This was one of the happiest moments of my life. I know I can be prone to exaggeration in pursuit of a good story, but I hereby solemnly swear that this is the truth. Standing in the Sahara Desert, with my family around me, looking out over a sea of sand dunes, was peak happiness and fulfillment for me.
We were glamping in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. It was the stuff bucket lists are made of (if I believed in those).
But the visit wasn’t without its frustrating moments and stresses, so if you want to do this (which I definitely think you should!), I recommend reading through this for our experieces.
You may recall from our itinerary that much of our travels and stops in Morocco were working us towards this moment. I wanted to set foot in the actual Sahara Desert.
While there are plenty of glamping experiences you can do that are far easier to get to outside of Marrakech, I wanted to be in the Sahara. To do that, you have to travel to the southeast section of the country.
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Why did this matter to me, what’s an Erg, and why this one?
An Erg, according to Google, is a sand sea or dune sea, a vast, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand and minimal vegetation.
I wanted to be in the desert that is famous, the one we talked about as kids back in suburban Maryland. I wanted to be fully immersed in an alien landscape that seemed to stretch forever. I wanted to feel the enormity of the Sahara. I wanted to see how sand could be swept into huge mountains for just a moment before they shift again.
I wanted the mother of all deserts. I didn’t care if it was a few extra hours of driving and two extra nights.
We booked our trip with Caravane du Grand Erg camp in Erg Chigaga.Â
We used the town of Zagora as our home base, but many more companies and people come from Merzouga.Â
The Caravane du Grand Erg is owned by and operated out of the Riad Paradis Touareg.
It was convenient for us to book a night at Paradi Touareg the night after we left the desert, too.
In hindsight, we wished we had spent the night BEFORE our desert trip in the Riad instead of driving a few hours from where we were the night before to immediately get into another car and go another few hours to drive to the desert camp. At least for the desert part, we had a professional driver. But it made for a very long day.
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Full transparency: getting out to our desert glamping site was a frustrating experience in the long run.
We had ZERO idea what to expect, what to bring, how long it would take, etc. (which isn’t uncommon for Morocco, it turns out). Our driver was friendly and smiled a lot, but the language barrier was real.
We got into a Toyota Highlander – me wedged in the back bench seat between my two teenagers and Mr. Family Trip sitting shotgun. As we rolled out for what we thought would be a two-hour drive, we were suddenly informed it would be three hours. In the end, it took us four hours to get to our tent.
We stopped (without warning and even though we said we were fine and wanted to keep going) at a very small town, an outpost. While our driver ostensibly did errands (he picked up sodas and goods he eventually delivered to some friends living in the desert), Mr Family Trip went into the convenience store to get water as our driver told us there wasn’t any water available at our desert camp (there was, of course).
It was an incredibly windy day, where the sand was giving us all free facials and dermabrasion. We asked our driver if we needed or would be given headwraps. When the reply was unclear, Mr. Family Trip was back in the shop and beckoning to us all to come in. The owner was selling cheap fabric by the arm’s length and wrapping us all.
It was last-minute, but it ended up being key.
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Feeling still very confused but perhaps more prepared, we loaded back into the Highlander.
Our guide pulled us off the side of the road for views of the countryside, posing with us while we huddled in our headwraps and held our tshirts to us in the whipping wind.
The best post-game analysis I can offer is that our guide thought we wanted a 4×4 desert experience and drive. We wound through barren wastelands, bounced hard over dunes, and Moroccan disco music blared through the speakers.
And while it was, indeed, a remarkable experience (you can see videos on my Instagram story), we would have been fine with way less of it.Â
Our driver stopped and dropped off those sodas and groceries. He chatted with nomads he knew while having a cigarette. Eventually, I about exploded and asked impatiently when we would get there because it was taking forever (see? exaggeration).
We were astounded that the driver even knew where to go. We spent hours riding over territory without roads of any kind, bouncing in all different directions of the compass. We were disoriented, but he got us there with confidence.
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Besides, despite our fatigue and desire to get there, there was no way through but forward.
At one point, our guide stopped to summon wild ostriches. Again, we had no idea what was going on. But all of a sudden, off in the distance, through the dust blowing around, I saw two very large animals careening towards us at full speed.
I assumed they were coming to attack us (trip anxiety is real, especially when you are a mom while on the trip). But it turns out the ostriches just knew that our guide had bread.
This was a remarkable moment and was made more so due to the unexpected nature of it. Of course, the ostriches were wild animals, and we knew to keep our distance. But to get that close to an animal we only ever see in zoos was breathtaking.Â
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Our accommodations were very comfortable. Yes, sand was whipping, but it’s the desert, so…
Things were clean, we had hot water for face washing and showers. We were given mint tea and biscuits upon arrival, and the dinner we had that night was the best tagine we had during our entire Moroccan trip.
Our tent was comfortable to sleep in, holding all four of us well.
Note: per usual, when it comes to Moroccan dining, there wasn’t any alcohol available for purchase on the premises. We saw some fellow glampers had brought flasks.
Also, anything other than potable water and mint tea was an additional charge, payable in cash only.
Here’s where I say: we rode the camels. We were excited to do it, and we loved it. I can’t imagine heading to the Sahara Desert and not having this experience.
I know some say this is a violation of animals’ rights. And if these were the poor camels chained to stakes inside the city and urban centers we saw, I’d agree. But we have horses here in my area of America, and this feels similar to how I feel about them: if the animals are treated well, no cruelty, and they are healthy, riding them for a bit doesn’t seem to trouble them much at all.
I am sure some will disagree with me, so please follow your conscience. That said, it was an epic experience for us that we still talk about with joy.
This was a guided walk on camels tethered together, so it wasn’t any work at all on our part. But to sit on a camel was amazing.
The ride was also very short, at right around 45 minutes, with a short break to dismount the camels (getting on and off the camel is a big part of the experience) to be completely immersed in dunes, no tent in sight, and feel the disorienting nature of the landscape.
Even though the desert offered utter peace, it wasn’t still. Nor were we.
We tried sandboarding.
We watched the dunes shift under our feet.
I walked as far as I could, wanting to go further and further, to see if I could see the end of the Erg.
We watched the stars and marveled at the infinite night sky and the visibility.
Our tent experience offered traditional Berber music and a campfire gathering that we participated in.
We were all up early the next morning – me, to watch the sunrise (our host told us the time of sunrise the night before so we could appropriately set our alarms).
Right after breakfast, our driver loaded us up into the Highlander and took us out of the desert, a shorter way than we had gone in. All told, we were in the desert for around 14 hours. Not enough time. We wished we had stayed another night.
He grabbed our suitcases and backpacks from the back of the Highlander and deposited us at Riad Paradis Touareg.
Now, at the end of our trip, a bit road weary and still in a blissful haze, we took the time to lounge around the Riad. We swam (even though the water was chilly). We ate dinner in the pergola with fresh rose petals strewn around us and candlelight bathing us. We basked in the sun, took naps, read, and readied ourselves for the long trip home the next day. We watched the mama cat move her five newborn kittens from one hiding spot to another. We talked at length with the Riad’s owner over mint tea.
In short, we just enjoyed Morocco.
Getting to the Sahara Desert was work. It took immense planning, tough financial decisions, and some sacrifice. But someday, as I look over my entire life story and reflect, I know this will be a story I will be so glad I have to tell – even without my exaggerations.
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