4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour
“Desert Diversity”
4 days, 4 nights
Starts: Merzouga/Erg Chebbi (North end of Erg Chebbi)
Ends: Merzouga/Erg Chebbi (North end of Erg Chebbi)
Overnight stays: DESERT CAMPING (SMALL DUNES) – DESERT CAMPING (BIG DUNES) – BERBER NOMADS’ HOME – DESERT CAMP/HOTEL
Introduction
Are you enthralled by the diverse landscapes that make up the Sahara Desert? Would you like to learn about desert nomads? Do you want to do some extensive camel-trekking? Then we suggest our 4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour, “Desert Diversity”. Spend 4 days in the Sahara experiencing the desert & desert life at the slow pace of a camel caravan.
This 4 day, 4 night tour features daily camel treks in various Saharan landscapes in & around Erg Chebbi. Camp in the dunes, see ocean fossils in desert rock, enjoy traditional Moroccan meals & more. Plus, learn firsthand about desert nomad life when you spend the night with Berber nomads in their desert home– priceless!
Outline
Your 4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour, “Desert Diversity” starts from a desert hotel just north of Erg Chebbi. Spend the day camel-trekking through diverse Saharan landscapes – even rock full of ocean fossils! Make camp amid the small dunes and enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal prepared over a campfire.
The next morning, enter Erg Chebbi and spend the day camel-trekking deep into its magnificent dunes. Make camp in the heart of the big dunes & sleep under the vast starry skies of the Sahara.
On Day 3 of your 4 days in the Sahara tour, camel-trek out of the dunes to meet some Berber nomads. Have dinner with them & spend the night in their traditional nomad dwellings on the hamada. This is a priceless opportunity to learn first-hand about desert nomad life! (Optional: cooking lesson with your nomad hosts.)
Return to the dunes on Day 4 for the full-day camel trek back to the desert hotel. Upon arrival, you can shower, change, & relax. Enjoy dinner at the hotel, followed by African drumming entertainment.
Your 4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour, “Desert Diversity” ends with a night in the hotel or desert camp.
**Note that this tour does NOT include transport to & from the desert.
You can arrange your own transportation or book transport with us.
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information.
Tour highlights
- Go camel-trekking every day in diverse Saharan landscapes
- See ocean fossils embedded in desert rock
- Go desert camping in the dunes in & around Erg Chebbi
- Spend the night with Berber nomads in their desert home (with optional cooking lesson)
- Listen to African drumming entertainment
- Enjoy traditional Moroccan meals
For more information…
For more details about this tour, see the tabs further down this page.
You’ll find a detailed itinerary, a route map, & a list of what’s included & excluded in the cost.
Questions?
Do you have questions about this tour or any Sahara Camel-trekking Tour from Wild Desert of Morocco?
Find quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about any of our Sahara Camel-trekking Tours.
Other desert-only Sahara Camel-trekking Tours
3 day Camel-trekking & Camping Tour – “Dreaming of Dromedaries”
Spend an unforgettable 3 days in the Sahara Desert. This desert-only* tour features daily camel-trekking & 2 nights of desert camping deep within the dunes of Erg Chebbi. As a bonus, have lunch in the home of some Berber nomads!
(*transport to & from the desert is not included)
Other short tours with multi-day camel-trekking
Do you like the thought of extra camel-trekking but don’t want to pitch a tent in the dunes? Check out the following tours. Each includes an extra day of camel-trekking but you’ll stay in an established camp with all the comforts of home. Since they feature other destinations & activities – not just the Sahara – your transport to & from the desert is included.
4 days Casablanca to Fes Tour – “Big Mountains, Big Dunes”
This short High Atlas Sahara Desert tour offers the best of both worlds. You get to stay in the High Atlas Mountains and have an amazing camel-trekking adventure in the Sahara Desert!
4 day Atlas Sahara Tour from Rabat – “Craggy Mountains & Camel Paths”
This 4 days Rabat to Fes tour features the High Atlas Mountains and the incredible Sahara Desert. The tour includes 1 night in Imilchil & 2 nights in the Sahara (with full day camel trek).
Other camel-trekking options
There are lots of different ways to incorporate camel-trekking into your custom Morocco tour. Sunset camel treks, full-day camel treks, camel-trekking + exploring the desert by 4×4, & more.
Other 4 – 5 day tours
Have 4 or 5 days available but need to include transport to & from the desert within that time? You can still have an amazing camel-trekking adventure. Almost all of our popular 4 & 5 day tours include a sunset camel trek into the big dunes of Erg Chebbi.
Details
4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour – “Desert Diversity”
Your 4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour, “Desert Diversity” begins in the morning. You’ll start from a desert hotel at the quieter north end of Erg Chebbi in the Merzouga region of the Sahara Desert. Your camelman/guide will introduce you to your camels and get you mounted up for your camel-trekking adventure.
You’ll trek for about 2 hours to the village of Tessardmine, passing through some of the different landscapes that make up the Sahara Desert – random dunes rising up from the desert floor, flat rocky expanses with little vegetation, and rocky outcrops full of ocean fossils (yes, really!). You’ll take a break for some traditional Moroccan tea, known as “Berber whisky”.
After lunch in Tessardmine, you’ll ride your camel (or walk for a while – your choice) along a different route, passing small undulating dunes with waving grasses, across the stark black hamada to a point where you can stop to view a stunning panorama overlooking a wide sand river with the cliffs of the Algerian border in the distance.
You’ll set up your desert camp amid the smaller dunes. You can rest or explore while your guide prepares a traditional Moroccan dinner for you over a campfire.
The next morning, your 4 days in the Sahara tour takes you into the magnificent Erg Chebbi, home to the highest dunes in North Africa. After breakfast, prepared for you by your guide, you’ll mount your camels and trek for 2-3 hours into the big dunes, leaving the sounds and sights of civilization behind.
You’ll stop for lunch under the shade of a large tree amid the dunes, where your guide will teach you how to prepare Moroccan tea, as well as the rituals for serving it. He will also explain why the camels travel in such zig-zag paths through the dunes, and teach you about camels and how the nomads care for them.
You may even get to learn how to bake bread in the sand – a nomad secret!
After some rest, you’ll camel-trek deeper into the Saharan dunes, surrounded by nothing but sand & sky, watching how the sands change colour as the sun travels across the sky. You might think the dunes are lifeless, but in fact there are many animals that live there, including the small desert fox with its large pointy ears, well-suited to life in this harsh environment.
You’ll set up your desert camp in the heart of the dunes. You can explore, watch the sunset, & take pictures while your guide prepares your dinner over a campfire.
As darkness falls, you’ll experience the unique silence & immense sky of the Sahara, free of the noise & lights of the city. If the weather is clear, you’ll see millions of stars & the Milky Way.
Day 3 of your 4 day “Desert Diversity” tour provides a priceless opportunity to learn first-hand about desert nomad culture from a local Berber nomad family.
First, if you wish, your guide will wake you up in time to watch the sunrise. It is an utterly beautiful and spiritual experience that is well worth waking up early for!
Then, after breakfast, prepared by your guide, you’ll trek by camel for about 2 hours before stopping for lunch and a rest.
In the afternoon, you’ll exit the dunes on the eastern side of Erg Chebbi, seeing the cliffs of the Algerian border off in the distance. You’ll arrive at the home of a family of Berber nomads, where you’ll have tea & spend time learning about their life in the harsh desert. Don’t worry – your guide will translate! The nomad women will demonstrate some typical Berber handicrafts such as weaving & embroidery.
Your nomad hosts will prepare a delicious dinner for you, with an optional cooking lesson to learn how to prepare a traditional Moroccan dish.
You’ll stay overnight with this family in their traditional nomad dwellings – tents hand-woven from camel and goat hair or small rooms constructed from mud-and-straw bricks.
After breakfast on Day 4, you’ll say goodbye to your nomad hosts and ride your camels back into the big dunes. The sight of these huge dunes rising so suddenly out of the desert floor never fails to impress!
It’s a full day’s camel-trek to reach the hotel beyond the northern edge of the Erg. You’ll have lunch in the dunes. Maybe your guide will explain how he is able to navigate this sea of sand when there are no landmarks visible!
Back at the hotel you’ll be able to shower, change, and have some refreshing tea while you rest and enjoy the sunset.
Dinner will be at the hotel, followed by traditional African drumming entertainment, beneath the stars if weather permits. Your unforgettable 4 days Camel-trekking in the Sahara Tour, “Desert Diversity” ends with a final night in the desert. Sleep in the hotel or the nearby desert camp (with all the comforts of home) – your choice.
