A look back at my trek across the Sahara dunes from Erg Chebbi in the Moroccan desert
As soon as we passed the Atlas Mountains in south-east Morocco, I had the feeling that the whole country was made up of nothing but sand, constantly blowing across the road.
Behind every bend, a new, grandiose panorama of landscape appeared, which seemed to have come straight out of a film: deep canyons, palm groves, orchards and flowering rose gardens. On the way from Marrakech to the Sahara desert, the town of Ouarzazate was the last stop for refuelling the car and stocking up on provisions.
As this town didn’t really impress us, we didn’t stay any longer than necessary and continued on the N10 national road, which should take us to the picturesque Todra Gorge.
The Todra Gorge
On our way to the desert, we reached the Todra Gorge, which separates the High Atlas from the Jbel Saghro mountain range, a few kilometres behind the dusty, empty town of Tinerhir. At the sight of the gorge, I heard a group of people singing hallelujah.
It was quite a show!
High walls of seemingly endless pink and grey rock frame the N10. At one stop, a crystalline river snaked through the rocks and seemed to merge with the horizon. An ideal place for hiking.
Erg Chebbi – Journey through the Moroccan desert and the Sahara
From the small village of Merzouga, we should reach Erg Chebbi, one of Morocco’s largest dune landscapes in the Sahara.
Legend has it that a rich family refused to take in a poor woman and her son, and God was so angry that he buried the family under a sand dunes in the Erg Chebbi.
The village on the Algerian border seemed to have died out until a few merchants came to offer their services and show us the desert. Now I was glad I’d already booked a tour of the Moroccan desert in Ouarzazate. Because here, the end of the world seemed to be waiting for us. The road stopped and led into the nothingness of the shimmering red sand of the endless desert.
‘Welcome to the end of the world’, laughed our guide Mustafa.
This is where our adventure began.
As we rested with mint tea, the Berbers loaded their camels with everything we would need in the coming days.
Suddenly, life came to the caravan and the camels trotted leisurely towards us.
Riding camels
I tried to remain calm by sitting on my camel and it began to sway quietly. However, I was surprised by the size of such an animal and almost fell over the other side.
When everyone was sitting on their camels in the desert, we set off slowly and quietly into the red desert. The animals were tied one behind the other and led by our two guides. I didn’t hear a sound and felt like I was in a sea of sand, with dunes 160 metres high.
Even in the dazzling midday light, the dunes glowed a breathtaking golden pink.
Camping beneath the stars
After a few hours of leisurely walking, which almost had a hypnotic effect on me, we arrived at a camp in the shadow of a sand dune, which was to be our overnight camp. We quickly unloaded our camels and found a place in the camp before sunset.
As the sun set, the dunes turned a deep red and suddenly the weather became very cold and windy.
A night in the Sahara desert
The desert camp was made up of mats, on which we placed our compact sleeping bags. We found ourselves in the middle of the room on another mat, eating couscous, drinking tea and looking at the stars. They shone so brightly that I almost wanted to catch them.
Mustafa and his young assistant Youssef recounted their hard life in the desert, with a drum and singing old songs. We danced and Mustafa showed me how a Berber ties his scarf to protect himself from the desert sand. We were glad to have warm sleeping bags as the temperature drops rapidly in the desert.
An icy sandstorm
Shortly afterwards, the desert showed us what it was capable of and a sandstorm sent us fleeing to our makeshift tents.
The sand swirled on the ground, making us grit our teeth and drum against our bodies.
It was difficult to sleep peacefully. It was bitterly cold and the wind was howling against the tents. I was happy to be in my warm sleeping bag.
Immersion in the Sahara
The next day was very quiet and we continued through the desert landscape.
From time to time, we stopped at some particularly beautiful sand dunes and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the infinite expanse under the scorching sun.
I really enjoyed this trip to the Moroccan desert. It’s an incredible discovery that deserves to be experienced. We had lots of exchanges with the Moroccan guide, who gave us lots of anecdotes. I’d recommend this type of short trek if you’re ever in the area.
