visiting the Sahara desert has always been on my bucket list and I recently had the opportunity to go. The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert and covers most of Northern Africa. Contrary to popular belief, accessing the Sahara is not as challenging as one might think. After spending some time in Marrakech, Morocco, I signed up with a small tour operator offering to take us to the Sahara. We hopped on a large jeep (more like a small bus with approximately 10 passengers) the next morning and we were on our way.
Our route took us up and down the narrow winding roads of the Atlas Mountains and was not for the faint of heart. In our first 30 minutes, we stopped 3 times to allow a couple passengers to throw up at the side of the road. Once you get to some of the lookout points though, the views are absolutely worth it. We passed through and stopped at some small towns and villages where we got to experience authentic Moroccan hospitality and culture. Had we gone with a large tour group, we surely would have been taken into more tourist-trap situations instead of being able to customize more of what we wanted to do.
After two days, we finally reached our destination, entering into the Sahara desert near the small town of Merzouga. We traded the jeep for camels and rode off into the sunset to follow our Berber guide to the tents where we would be sleeping. The thing that struck me most about the Sahara is the vastness of it all. You look out for miles and miles and all you see are sand dunes; all you hear is nothing but the wind. The different colours of the clear sky reflected off the sand, which seemed to change colours every few minutes in the sunset. It was so beautiful it made you forget the uneasiness of being on a camel that bounced you around and threatened to throw you off as it trodded along up and down the never ending dunes.
Another highlight of the Sahara was the evening sky. Soon after we got to camp, it got dark quickly and the sky was illuminated with more stars than you could count. There is no light pollution in the middle of the desert and it was easy to spot shooting stars, constellations and even make out the milky way, wrapped around the countless stars.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the Berber people in the camp. They made fantastic meals for us – I still frequently think of that warm and inviting tagine chicken we had the first night we got there. After dinner, they built a fire and sang and told stories about their way of life. They joked around with us and made us laugh, while asking about our customs and cultures.
When it was time to leave the Sahara, I felt so refreshed and at peace, thankful for the overall experience. We were ushered out with a gorgeous sunrise camel ride back to where the jeeps were parked. As the sun started to peek out over the sand dunes displaying brilliant red, orange and purple rays, we rode in silence, thankful for our Sahara experience.