A tour into the desert is high on the bucket list of almost every tourist coming to Morocco. Every day, dozens, if not hundreds of minibuses and off-road vehicles drive towards Merzouga to fulfil this dream. But what most people don’t realise when they book such a desert tour (sometimes called a desert safari) is that they only spend about 12 hours, overnight, in the desert. The rest of the time is spent sitting in the car or bus watching the landscape pass by.
The standard 3-day tour looks like this:
Day 1
Departure from Marrakech after breakfast, visit to Ait Ben Haddou, drive to the Dades Gorge, overnight stay in the Todgha Gorge.
Day 2
Drive to the Todgha Gorge with a short walk. Drive to Merzouga, transfer directly to the camels, ride to the camp at sunset. Overnight stay in a camp with several other groups.
Day 3
Return to the bus by camel or off-road vehicle after breakfast. Return journey to Marrakech (approx. 10 hours drive).
Extra caution is advised with group tours, especially those for less than €150 for the 3 days. Here, the drivers are often not paid and rely on commission, which is why they stop at many shops en route and urge customers to buy something.
Prices are also pushed down in the accommodation, or if the camp belongs to the tour operator, the employees are often not paid for months.
We also offer these tours, but actually recommend planning at least 4 days for the desert trip. Only then will there be time for encounters with locals and activities away from the crowds.
However, if you can only book a 3-day tour, we always try to adapt the programme a little. And we pay our drivers fairly so that nobody is pressured into shopping. We like to book smaller ‘boutique’ hotels and camps so that nobody has the feeling of being stuck in mass tourism.
We also like to design different itineraries, with nice small hotels and unique activities. And of course we much prefer to plan shorter or longer hiking tours here in the desert that deserve the name desert tour.
On these tours we hike the way the local nomads used to for hundreds of years, supported by camels to carry our things. We bake bread in the sand, sleep under the stars (or in small igloo tents) and slow travel through the Sahara.
Most of our clients book private tours, but occasionally we also offer group tours. The number of participants is limited to 6-8 people, but the groups usually remain smaller.
When you book with us, you always get the chance to interact with the locals. Hassan was born here and leads most of our hikes. We visit parts of his family, nomads or friends of mine, depending on what is feasible and appropriate.
Our hiking and desert tours take us away from mass tourism and light pollution and into the silence of the desert. We see the incredible starry sky, eat real authentic Moroccan specialities and interact with the locals at eye level.
If you like, you can sleep in the open air. Or in a tent in the dunes, all alone (well, maybe a camel or donkey will come along).
Hassan likes to talk about his culture and the surroundings in which we are hiking. And I, too, now know many of the stories and the nature around us and share this knowledge with our guests.
And perhaps the biggest difference to other tour operators is that we listen to our customers and understand what they are looking for. Many Moroccan providers say ‘yes, we can offer something personalised’ but then only sell the same as always. I like travelling off the beaten track myself, so I know very well what our customers are looking for.
And last but not least, the topic of sustainability. We try to organise our tours as sustainably as possible. On hiking tours, camels carry our luggage, not an off-road vehicle. We follow the ‘leave no trace’ principle and even collect rubbish that we find along the way and take it back to the city for disposal.
We don’t like to book quad bike tours for customers as they destroy the ecosystem and are incredibly loud. I am very aggressive in explaining this, even if it costs us the odd customer.
When we visit nomads, I set dress codes, as these people are very conservative and deliberately live very secluded lives. We want to make a good impression and be welcomed in the future.
So if you’re looking for something special, have a bit of time on your hands and fancy an adventure, then you’ve come to the right place!
You can check out our customers’ reviews on Google. And then you can contact us directly to book your dream trip to the Moroccan desert!
