If you ever get a chance to go to the Sahara Desert take it. One of the top countries to visit the Sahara Desert is Morocco. In Morocco, most people venture off to the desert through the town of Merzouga. It is the largest town where camp operators come and pick up tourists to take them out for a few days of desert living.

Camping in the Desert

We were able to book a stay at the wonderful Luxury Bega Camp. It was a glamping type of camping in the Sahara Desert. Most of the camps in the Sahara desert are glamping style. So pick which you would think would be the best for you. We picked Luxury Bega Camp because it had a great price, great reviews, and it included Half Board, which was breakfast and dinner. The food was absolutely fantastic. The camp gave basically a tour guide for each group of tourists. This was the person that would pick you up from Merzouga. They would give you a tour of everything, and was the individual that help set up activities for you while you were in the desert.

Things to do in the Desert:

There are a couple of things you can do in the desert to make your stay a lot more adventures. Here is our list.
  • Sunset/sunrise Camel Ride
  • Half-Day Excursion
  • Quad Biking/ATV
  • Going to the Mines
  • Rest and Relax
  • Bonfire at night

The Camel Ride:

One of the most popularized activities to do in the desert would be to ride a camel. Going to be honest, the camel ride was pretty good. I had so much fun I ended up doing it again for another tour. The camels are well trained. Just do not be scared. Go up onto the camel, and there will be someone to lead the camel over the dunes of the Sahara Desert. Most tours will take place at either sunset or sunrise. So have some fun, and make sure to take plenty of cool photos. The dunes are amazing looking.
Side note: There are a lot of animal rights activist that are totally against saying camels should not be ridden. These are also some of people that people horse should not be ridden as well. If you feel that the animals are not being taken care of, by all right not ride the camel, but you can make that decision on yourself.

The Half-Day Excursion:

I am not sure if all places to these, but I saw plenty of 4x4s driving guests around the desert. We were able to take a Half-Day Excursion around the Desert.
A Nomadic Village
First stop was to see a nomadic village. It was literally, people living in nomadic tents taking care of goats. We were offered some mint tea as a sign of hospitatility. It is was pretty cool being able to see nomads in the country. The Berber people used to be all nomadic.
Black African Music
We then traveled to listen to some music being played by Black Africans that had traveled to Morocco and decided to reside in Merzouga area. This was pretty cool to see the cultures of Black Africans mesh with the Berber culture through music and ways of life. It was quite entertaining.
Music in Merzouga
A Berber Home
Lastly, we visited a Berber village. It was our host’s village. He took us to his family home, where he introduced us to his family, brother, nieces, mother, and everyone else. We then enjoyed some bread and mint tea together.  In the Berber village, we were taken around the various gardens to show us how they grow food. The village also had a co-op association where they would have after school to help teach the kids. We were able to play with the kids and teach them a bit as well.
The End of the Excursion
After a half day, we were taken back to our camp to a relaxing afternoon. It was quite amazing to see how the Berbers lived. It was cool to be able to explore and learn more about their culture and enjoy meeting the people as well. The Berber people are so hospitable and kind. It was great being a part of their life.
relaxation at camp
Other Activities:
I had gone over the activities we had enjoyed while at the camp. There are numerous other activities such as quad biking, which is riding on an ATV through the dunes. You can also take a trip to the near by mines. There is so much to do and so little time and money. Things cost money, but if you do not have much you can always relax at the camp or take a walk.

Every Night:

Every night, we are served a 3-4 course dinner. It is good food. There may be some great homemade bread, but there will be a soup, olives, second course, third course, and of course a dessert. The food is so amazing. If I had space in my stomach I would have eaten more.  Some nights, not all nights, the guys will get to together and light a fire. Around the fire, there will be seats and you can sit warm yourself up and listen to the songs and music. The Berbers put on quite a show of songs and music. It was a night I was looking forward to. They were kind enough to hand over the musical instruments to us to play.

Other Camps:

I have been talking about Luxury Bega Camp this whole time, but I must admit there are plenty of other camps. A lot of the camps are sitting on one side of the largest dune in Morocco. There are tiny dunes separating each camp. We were on a hill and you could literally see 15-20 different camps. There was a lot of research that went into finding a great camp. Lots of camps will have similar things, but we liked ours due to the hospitality we had, the service, and the separation from the other camps.

Last Thoughts

Honestly, the desert was one of our favorite parts of Morocco. You cannot go wrong with spending two nights there. One night seems quite short with the amount of fun and relaxation you may want to have. I would advise to spend at least two nights. We had an amazing time, and I believe if you go our to the Sahara Desert you will have fun too. Let me make sure you remember the things you can do:
  • Sunset/sunrise Camel Ride
  • Half-Day Excursion
  • Quad Biking
  • Going to the Mines
  • Rest and Relax
  • Bonfire at night
Place to Stay:
Luxury Bega Camp. Check them out.

What are some adventurous activities you have been on?

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

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