Merzouga is in close proximity to the Erg Chebbi sand dunes. That’s the reason why most desert tours start from there. There are two Saharan ergs in Morocco, the other one is Erg Chigaga. Erg Chebbi though is the far larger one, so most travelers choose to go there if they only have time to visit one.

Our desert camp is located right smack in the middle of the Erg Chebbi dunes, and it’s about an hour away by camel ride. It was my first time riding a camel, and after a few minutes of adjustments, it was actually fun. But after about thirty minutes, my balls started to hurt— especially when the camel did that hopping thing they do to get up the sand dunes. lol. I have no idea how it is for women, but gentlemen take note: eventually the ride is gonna get uncomfortable.

The sun was about to set by the time we started our camel ride, but it was still bright enough to clearly see the surroundings. Man, it was amazing.

We arrived at the camp before it got dark. Our guide asked us if we wanted to go sand boarding, but I wasn’t in the mood. There were other travelers on the camp site that night, two couples from The Netherlands. They were really nice but they were way older than us. You know how it is. Because of the age gap, eventually we would run out of things to talk about. So obviously we were not going to get wasted at the desert LOL. We probably would have had a lot more fun if we were with people our age, but it’s not like we could choose which desert camp we would be spending the night in.  The staff cooked a delicious dinner for all of us, which was actually close to a feast because of the huge servings. The stray cats in the camp patiently waited for our leftovers. After dinner the staff in the camp played Berber music for all of us. it was a beautiful night. The sky was cloudy at first but it eventually cleared up. I’ve never seen so many stars in the sky. It sucks that I didn’t have an SLR camera. I would’ve been able to take great pictures of the sky.

After that, they advised us to get some sleep. They asked us if we would want to sleep outside, but we said we’d rather sleep inside the tents. Big mistake. A lot of people say it gets cold at night in the desert, even if it’s summer. I quickly discovered that that’s a load of BS. It was warm enough outside but at least there was a desert breeze. Inside the tents, it was like being inside an oven!  I even brought a thick jacket with me that i never got to use, it only took up a lot of precious space in my backpack. I tried to sleep but i just couldn’t. i was sweating buckets. When i went back outside where it was much cooler, I looked for the staff and saw that they were already asleep on the mattresses that they laid out on the desert sand for us earlier. I had no choice but to go back inside. Miraculously I eventually fell asleep after hours of fidgeting. Maybe I fell asleep due to massive dehydration from the buckets of sweat i was producing.

The guides woke us up before 5AM, they said it was time for sunrise. I was still so sleepy but I had to wake up. Everyone kept saying that watching the sunrise over the sand dunes is the highlight of the Sahara tour and there’s no way i was gonna miss it. It took a bit of effort to climb up the dunes, but i managed to do it. And there it was— the sunrise. Pictures don’t do it justice, but it was such a beautiful sight. Awe inspiring would be an apt description.

I took some more pictures while i was on top of the dunes. Obviously I’m a huge Patriots fan lol. Forgive me for the blatant repping of my team. heh.

Once the sun was up, our guide told us to pack our bags so we can begin our camel ride back to Merzouga. We had to leave early to avoid the intense heat of the sun. It was much brighter in the morning, so the surroundings looked much more beautiful.

I remember some people on those online forums saying that one day in the desert is not enough, you should go for at least 2 to 3 days. I wondered what else could you do in the desert when you’ll be seeking shelter from the sun during mid day. And as our guide said, they pretty much stick to the same schedule throughout the year. Also, I do not want to spend another day in Merzouga lol. It’s freakin’ hot in that town. It’s all a matter of preference i guess. For me one day is enough to appreciate the beauty of the Sahara desert. It’s a one of a kind experience that I would recommend to anyone. We still had two days left in our tour, and I was totally psyched about the other places listed on our itinerary.