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Cook'n the Kasbah
Day 7 Includes
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After
breakfast at the hotel you'll have a chance for a camel ride around the Kasbah M'hamid. 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), it's a ride smoother than a horse and as comfortable as a sofa.
Then
you'll pack into a 4x4 and start an adventure into the Sahara. 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).
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. After you arrive at camp you can explore the 350'+ tall
dunes of the Erg Zhigaga before helping cook lunch. All Sahara
meals involve the most exotic of spices, "Sahara Salt" (a.k.a. sand).
In the world's largest desert it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll be
taking some sand home with you in some fashion, no matter how hard you
try not to.
Then its back into the 4x4 for the drive to Ouarzazate where you'll
spend the night.
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