How to Visit Morocco Sahara Desert – is it worth visiting?
If you’re making plans for your experience in the Morocco Desert, you have to encompass visiting the Sahara desert too. I was surely debating among myself whether I must cross or no longer, mainly because of the lengthy distances from important cities like Marrakech and Fes. I decided to visit because it’s this type of particular revelry, and I didn’t need to miss it because of the logistics! As soon as we arrived at our luxury desert camp, I knew I had made the right decision.
Please join me on this Morocco desert tour. Therefore, I created this travel manual on the way to visit the Sahara desert in Morocco to help you plan a while there. And to present you a visual motive for why you have to do that bucket list in your entire life.
Erg Chebbi, the large dune that most tourists search for whilst hiking to the Sahara in Morocco, is one of the most notable matters I have ever seen. The whole silence that greets you inside the desert, and the way you could absolutely lose yourself in the sand that stretches as far as the eye can see, is notable.
The sand in the Sahara Desert is the softest I have actually found—no seashore or barren region that I have ever been to earlier than I can examine: this turned into something similar to sitting on velvet or strolling your arms through water. It is so soft.
The stars don't even get me started. I have been to a few fairly foreign places; however, the Sahara Desert is set as darkish because it gets, while the sun went down, the sky totally erupted with more stars than I thought it might hold, whole with a crystal-clear view of the Milky Way.
To add to the environment, we trekked to our campsite with the aid of camels at sundown throughout our Morocco desert tour, after which we set out again at sunrise. It sounds romantic to do it that way (and it became)—but honestly, I’m pretty sure the sunset/dawn agenda has more to do with protecting the travelers from the warmth than anything else.
Either manner, though, the camels in reality delivered to the surroundings.
Initially, I was unsure about the 1-2 hours of camel trekking included in our 3-day Morocco private desert tour, but it turned out to be just the right amount of time. Each trek—both to and from the campsite—offered stunning views and a chance to fully immerse ourselves in the desert's beauty without becoming overwhelming. The experience highlighted the unique charm of camel trekking, quite different from horseback riding, making it an unforgettable part of our Morocco itinerary.
With the breathtaking sunset and sunrise framing our journey, the camel rides became one of the most cherished memories of our adventure. It perfectly complemented the rest of the itinerary, which was thoughtfully designed to balance comfort and adventure.
I turned so sore by means of the cease of the second ride that I couldn’t wait to dismount. About half our institution abandoned the camels absolutely at the manner again and selected to stroll alongside them rather.
(Fun fact: The camels of the Sahara Desert in Morocco have one hump rather than two and are therefore technically “dromedaries,” or “Arabian camels.” Everyone in Morocco just knows them as “camels,” although, both for the vacationer’s advantage or in any other case, I’m going to stick to that for simplicity right here.
Due to a combination of refusing to shut our eyes and prevent looking at the celebrities and being roused at the literal crack of sunrise to leap on our camels once more and depart (I think it took much less than 10 minutes from beginning to my eyes to sitting at the camel—the Berber boys and men going for walks this display were particularly green), we slightly slept—however, it turned out to be so worth it.
Raving about the wasteland seems to be a pretty regular response among human beings who have been there—I simply can’t speak quite sufficiently about being fed on by using a completely distinct form of nature than most folks are used to, and I will forever nag absolutely everyone who's headed to Morocco to be sure to add a night within the desert (preferably by camel—you may go by way of four-wheeler, but unless you have a physical drawback, I don’t recommend it) to their itinerary.
This begs the query: how have you gotten accessible? Although you really want a trekking company to take you into the desert for the night, you can do it yourself to get yourself to Merzouga (the “entrance point” to the desert) and find a company there, in place of signing your life away for more than one day.
The proper solution, I believe, relies upon completely your journey style, revelry, and expectations.
Based on our revel, right here are the pros and cons of using a multi-day wilderness tour to go to the Sahara in Morocco.
Morocco Sahara Desert Tour Pros
It is the less complicated alternative.
With a Sahara Desert excursion, your transportation, trekking agency, lodging, and commonly a few meals are looked after in a single (negotiated) charge. There’s a much smaller chance of getting misplaced, and there are some distance, some distance fewer logistics to manage.
Want to make the logistics even easier? Book an excursion before arriving!
This popular excursion has been reviewed almost 2000 times and follows basically the same pattern our tour did (most of them do).
Yes, you may pay approximately forty percent more than if you haggle properly on the ground; however, in case you’re not in a very tight price range, there's something to be said for peace of mind.
The organization dynamic can be uploaded to the experience.
Of course, organizational dynamics can be finicky, but Jeremy and I have been fortunate enough to become acquainted with an excellent institution of individuals who all got along well.
Those brief “journey friendships” had been precious and substantially more suitable for our experience of both being out within the wilderness and in Morocco in popular culture.
The stops along the way can be organized.
This can simply fall beneath both “pros” and “cons,” however there’s no denying that the excursion bus drivers understand precisely where to take you to get some first-rate pictures in the course of Morocco—some of my favorite images of our time in the USA came from our driver pulling over to the side of a small road and having us all get out to snap.
You can be fairly positive about the safety of your trek.
There’s a positive vulnerability in visiting a country that you’re unfamiliar with, that also has a language that you’re surprised with, that still has particular customs that you’re familiar with.
Though you may in no way be one hundred percent positive of the safety or reputability of anybody with whom you’re working, having a settlement with a tour business enterprise that grants dozens of vacationers to them often does recommend a positive degree of experience.
Cons of Taking Morocco Desert Tours
You can have little to no control over your schedule.
From the moment we had been picked up at our riad in Marrakech till the moment the tour became over, we had been informed whilst (and in which) to consume, whilst (and in which) to spend money, and whilst (and where) to sleep.
In many methods, this is the nature of the institution's journey; however, for people who prefer to make their personal schedules (responsible as charged), the dynamic can get very frustrating, very quickly.
You are a captive target audience.
Though our excursion employer did preserve all technical promises made—transportation, breakfast, dinner, accommodations, and our desolate tract trek had been covered by using our preliminary charge—the excursion company and people working around us pushed the limits in every way that they could.
Mysteriously, we did not dine at one restaurant for lunch that charged less than ordinary US prices for mediocre cuisine—surprising, I know. We additionally in no way ate at a restaurant that had any other stores, restaurants, or general options surrounding it.
Our excursion group also ended up forking over cash for an “excursion” that we didn’t recognize that we had been taking—and sure, an “any non-compulsory entrance expenses can be additional” notice turned into, but we did not receive any notice when this “optionally available” interest began and was not given a preference to opt-out.
Most obnoxiously, in my view, on the final day of our tour, 1/2 of our group (us protected) have been going to head to Fez as opposed to the bus again to Marrakech. We had been told that we might be dropped at a bus station and could then set up for a bus or a taxi—truthful enough.
What truly ended up going on, however, turned into that we were dropped off on the side of the road, with no town or bus station in sight, and our bus driver referred to us as a “buddy” to pick us up earlier than the bus drove away.
How Long Should I Spend in the Sahara Desert?
Most tours will simply allow you around 12-15 hours within the Sahara Desert, from sundown one day to dawn the following. Honestly, this isn't simply sufficient.
I might quite propose booking a lodge for at least nights so you can have a full day in the desolate tract. It’s simply really worth it.
We spent 3 nights in the Sahara Desert ( in a lodge and one in a barren region camp) and we wanted to book longer. There is just something so magical and fascinating about the barren region that will mean you’ll never need to go away.
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