Merzouga: Three Days In The Desert Sun
Sometimes it’s when you look back at a particular time or place that you realise just how good it was. And then sometimes, now and again, when you get really lucky, it’s as the time itself is unfolding that you know something very special is happening, your senses are alive and you are absolutely living in the moment, knowing that this is a time you will never forget. Such was our three days in Merzouga….
As we eat brochettes by the roadside on our first night in the desert town we don’t really want to have to sleep, we’re willing it to be morning, so eager are we to experience what lays ahead of us in our time out here in the Sahara. We chatter like excited school kids, full of anticipation about what the next few days may bring, every experience which we may enjoy.
Next morning we’re up before dawn, climbing on to the roof of our riad to watch the sunrise. The changing colours of the sky are usually what make sunrises and sunsets special, but as we watch in awe, it’s the changing colours of the land around us, rather than the sky, which is the real joy of a desert sunrise. The beautiful undulating dunes pass through multiple shades before, during and after the sun’s journey over the horizon; a thousand shades of gold, orange and ochre, reflecting the moving sun in a way that no other land can. It’s magical.
The massive dunes surrounding Merzouga are genuinely and stunningly beautiful, this is nature’s artwork at its very best, sculptures formed by the wind and crafted by something unstoppably powerful, the creeping movement of the sands. Pyramids, rolling hills, deep gullies, dune-top ridges with a perfect pinpoint peak running for hundreds of yards, like a giant crease in pressed clothing. These “erg” dunes are mesmerising, we could stare at them for hours, fascinated by the fact that despite being giant, mountainous forms, they are slowly, unstoppably on the move.
High up on the dunes the golden sand is so fine that, when disturbed, it flows downhill more like liquid than grain; lower down beneath the towering heights the sand is pale to the eye, yet when we collect some in our hands or inside our shoes, it takes on a hue somewhere between brick dust and paprika. When we sit high on a ridge, it’s possible to see the sand moving in the wind in small flurries, the movement which slowly over centuries moves the dunes across the land, the shape of the dunes ever changing. The lighter colours of the sand being blown across the darker depths is a startling illusion, akin to the movement of spotlighting at a stage show.
The sun is up, the Sahara has assumed its morning colours and Ali is outside in a 4×4 ready to take us on our next adventure. We cross the “dry lake”, a lake which can in certain seasons be a vast expanse of shallow water populated by flamingos, but now there is not a drop, the area just a barren mix of sand and volcanic rock. Ali tells us there has been no significant rain here now for three whole years.
Our tour with Ali takes in a collection of small plantations, something like allotments back in England, one plot for each Merzouga family, though more than half are dry and empty, so sparing must water usage be after three dry years. Intriguingly, the generation of electricity and the channelling of irrigation, and the imposition of systems which restricted the use of both, were taught to the locals, and to some degree paid for, by a wealthy American lady who holidayed here and witnessed first hand the harsh realities of desert life. That lady’s name was Hillary Clinton.
Ali takes us to one of the temporary tented villages housing the nomadic Berber shepherd families – these people are still genuine nomads, moving on every three months or so in search of vegetation. There certainly isn’t much here so we guess they’ll be gone soon. Peeking inside the tents is fascinating. Each group of around six tents is actually one home for a single family; the next group may be a hundred yards or so away. Each tent is an individual room: here a sleeping tent, here the kitchen, then the water storage tent.
We bid farewell to Ali, then later, we take ourselves away for a walk across and over the dunes to watch the desert sunset, ending the day in parallel to how we began, watching the ball of fire cast ever changing colours across the sand. And then, a magical moment as we head back to the riad: large numbers of light coloured bats fly out of the wells dug in search of water, and swoop around us as they seek out their evening feast, passing literally within inches of our faces. They are as silent as the night itself, not even a wing beat to narrate their darting flight.
Darkness falls heavily out here in the desert and we sleep soundly. Morning comes with the sound of cockerels instead of muezzins – we are, unusually, too far from the nearest mosque to hear the call.
We witness sunset at the end of our second day in altogether different circumstances from the first. If the land around us changing colour as the sun moves through the sky is one way we know we are a long way from home, then knowing our next bed is a 90-minute camel ride away has to be another. Leaving our backpacks in the Duster and taking minimal possessions, we head off on our camels for our third Sahara night, this time in the peace of a desert camp in the area of giant dunes known as Erg Chebbi.
The camel ride is serene, pacing slowly across the splendid dunes, pausing to watch the colours of another sweeping sunset and arriving at the camp just after dark. Our obedient camels settle down on the cool sands for the night as we make our way into the surprisingly comfortable and welcoming camp, being plied with a decent tagine before our Berber hosts play traditional music around the campfire. Behind them the darkness is complete; without them the silence is everything. Out here there are no animal calls, no mysterious sounds, only the whisper of breezes to break the spell.
As the music draws to a close, one of the younger Berber boys sidles up to us – and only us – to ask quietly if we want to wander away from the camp, away from the light, to view the night sky. Do we ever! Sand which was too hot to walk on just a few hours ago is now soothingly cool as the three of us lay down and gaze at the star-filled sky in wonder: it’s yet another beautiful feature of the Sahara. Stars fill the sky, the Milky Way strung across the darkness, the silence and stillness of the desert night adding to the sense of timelessness. There’s even a couple of shooting stars to complete the scene. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the view changes as a silver moon peeps above the horizon, adding a spectacular moonrise to our catalogue of wonderful sights here. This is just incredible.
We return to Riad Ali, by camel again, after breakfast the following morning, the day’s temperature gauge rising palpably as we make our way serenely back through the dunes. Whilst the tranquility of a camel ride perfectly matches the desert tones, there are several other modes of transport here which are anything but as serene as a camel, one of which has captured our imagination from the moment we arrived, tempting us into one more adventure before we leave Merzouga behind: the dune buggy.
Oh, my God, how much fun is driving a dune buggy, belting up and down the dunes, sliding sideways, twisting around sharp turns, speeding through different depths of sand, accelerating up the steep slopes and hurtling down the opposite side. We take it in turns: I drive out to the vantage point for tonight’s sunset, then Michaela drives back as the orange shards splash the sky. It’s without doubt one of the most thrilling, fun packed drives we’ve ever had and I’m still buzzing with excitement several hours after it’s over.
Riad Ali, our home in Merzouga, has been a wonderful place to stay; a peaceful oasis in the heart of the desert, with a small but lovely pool to dive into when the heat gets just a bit too intense. The guys here have been great company, the food delicious, the atmosphere calm and friendly yet convivial. Our time in the riad, and in the desert, has been the best few days of our time in Morocco, and one of the major highlights of this entire trip. Truly, honestly magical.
Riad Ali, Merzouga
On our last night in Merzouga, after our last meal in Riad Ali, Mohammed joins us at our table, teaches us useful Arabic phrases by writing them in Arabic text and then, alongside, the same words but in our “English” alphabet, then next gets us to write down the English translation. He laughs as we struggle with some of the Arabic words. We chat for ages about so many things, from life in the desert, to how adventure tourism has changed life in Merzouga, to the type of people who manage to find Riad Ali.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, we also discuss the fact that we wish we didn’t have to leave. Merzouga has been wonderful, the Sahara beautiful, the guys at the riad among the most welcoming hosts we have experienced on any of our travels. These three days have been very special. Great memories to treasure for the rest of our lives.
41 Comments
Helen Devries
Dune buggy? Give me the camel every time.
So when did tourism hit Merzouga? And how? It always intrigues me how somewhere will become a tourist hub.
Phil & Michaela
Oh Helen the dune buggy was fabulous, great fun. I don’t know that I’d call Merzouga a hub, it’s still pretty remote and very much a desert town. The number of tourists is very modest, and of a certain type…a little bit adventurous perhaps, and a good proportion of the visitors are motor bikers. As for how, apparently the Paris-Dakar rally passed through here several years in a row, and, a bit like Route 66, it became a destination for bikers aa a result. You know, getting this far into the Sahara by road, from home. That’s how it started I think.
Helen Devries
Thanks….it looks pretty swish now.
Phil & Michaela
We may have given a slightly wrong impression then. Riad Ali was lovely but is a bit if a one-off and the Erg Chebbi camp was I suppose “glamping”, but Merzouga itself is very definitely not swish, it’s still a pretty ramshackle desert town.
Helen Devries
Right…the contrast between Main Street and the Riad should have told me…
restlessjo
Those shifting sands are quite a sight, and I can just imagine how beautiful the stars must be.
Phil & Michaela
Both were beautiful, Jo, but the changing colours of the sands is something you could never see anywhere other than way out in the desert, and it’s pretty special.
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Your post and photos are fantastic and really have revived my memories of the Sahara. It really is a magical place.
Phil & Michaela
Magical is the word. Loved the experience.
Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle
I marvel at the people who make these inhospitable terrains their home, and looking at these beautiful photos I can understand why they would.. especially since their families likely have been there for centuries. The desert is quite beautiful. Also, the inside of your camp looks more comfortable than I would’ve imagined. Great read
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Rochelle x
wetanddustyroads
That opening shot with the rolling dunes is beautiful. I love the Sahara sunrise and the sun that conjures such beautiful colours. And what a wonderful way to build up memories of this trip by staying in a desert camp … Michaela with her “head gear” can pass for a main character in a soulful desert story. I can understand if Merzouga will have a special place in your “travel journal”.
Phil & Michaela
Isn’t it uncanny…Michaela puts on her scarf and looks like a film star. I put on mine and I look like an English tourist with a cloth on his head 😂😂. Corna the colours of the desert sand are truly amazing, watching the changing colours as the sun moves is something we’ll never forget.
wetanddustyroads
Haha 😄. Phil, by now you should know that’s the difference between men and women (well, one of many I should say)!
Phil & Michaela
Yeah yeah yeah 🤷♂️
wetanddustyroads
🤣
Toonsarah
I so loved this post! The dunes look stunning, especially early in the day and late, and I’m very partial to a camel ride and some desert glamping 🙂 I can just imagine how wonderful the night sky must have looked too! I’m very impressed by the look of Riad Ali. How did you find it and is it feasible to get there by arranging transport rather than driving yourself?
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Sarah…Riad Ali is on booking.com. In terms of getting there, the drive is fantastic (in parts anyway) and, apart from the police, would be our recommended way. Fuel and car hire are both cheap, too. There’s no public transport over such a distance, so if you didn’t want to drive your only option would be a private driver from either Fes or Meknes. As it’s a 7-8 hour drive that wouldn’t come cheap. But it would certainly be worth it!
Toonsarah
Thanks 🙂 I’ll add it to my ever-growing ‘ideas for future trips’ file!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Wow! This was a fantastic post. Obviously, you loved Riad Ali, but who wouldn’t? Your photos are fabulous, and Michaela, I’m impressed that you wore lipstick on your camel ride! You look gorgeous, by the way. The desert camp at Erg Chebbi looks like an amazing adventure. As always, I loved following along with you on this trip.
Phil & Michaela
Lipstick doesn’t take up much backpack space, that’s the key! Yes it was all amazing, we loved those few days. Thank you as always for your lovely comments.
Travels Through My Lens
Sounds fabulous. My Moroccan experience is quite limited, now I’m wishing I had spent more time. Thanks for sharing this beautiful post!
Phil & Michaela
🙏😍There’s always time….
grandmisadventures
Wow, what an amazing experience to really see the Sahara like this! Stunning pictures! And how great to take to the sand by camel and dune buggy 🙂
Phil & Michaela
It was indeed amazing
leightontravels
The dunes are amazing, what a wonderful experience. My only desert camel safari experience came in Jaisalmer India and to say that it was a no frills experience would be an understatement. This level of luxury in terms of the fantastic accommodation, the bugging etc looks like such a treat. Would love to do it one day!
Else and Mike Sevig
How fun. We were headed for Morocco sept.17 and had planned a trip to the desert there too. Unfortunately I got Covid the day before our flight, so we had to cancel. Morocco had also had problems with the earthquake, but we had our itinerary planned by an s travel agent there. and she assured us we would be fine
I am still having lung issues. I don’t plan to go anywhere until I get better. Enjoy traveling and stay healthy!!
Phil & Michaela
Cheers guys, but we have to say…..you don’t need an agent, it’s a very easy country to travel independently….
WanderingCanadians
What a spectacular sunrise and sunset in the desert. Riding a camel to your accommodations sounds like quite the experience, as does driving a dune buggy! I must say, your desert camp looks pretty nice. Fabulous captures.
Phil & Michaela
It was just brilliant down there!
Bernie
Simply spectacular. Your photos of the dunes are awesome. Definitely an amazing adventure.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Bernie. It was a fantastic few days!
Alison
Wonderful experience for you both. Michaela looked lovely in orange, and you could be a stand in for Laurence of Arabia, Phil. Loved your tent, very glam. You must do a lot of research to find these places.
Phil & Michaela
Laurence of Arabia, good grief! I thought I looked more like an English tourist with a rag on his head! Well Michaela does a lot of the initial research but once you get into the rhythm it’s not too time consuming.
Laura
This has got to be my favourite post in this series of yours thus far. You have truly captured the essence of the desert and your enthusiasm for the experience shines through your words. The photos are unreal…if I ever find myself in this part of the world, I will prioritize a similar venture among the shifting sands.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you so much Laura. It really was a magical few days, I’m glad that shone through in the post. We can definitely recommend it as a great travel experience.
rkrontheroad
A wonderful journey and post! Your description of the moving dunes is just magical. Thanks for this one.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you so much, Ruth….I so hoped we captured in words and pictures just how magical the Sahara dunes are
Lookoom
I’d like to add my compliments to the previous ones, both for the photos and for the thoughts.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you
contactc11b7c5c41
I really liked this blog, thank you very much for visiting our country