My trip to the Sahara Desert in Morocco is one of my favorite memories ever. In this article, I will explain to you how I booked this trip and give you my advice on why you should do it the same way. I will also tell you about my journey in Merzouga, and how I spent my three days there, hoping it helps you plan yours or it simply excites you to go.
- How I booked the trip
- Day 1: visiting Ksar Aït Ben Haddou
- Day 2: my first ride on a camel
- Day 3: seeing the sunrise on a dune
How I booked the trip
I booked my trip through my hostel in Marrakech. The name of the hostel is Miostello Lifestyle Hostel Marrakech. I highly recommend booking this trip through your hostel or hotel because they will take care of everything for you. We were gone for 3 days, but we could still leave our backpacks at the hostel. We had a taxi ready to go to the point of rendezvous and back to the hostel at the end of the trip.
I know for a fact that most hostels and hotels propose an option for the trip to the Merzouga Sahara Desert. If you want to make sure, you can always write an email to the hostel/hotel to inform yourself of their different options before booking with them.
Day 1: visiting Ksar Aït Ben Haddou
The first day, I left my hostel at 6 a.m. You will be on the road for most of the day. The ride from Marrakech to Merzouga is around 8h30 to 9 hours. We were on a bus with 10 other people and often stopped to take pictures of the view. It was so beautiful.
We also made a stop at Ksar Aït Ben Haddou. We stayed for 2 hours in this UNESCO World Heritage Site & fortified village. The village is known for its film studios. Some scenes from Gladiator and even Game of Thrones were filmed there. There’s no electricity or running water in the village. The architecture is very fragile. Be careful and enjoy your time in this incredible place.
We spent our first night in a hotel. We stayed at Hotel Restaurant Kasbah de la Vallée. The dinner was included in the price.
Day 2: my first ride on a camel
We had breakfast at the hotel at 7 a.m. and were back on the road at 8 a.m. We made one more stop,at Toudgha El Oulia. As you can see in the video, it is a beautiful place to take a walk close to the water and stretch yourself before the last bit of the car ride to Merzouga.
We arrived at Merzouga at 5 p.m. 30 minutes later, we were all on our camels and ready to hit the road. The ride from the start of the desert to our camp was 1 hour. You might not know it, but it is difficult to ride on a camel. Pack light because you have your backpack on you during the whole ride. When the sun sets down, it gets cold in the desert. I wish I had known to wear long sleeves.
When you get to the site, the organizers ask you to choose between two options for the ride back. You can choose between a ride on a camel (like the one you just did) or a ride on a jeep to go do “sand surfing” during the sunrise. The second option costs extra money. My mother and I chose to ride back on a camel. We mainly came to Merzouga for this experience, so we wanted to experience it fully.
My mother and I shared a big tent with 2 other travelers. The camp provided a blanket and a pillow. However, the nights can be freezing, so bring warm clothes to have a good night of sleep. There was a shower and a toilet in our tent, but there wasn’t any wall, so everyone could see you. Let’s just say I didn’t use the shower that day! After we were settled, we ate dinner at 8 p.m. Gladly there was a vegetarian option and that is what I took. After this great authentic Moroccan dish, we enjoyed the night around a campfire with the others. In our camp, we were around fifty people but the number can vary depending on all the different camps.
Day 3: seeing the sunrise on a dune
Our day started at 5 a.m. Everyone had breakfast, and we left around 6 a.m. We took the same road as the day before on our camels, but we stopped to see the sunrise. We went all the way up on a dune where they gave us one hour to fully see the sunrise. It was a magical moment. After that, we were back on our camels and on our way to the bus.
*Sorry the quality of the video isn’t the best, but you can still get an idea of the experience*
Our bus was waiting for us around 8 a.m. Once everyone was settled in, we took the road back to Marrakech. We stopped one time to have lunch and arrived in Marrakech at 6 p.m.
