I had a great experience with this G Adventure: Morocco Kasbahs & Desert
Being constantly surrounded by forest vegetation at home, travelling to the desert was a very novel experience. It was day 4 of our G Adventures Tour, after a 10 hour commute from Fes we arrived at Merzouga! The hotel we arrived at is where we would leave our belongings before embarking on our journey to camp in the Saraha.
The desert view was sublime. Looking over the terrace, seeing only sand which seemed to stretch on forever, I can recall feeling many emotions: fascination, fear and excitement. The standard mode of transportation in these areas are camel. Our campsite was 45 minutes away and there was no better place to watch the sunset than on a camel!
The desert is an unpredictable place. One moment the air is clear and you are able to see your path right in front of you, the next everything is orange and dusty. The unexpected sandstorm had arrived. The warm wind carried the sand everywhere. The feelings of trepidation did not last long as I knew were not far from our destination and if it was really unsafe, we would not be out here. Sadly, we were not able to see the sunset but there was always the next best thing, sunrise.
We were greeted with a practical set up of tents surrounding the centre seating area, covered by a very Moroccan decorated rug and cozy pillows. I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable everything was, considering, you are in the desert. The tents were equipped electricity, colorful carpets and comfortable beds.
After dinner, the guides brought out their drums and we were entertained with live Berber music. The path to the outhouse was easy to navigate even at night, with iPhone flashlight in hand. With it being a warm summer night, we opted to camp out under the stars. Waking up at 4 am, watching the falling stars and constellations was truly magical.
This is one of my most memorable moments on this trip.