3 days in the Sahara Desert
Marrakech, the vibrant city located in the heart of Morocco, is known for its cultural richness, lively markets, and stunning architecture. While there is plenty to see and do in Marrakech, the true beauty of Morocco lies in its vast and diverse landscapes. One of the best ways to experience this is by taking a trip from Marrakech to the desert dunes in Merzouga, where visitors can immerse themselves in the tranquil beauty of the Sahara.
One of my favorite experiences in Morocco was our Sahara Desert Tour. We booked a 3-day tour through Get Your Guide. This tour included transportation, accommodation, and guided tours to various sites.
The journey from Marrakech to Merzouga is approximately 550km and takes around 9 hours by car, but the breathtaking scenery along the way makes the trip worth every moment.
Tour options
For this tour there are two options, basic and luxury. We opted for the luxury experience as it included your own bathroom and shower, which was definitely worth it for us after traveling for two days to get there. Our stay in the desert itself was on a timeline, and I felt that having our own bathroom and shower allowed us to have a more relaxing experience. Our tent was absolutely beautiful, and it felt clean and secure from the desert elements.
Off to the desert: Day 1
Our tour started early in the morning, and we met our tour bus at a planned pickup spot. While we waited for our bus, we watched a cat defecate on a storm drain and he attempted to bury it.
We communicated with our tour guide for pickup through WhatsApp, which is pretty standard outside of the US. What was wild to me, was the fact that we had at the minimum, 3G connectivity for cellular service all across our ride through Morocco.
Our transportation was a standard 15 passenger tour bus and the seats were comfortable, but avoid sitting all the way to the rear, as you will bounce around a lot more. We picked up the rest of our group and headed out.
Just outside the city, we made a stop for gas and to use the restrooms. Being this was our first visit to a Muslim country, I had never encountered prayer rooms attached to gas station restrooms, which was quite interesting to see.
The toilets in the women’s room were squat-style toilets. The squat-style toilets are basically a porcelain hole in the ground, with designated spots built in to stand on. This ensures one does not pee on their shoes. It took some getting used to using them, but it is easy enough, and I only seemed to encounter them in the more remote areas. Tourist areas tended to have regular toilets.
Film sets, art and tchotchkes
The drive to the desert was divided over two days with multiple sight-seeing stops. We rode through beautiful Atlas Mountains. We stopped at Ait Ben Haddou & took a tour of the dwellings. Ait Ben Haddou is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most famous ksars (fortified villages) in Morocco.
The ksar, which is made of mud and straw, has been featured in many famous shows and movies; including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones. The guide informed us that the sets take many months to build, and only a few days to tear down. Film studios tear down these incredible sets immediately in order to prevent spoilers. At the time of our tour, there was a crew there building a set for Gladiator 2.
After exploring the ksar and taking some great photos, we were given a demonstration of Berber fire painting. In this method, the artist paints part of the piece in an invisible ink (lemon juice). At first the painting is just yellow with blue highlights. The magic happens when the painting is waved over a flame. Like magic, the brown pigment shows through and the walls and shadows form a picture showing a Kasbah-like structure appeared amid the yellow.
Buyer beware
As in Marrakech, there will be many, many sellers of souvenirs and tchotchkes. Through the tour, our guide discussed the the scarves some of us had brought from Marrakech. He told us they would not be good for the desert we were headed to. We finished our tour by being led to a shop. The guide introduced us to his friend, who then proceeded to do a demonstration of the “poor quality” scarves you get in the city. The shopkeeper put water on one of the cheaper ones and showed how it will bleed and stain your clothing when you sweat. The scarf looked like the one that we had purchased in Marrakech for 100Dh ($10US).
But wait, there’s more! For only 130Dh, we could purchase one here and save ourselves the suffering of staining our skin and cloths later. We purchased new scarves for “scientific” study. The Shopkeeper then demonstrated how to wrap our new scarves.
SPOILER ALERT: The cheap scarves did not bleed, but the expensive ones we were encouraged to buy lasted for a day or 2 before starting to unravel at the ends. The “cheap” city scarves are still going strong as they are hemmed at the ends. Don’t waste your money buying scarves here. Pick up one in Marrakech if you want a quality one. If you prefer to put some money into the local economy (we really do), feel free to do so. Just understand your scarf may not last long.
We then headed towards Ouarzazate, which is often called the “Hollywood of Morocco” due to the many films that have been shot in the area. We visited the Atlas Film Studio, which has been used as a filming location for movies such as The Mummy and Game of Thrones. The bus stopped for 5 minutes to take photos of the gate. We were not impressed.
Get some sleep. Tomorrow we ride into the desert
In the evening, we stayed at a hotel in Ouarzazate. There, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and had some time to relax and get to know our travel companions after a long day of travel.
Almost there: Day 2
On the second day of our trip, we drove through the stunning Draa Valley, which is known for its beautiful palm groves, ancient kasbahs, and traditional Berber villages. We stopped in a village and a guide walked us through the fields and groves where we learned about the berber families and how they live. He explained all about what they grow and how they survive. It was fascinating to see this other part of life in Morocco. Sadly, as is much of Morocco, the area was littered with trash, even by the streams where the women were washing cloths.
Berber rug making
We finished the tour with a stop in a berber home to have mint tea or “Berber whiskey” and learn about traditional carpet making. The owner explained how berber nomads migrate from the Atlas Mountains, to the town seasonally. He took time to show and explain the different weaves and types of yarns and dyes used. It was all quite awe inspiring.
The women make these rugs in their spare time and the patterns are not pre-designed like Persian rugs. The patterns are woven from memory or as they go. We were given the opportunity to purchase rugs if we were interested.
As is the case throughout Morocco, we were never quite sure what was real and what was acting for tourists. We like to put money into the local economy when we travel, so in the interest of “blog research” we purchased a wool rug, and a cactus fiber rug. As of this writing, the rugs seem to be of good quality.
Todra Gorge
We continued our journey towards the Merzouga desert, passing through the stunning Todra Gorge along the way.
The Todra Gorge is a deep canyon that has been formed by the Todra River, and it offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Morocco, and more vendors selling souvenirs (Do you spot a theme here?).
It reminded me of the approach to the narrows at Zion National Park in Utah, USA. Again, lots of trash was in the riverbed. I don’t know if this is because of the desert winds, a lack of understanding of pollution, or evidence of an impoverished population. Either way, all the people we ran into were gracious, welcoming, and proud to be Moroccan and share their natural wonders and culture with us.
There was a stream that locals and tourists alike view as a source of fertility if they pour it over their head. A few of our tour mates participated in this ritual.
Our Berber guide then showed us over to another area where everyone dipped their feet in cool water. We saw a Berber farmer with his many goats who had stopped to have a drink of the water. We visited a lush farming area and our Berber guide gave us a history of the area.
camels, sunsets and dancing
We made a few more stops for food & toilet before settling in to our desert camp at Erg Chebbi. When we reached the edge of the Sahara, we met our camels and hopped on, and traveled as a caravan to our camp site.
Getting on and off a camel is an experience in and of itself! The camel is knelt down so its not too high. I stepped up and grabbed onto the saddle and WHOA, the camel gets up before I’m quite ready. Camels get up in a tippy fashion. I’m jolted forward almost horizontal and feel like I’m about to fall off, then tipped back horizontal the other way and almost fall off again. In the end, I made it safely and made note of what to expect getting off. You get used to it quickly. The camels looked healthy and happy, and appear to be treated well. It was my understanding that the camels only do the rides at dawn and dusk for the camps. They immediately went for food, water, and rest after our ride. My camel was sweet and affectionate.
We hiked up the incredible, vast red dunes of the Sahara. You can see from the photos how much of a climb it was. Everyone helped each other up and we sat together, enjoying the sunset and took pictures.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, we arrived in the camp and collected our bags. And boy, we needed a shower! After cleaning up, we all met up and had a traditional dinner at camp. Of course you cant have a meal in Morocco without a cat to watch over you. The desert was no different as a cat found us at our table.
Dinner was followed by a musical performance from some local young Berber men. We danced, sang, and laughed with our new friends. We sat under the desert stars, taking in the constellations, which was an incredible experience in the Sahara sands.
Sunrise, then back on the road
The next morning, we were awakened to be able to watch the sun rise over the desert, which was a truly unforgettable experience. Following breakfast, we took another camel ride back to our bus. Our group then split up, some of us heading on to Fez, some heading back with us to Marrakech.
The way back is long and tiring. It takes about 9 hours straight through. We made a few stops along the way to eat & stretch our legs. We bonded with our tour group throughout the tour, which made our experience so much richer.
In the evening, after a long day, we arrived back in Marrakech. Tired, but incredibly happy after an unforgettable trip.
Conclusion
Overall, our trip from Marrakech to the Merzouga desert was an incredible experience that we will never forget. From the stunning landscapes and historical sites to the delicious food and welcoming people, every moment of the trip was filled with wonder and beauty.
Best of all, on our Sahara desert tour, we made new friends from all over the world. We all exchanged social media handles & still keep in touch with a few of our new friends almost a year later, with plans to visit them one day soon. As amazing as the tour itself was, meeting new friends from all over the world, from different cultures, was by far my favorite part of the trip.
