Desert Camp

Our drive toward our desert camp was spectacular. On the fringes of the Sahara Desert, the dry, desolate canyon landscape was a very different experience than any I had before on my travels. We meandered around canyon valleys and peaked mountain tops as we traversed the inhospitable and empty region. We got a mix of oasis habitats where palm trees littered the depth of a canyon valley and 360-degree views of flat, dusty nothingness. Along the way, the emptiness would be interrupted by small villages with their brick and dirt huts that have managed to survive the stresses of time in a generally dead landscape. The purposes of their existence and their capacity to survive the hot and dry summers is unknown to me. They hold on to the tiny water streams and few palms that exist as their source of livelihood. Yet somehow, they survive. We stopped along at markets, view points, and an oasis retreat for some lunch. The last viewpoint we stayed at was the Ziz Valley, where the canyons connect and widen to become a large basin capable of supporting a greater number of palms. This was an incredible sight as you drive over nothing but dirt for hours on end only to then look down into a valley and see thousands and thousands of palm trees. It really created a unique viewing. After lunch, we continued to the desert camp. When we arrived, our bags were taken to our tents, and we were treated to Berber whiskey (green tea) within our little tent compound. This was made up of tents in a U shape surrounding a fireplace and some nice plants and rugs to line the path. We then relaxed briefly before reconvening for our sunset tour. This tour was unique as we would travel through the Sahara Desert in the old school mode of transport, Camel back. We met our camels at the front gate and began trodding along, through the sand dunes to arrive atop a particularly large dune where we could sit, grab some photos, and enjoy the sunset. The camel riding was neither smooth nor fast, but it was fun. The camels were very cute and well-behaved, making the experience much more enjoyable. I have heard some horror stories from the camel rides in Egypt. Nonetheless, we sat for about an hour and watched the sands of the desert transform from a vibrant yellow set of rolling hills into an orange glow as the sun hit the horizon. This was fantastic to watch and was only the beginning of the show. We were incredibly blessed with great weather and a desert empty of other travellers. This meant that the skyline also began to evolve from a yellow to an orange to a red to a purple as the few clouds were hit with the evening sun as it disappeared from our sight over the dunes. I had seen many photos and paintings of artists trying to capture this exact moment. The blue sky above, the yellow sun on the horizon, the purple haze within the clouds, and the orange sand dunes in the foreground. Even the most detailed paintings could never capture the moment perfectly, like being there. In the end, my favourite photo was captured with all of the above colours and my camel. This is the 19th photo. Although far from doing the reality any sort of justice, it is the closest I could get. After seeing the sunset, it was sadly time to head back to the camp. We arrived, had dinner, and then sat around the campfire to listen to some traditional Moroccan music. It was actually very good, and the Moroccans clearly have the African rhythm. The same couldn't be said for us. They were "nice" enough to let us try our luck on the instruments. You can expect the tragedy that unfolded ruined the vibe that they had created. Eventually, they allowed us to sit and relax once again, but even this was a great experience. They were all so friendly, and the dancing and singing along to their tunes was a great way to end the day. Though it didn't quite end there, we then sat amongst the sand dunes and did some star gazing to make the most of the very limited light pollution within the Sahara Desert. This was incredible as I hadn't yet set out any time to properly sit and observe the stars in the Northern hemisphere during my trip. It was great to sit with everyone, chat, and watch the stars. Sadly, after a while, it was time for bed. A great day in Morocco and a great experience in the SaharaLes mer