Camel trekking in Morocco
Camel trekking is not just a tourist activity, but an opportunity to get in touch with the nomadic culture. It is a wonderful way to experience the silence of the desert and feel like an adventurer from times passed.
Camels and their importance in Morocco and the desert
Camels were traditionally used in the Sahara to transport goods. Whether it was the belongings of nomads in search of food for their sheep and goats, or salt, gold and other ‘treasures’ in caravans from Mali and other parts of the Sahara. Non of it was not possible without camels.
With the drawing of land borders, the nomads stopped travelling long distances and many of them have now more or less settled down. And caravans in that sense no longer exist.
Nowadays, camels are used for tourism in Morocco and the locals also eat them for meat.
What does camel trekking mean exactly?
In general, the English word trekking simply means hiking. However, in colloquially it is used for tours lasting several days, whereas hiking usually only means several hours. So, by definition, camel trekking means multi-day tours on or with a camel.
In Morocco, the word camel trekking is used rather excessively and every tour operator and every camp boasts that they offer camel trekking.
What they mean in the vast majority of cases, however, is camel riding. Most trips to the desert include a 1-1.5 hour camel ride to the camp.
However, we understand camel trekking to mean something different. When we talk about camel trekking, we mean hiking for 4 or more days with camels carrying our luggage and occasionally our guests. We have everything with us, tents, mattresses, food, water, so that we are completely self-sufficient for the duration of the tour. We only need a well for water to wash the dishes and for the camels to drink every few days.
Why should you choose camel trekking?
Anyone can do a bit of camel riding. You sit on the camel for 1.5 hours and then arrive at the camp with a made-up bed and a shower. It’s very Instagrammable and relatively comfortable.
But if you want to leave your comfort zone and have a truly transformative experience, you should consider a real camel trek.
On our tours, we sleep in igloo tents or under the open sky, bake bread in the sand and drink tea with nomads (if we come across any). There are no showers, but you can wash your hair at the well if you want.
You feel like you’ve been transported back to times gone by, life is very simple and without any mobile phone reception you can relax more than you can imagine. You enjoy the little things, animal tracks, sunrises, freshly baked bread.
Ethics and sustainability of the respective options
We believe that camel trekking, and camel riding, is the most sustainable way to experience the desert. Camels are perfectly adapted to the environment, they don’t destroy plants or scare animals (unlike quads, which are unfortunately becoming more and more popular). The camels are treated very well here, as many people depend on them for their livelihood. You can read more about this here.
FAQ
Riding a camel is fun! Some people say they get seasick on a camel, but I’ve never met anyone who actually has. Camels walk relatively slowly, with large, leisurely steps. You sit very high up, which can be a bit scary at first, but the view is all the better.
Opinions differ as to how much a camel can carry. Some say 150 kg, others 250 kg and others 400 kg. It also depends on how old the camel is and how well trained it is. Our pack camels can carry considerably more weight than those that are only used for riding. They have a lot more muscle.
Compared to a horse, it’s definitely less dangerous. But of course something can happen when riding a camel. The camel can shy (very rarely), stumble, slip in the sand and they can also bite if they are in a very bad mood. But I’ve never experienced anything happening to anyone here.
If you only ride for a short while, directly on the saddle with just a blanket, I find it very uncomfortable. But if we’re travelling with luggage and you’re sitting on top of it, on mattresses or several blankets, then it’s super comfortable.
In Merzouga/Erg Chebbi and M’Hamid/Erg Chigaga, of course. And also in Marrakech, Essaouira, Tangier and some small villages in the mountains. However, it is better not to ride there, especially on the beach and on rocks in the mountains, as the surface is not healthy for camels in the long term. Salt water is bad for their skin and fur and they don’t like stones either with their soft soles.
In Erg Chigaga and with us also in Erg Chebbi and halfway between the two.
That depends on where you book. Here in Merzouga it’s between €15 and €30, depending on how long and at what time.