Sahara Camel Trek

Map of the trek; Oum Jrane to Erg Chebbi
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Our trip started with a drive over the impressive Tizi n' Tichka pass which crosses the Atlas mountains. The scenery was pretty green and there were patches of snow on the mountains, but when we got over the mountains and further into the journey, the lanscape soon became very dry and we knew we were on our way to the desert. We finished our journey by going a few miles off road into the desert and after some tent erecting lessons, we set up camp for our first night under the stars.

Unfortunately, Vicky's first night under the stars was made slightly less romantic by the onset of some untimely travellers' stomach problems but luckily this was solved by a (relative) starvation diet that night and the following day and we were both fighting fit from then on. 

10 days alone in the desert

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Each morning we dismantled our tents and breakfasted outside whilst the camels were loaded up with the luggage and supplies. Then we would all set off walking whilst the camel team cleared away, only to find that they would miraculously appear ahead of us and already be preparing lunch a few hours later on. Most of the time we were completely alone in the desert and it was an amazing feeling to be so isolated from everything. There were only three others in our group and luckily we all got on very well. We were accompanied by a guide (who somehow managed to navigate the whole trek without a map or compass), two camel drivers, three camels, and a cook and most of the time they were the only people we saw. We were still in Morocco, though, so we weren't really surprised when the odd nomad child would appear out of nowhere on the horizon, brandishing handmade camels to sell to the strange tourists in the desert. Every night we ate a delicious three course meal in a berber tent and then went to bed early to make sure we would be up early again in the morning.

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The lanscape of the desert changed quite a lot as we continued the trek, making our way over vast stoney plains, dried up river beds, fossil plains, and finally the huge sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Climbing the dunes on the last day took some effort as the sand kept slipping under our feet. However, the view from the top was amazing and it really felt like we were standing on top of the world! Going down the dunes was pretty fun too and definitely a lot quicker.

Just as we reached our final camp sight a sand storm appeared very suddenly, making us realise how lucky we had been with the weather up to that point. Luckily our guide arranged for us to set up camp on the floor of a local house as it was impossible to put up the tents in this. The next morning, still removing sand from, our hair and ears, we were taken by minibus to a hotel in the Todra Gorge where we were all very excited about showering at long last. The drizzle of luke warm water that the facilities provided was some way from he blissful hot showers we had imagined but we were all happy to be a little bit cleaner and we put on our least smelly clothes for a celebration dinner.

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The final day took us through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs where we saw Ait Benhaddou, a famous kasbah which has been used in various films including 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Gladiator', and back over the Tizi n' Tichka pass following hundreds of small cars making their way back from the Desert Tours rally. Then it was back to Marrakech for a proper shower.