If you are captivated by just images of towering gold dunes, then a tour of the Sahara is your best bet. Let’s get more information about the Sahara Desert of Morocco in this blog. This blog will help you to plan a better trip to the Sahara desert for sure.
While in the Saharan desert, you will be soaked with shiny golden dunes that disappear at the horizon. The sunsets make it even more attractive, giving an ethereal glow to everything around. You can feel all this while sitting up on top of your trusty “ship of the desert”—a camel.
This is what the Moroccan Desert offers: a camel trekking experience that takes you through all things beautiful, peaceful, yet huge. Such an exploration will give you the opportunity to become immersed in rich cultures, ancient traditions, and the awe-inspiring beauty of the one-of-a-kind Sahara desert.
In case you’ve just thought about visiting the Sahara but it’s something new for you, we would advise reading a little more about it. Therefore, let’s now understand Sahara better:
The vast Sahara Desert stretches across parts of Chad, Egypt, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Sudan, the Western Sahara, Tunisia, and Morocco. However, Morocco has part of the Sahara with the world’s most iconic desert landscapes. It is located in southern Morocco. Lay people say this portion of Moroccan territory as well as a slice of sand simply refer to it as Moroccan Sahara too.
Things to Do Before Visiting the Sahara Desert, Morocco
Choose a Reputed Tour Operator
The simple fact is that choosing a good tour operator is one of those important considerations that must be kept in mind before any other activities. Your exploration partner (tour operator) should have a long-standing experience in offering sustainable and secure desert tours. Thus, research becomes somewhat difficult.
Make Sure You are Physically Fit
Although travelling in the Moroccan desert does not imply hard labour or extreme conditions, it’s still better to be fit during your journey. A lot of camel trekking is expected throughout the entire expedition; therefore, being reasonably fit will enable you to soak up the atmosphere without getting tired.
Don’t Overpack; Instead, Pack Smartly
The Sahara Desert exploration is not like any other vacation whereby you will have the best of everything. Considering the harshness of the desert, you might not have real-time access to necessities and basic amenities either. Hence, make sure that you bring all important things, such as sunscreen, sunglasses, comfortable clothes, a refillable bottle of water, and a headscarf.
Activities to enjoy in the Sahara Desert, Morocco
Go for a Camel Trek
When we imagine going on a trip to the Sahara Desert, camel riding is always the first thing that comes to mind. The mention of the desert hardly goes without including camels while discussing an expedition, for instance, through the Saharan dunes. So start your exploration off with camel treks, which are one of the most popular Sahara tours.
While embarking on this slow voyage across the sandy hills, you will experience the nomadic way of life. If you are disoriented about a definite place for camel trekking, you can ride camels on Erg Chebbi Dunes, which is a very famous camel riding spot. Stay in the Sahara Desert camp overnight.
Stay in the Sahara Desert Camp Overnight
The deserts are completely different during the day and at night; thus, one should always spend a night there. This will give me the opportunity to have the most serene and complete experience of my lifetime. Moreover, most of the time, Sahara Desert camps in Morocco are managed by Berber families, who are semi-nomadic people. You will be close to these people and witness their indigenous culture and amazing hospitality.
And here, you can also taste luxury. They have carpeted tents, cups of mint tea, and delicious meals for tourists. If you would like to truly explore the Moroccan desert, then staying in a camp overnight cannot be skipped over. It leads you through the beautiful transformations of the desert, from dunes going orange with the sun setting to them becoming dark purple during the night, which will make your heart break!
Try Sandboarding in the Sahara
Yes, sandboarding is a must-do and breathtaking part of exploring Morocco’s desert areas. It’s like snowboarding, but all you have to do is flip warm yellow sand instead of cold white snow. Trust us, it’s as thrilling, satisfying, and great as snowboarding.
Get ready to strap the board to your feet and enjoy sandboarding. Feel that cool glide down towering sand dunes. In case this activity scares you, you can also sit or lie on the board; ask your guide for assistance.
Go on a Cycling Tour Through the Moroccan Sahara
Morocco is among the top destination places for backpackers and road cyclists, especially due to its stunning scenic landscapes within short distances. It has everything from mountains to deserts, so visiting the Moroccan desert wouldn’t be complete without doing a bike trip in the Sahara.
There are various multi-day cycling routes all over Morocco. One of the most famous is Tizi n’Tichka Pass, situated in the High Atlas; it then goes down to the outskirts of the Sahara. You can also cycle through Dades Valley by using Tizi n’Tazazert Pass; you need to first visit the fortified city of Ait Ben Haddou for this.
Do Rock Climbing in the Todra Gorge
Todra Gorge is one of the most popular places for exploration in Morocco, particularly when it comes to rock climbing. There are at least 100 official routes available for beginners and experienced climbers as well. The cliffs that rise out of the Todra River have a height of around 400 meters. While in the Sahara, Morocco, you should not miss a chance to go rock climbing in the Todra Gorge; it will be an amazing experience in itself. However, do not forget to have an experienced instructor by your side. They will not just be able to take you through the best routes based on your skill level, but they will also ensure your safety.
What to Wear in the Sahara, Morocco
As you know, it can be very hot in the desert. That’s why, for the Morocco trip, we recommend bringing white-coloured clothes. Light colours like white reflect sunlight. Also, ensure that your clothing is as covered as possible to avoid tans or sunburns. For instance, you may have loose-fitting long-sleeve tops and full-length trousers. Opt for fabrics made of cotton and linen, which are light.
Ensure you have moisture-wicking socks and boots when hiking. Beside dressing, always have your sunscreen or sun protection glasses, sunglasses, hats, and scarves around.
This was all about days spent in the Sahara. There will be a need to carry warm winter clothes since nights become extremely cold in the dunes.
Key Takeaway
Camel trekking across the Morocco-Sahara desert could be an opportunity of a lifetime to see the endless beauty of towering golden dunes. While on safari, make sure that you enjoy every bit of it because, so far, it is one of the best Saharan deserts ever seen. Let yourself indulge deeply in native Berber culture while absorbing the captivating beauty of the Sahara desert landscape. It could either be the golden dunes or the mesmerising play between light and shadow that will definitely take your breath away during this trip. The chances are high that by looking at these people, you will not leave them without words but with great admiration for their lifestyle, environmental adaptation skills demonstrated, etc. In summary, making a trip to the Sahara desert in Morocco is worth trying out since you should anticipate falling for the Moroccan Sahara’s enchantments and having everlasting memories from there.
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