Merzouga Day 1

Our drive to the desert began with a 5am wake-up for be on the road at 6am. Our first stop was at Ait Benhaddou, a fortified village on the caravan route from Marrakech to the Sahara. A very cool town, the scene for many movies like Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
After a kebab lunch we stopped off for a walk through the impressive Todgha Gorge before finishing our 9 hour drive in Merzouga. This is one of the towns on the northern edge of the Sahara desert. To take us to the camp we were met by a guide in a Toyota Landcruiser, who then delivered an adrenaline filled 15 minutes driving into the dunes. The driver was very much enjoying our reactions to some pretty wild driving. He informed us that the best modes of transport out in the desert are Moroccan camels and Japanese camels (Toyotas). He got some good laughs at that.
Arriving at camp, we donned some hooded robes to stave off the absolute freezing desert cold. After dinner we were invited to join in some Berber whiskey (mint or honey tea) and join the drum circle around the fire. We were pretty all pretty exhausted from the travel and keen for a sleep.Read more