Exploring Merzouga and Sahara – We spent some time in the morning visiting a beautiful garden and then visited the Gnawa people (originally from Sudan) who entertained us with their wonderful music. For lunch we had the delicious Berber Pizza at Cafe Nora, a dish made in the Berber style, which is a stuffed pizza of sorts without the usual tomato sauce and cheese. In addition to the pizza being very delicious, the restaurant had a great setting for a relaxed lunch and followed by local coffee made with dates!
Oasis in Hassilabied – Different local families own plots in the oasis. They get a phone call and can divert water to their plot that day. They grow various types of produce on their plot. Hassilabied is also the place where the Camel safari into Sahara begins.
Khamlia (Village 7km from Merzouga) – Gnawa people(who are originally from Sudan) entertained us with their wonderful music. They have a music room in the complex where they let us play their drums with the help of an expert musician.
After listening to Gnawa music as well as trying to play some, we had lunch at the nearby Cafe Nora
Sahara – Late in the afternoon when it got cooler, we mounted on camels and rode into the desert, enjoyed sunset over the golden dunes and slept overnight at one of the many luxury camps. There was music entertainment late into the night. We enjoyed early morning sunrise before returning to Merzouga. We then started preparing for the camel ride.
We had to first prepare for the camel ride – We wore a scarf (like turban) around our head, which could also be used to cover our face from dust and sandstorms. Sunglasses to cover your eyes from dust.
We then started our camel ride through the dunes of Erg Chebbi to reach a luxury desert camp in Sahara for an overnight stay. We stopped to enjoy sunset on the way. Took some great pictures playing with the sand and sun.
Glamping in Sahara – We reached the camp a little after sunset. Our overnight stay at Bouchedor luxury camp was wonderful. We had dinner and enjoyed some music late into the night.
Around 3:30am just as the moon was setting, we got up to have a look at the skies which were filled stars and with great clarity; I don’t think I have seen as many stars in my memory. We also got to see the milky way for the first time again, which to the naked eye is quite feeble but we had a friend who was able to assist in figuring where to look. The pictures that he got of the milky way with his fancy camera offered a much clearer picture and with fine details.
We got up early to enjoy sunrise and walk on the sand. We had breakfast after which we prepared to leave the glamping site. We had the option to either ride back on the camel or take the jeep back to Merzouga the next day. Majority of us decided to take the jeep. I don’t mind riding the camel if they are 20-30 min long and there are not too many downhill stretches.
What was my first Camel ride experience like ? The ride to our camp was about 45 minutes long. I was fine whenever we were riding on level grounds or going uphill. Going downhill on the camel was quite bumpy.
Will I camp in the desert again? – Absolutely. I was happy with the overnight experience. I will probably get bored if we camped in the desert for more than 2-3 days.