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Sahara Adventures

Hands-On

Camels and Camps

You'll awake with the sunrise (which is nearly impossible not to) and have breakfast.  Before getting on the camels, you'll get a quick lesson in camel driving.  Smart, sturdy, and generally good-tempered, the one-humped camel (which is in fact a dromedary) is the original desert 4x4.  Able to go several days without drinking, and carrying weight from 150 to 200 kg (330 to 440 lbs), its a ride smoother then a horse and as comfortable as a sofa.

The Sahara (meaning desert in Arabic) is the largest desert on Earth, encompassing an area of over 8 million square kilometers (over 3.5 million square miles).  Many people often think the Sahara is only rolling sand dunes, but is actually only 30% sand (known as erg); the remaining 70% is gravel plains (known as reg).  The other aspects of the Saharan landscape include the hammadas: vast plateaus swept by winds; and massive mountains whose altitude varies but can exceed 3,000 meters (9843 feet).

After a half day of camel riding, you'll stop for lunch and be picked up by the 4X4 vehicle that will take you deeper into the desert.  The drive will take you over desert pistes (almost invisible tracks in the sand), past nomadic tents, wild camels and into a sea of sand and tall dunes.  Dinner will be prepared fresh while you explore the 350'+ tall dunes of the Erg Zhigaga.  Your night will be spent at camp sleeping in a tent or under the stars. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 3: Return to Marrakech

After breakfast at camp, you'll begin your 4x4 ride back to M'hamid with a stop at an oasis on the way.  A babbling spring of crystal clear (but not potable to us) water seeps out of the ground to support desert men, beasts and frogs.

You'll arrive back at the Hotel Sahara in M'hamid by mid-morning.  After a break to refresh, a guide will take you into a rural Kasbah for a rare look inside a disappearing way of life.  It's narrow, dark sand streets are lined with traditional homes built of thick earthen bricks made from a mixture of clay and straw.  This clay, like the narrow shaded street, keeps out the relentless sun and heat of the Sahara, an application as practical as it is traditional.  We ask that you put your cameras away when venturing into the Kasbah.  The inhabitants much prefer that you "create memories rather than pictures."