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When you think of Morocco, you can quickly imagine a camel caravan crossing the Sahara dunes at sunset. So, what if you spend your night in Merzuga at the gates of Saharan Erg Chebubi?

Our road trip through southern Morocco from Marrakech to Merzga is nearing its conclusion. This trip turned out to be a compendium of scenery and rich encounters, one of Morocco’s most beautiful road trips. We are now in Merzga, a village above the tiny wind, at the gateway to the Sahara. All travelers coming here want to see these registrations flooded with light. These wadi have invaded the sand. I have this special connection to the desert. Maybe I was a Bedouin of another life. After visiting the Thar Desert in India, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Salad Uyuni in Bolivia, the Okkaje Desert in Peru, and the Simpson Desert in Australia, it’s finally time to discover small parts of the world’s largest hot desert.

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Discover very Chebubi at Merzga

Located in the Tafilaretto Valley on the outskirts of Merzga, Elgchebubi, along with Kigaga, is Morocco’s only Saharan erg, a massive sand dune (on average 150 meters). For centuries, the region of Merzga has been a real intersection between African desert civilizations. From the terrace of our Kasbah hotel, we can already see the first dunes stretching out of sensual shapes that seem to be endless. The desert calls us. Mama Africa is calling us. As soon as the overwhelming heat subsides, you will arrive at camp at the foot of the ERG Chebbi Dunes, riding a camel for a two-hour camel trek in the desert.

My Dromdalies Caravan in the Merzga Desert

Our dromarie swayed slowly and slowly into the desert. The play of the dune shadows fascinates me, making me almost forget the discomfort of my mount. I feel like I’m living again in this virgin wild nature that doesn’t lie. The dunes extend across the horizon regardless of their boundary. Over there, there is Algeria somewhere, but sand dunes and winds pass through the country. In the middle of this space that looks like endless, we feel infinitely small. We lose all the bearings and it’s better to find them. Only the present moment is important. The past is quickly blown away by the wind, like camel footprints on the sand. I am thinking of nomads who chose this simple, tidy lifestyle. What an incredible display of resilience and endurance! Two hours and some pain in the butt section is far from Merzga. Our Berber tent camp is located in a monumental dune hollow that serves as a natural barrier.

Sunset over the sand dunes of the Sahara

There’s no time to lose. You definitely need to climb to the top of this dune to avoid missing the sunset experience. It’s easier than I say. Reclaim two steps for every step you take with this quick sandwich. Eventually, you get to the top on everything on four. The challenge was fulfilled. We are short of breath, soaked in sweat, and very sinking, but our efforts are rewarded by the spectacular sights of light on these mounds, which have been carved forever by the wind. The dunes illuminate in golden shades and ignis in a palette of the entire palette of colors painted by red, fuchsia, pale pink, and the final light. With our small group of friends, we suddenly feel the urge to sing at the top of our lungs. The sound echoes endlessly, but we can’t hear our wrong notes except for our camel driver, who probably should be used to the euphoric responses of visitors to Merzga.

Night at camp under the stars in the middle of the sand dune sea

Back at camp, Tagin, washed away with mint tea, welcomes us. Our hosts take out “Guembri” (a kind of three-string guitar), “Djembé” (drums) and “Rattle Snakes” (a kind of castanet) for a small concert of traditional music and songs, and it’s an opportunity to try out these funny instruments and share some laughs. Before going to bed, we return to the dunes to admire the sky plagued by stars and shooting stars. Far from the visual pollution of the metropolitan city, the great Milky Way was nothing more amazing. Spreading on the sand in this absolute darkness, we think of this desert surrounding us, and all the deserts that hide what is once, the savannah where the sea or perhaps prehistoric species were still alive. More than a simple lack of noise, the silence that governs sharpens all our senses and our perceptions, thrusts us deep into the present moment. When I open or close my eyes, I almost seem to be touching the sky. And that’s how we spent the perfect night at Merzga.

Of course, the Sahara provides sand as uniform as you can see…it is always immersed in situations of extreme boredom. Yet, invisible divinity builds directions, slopes, networks of signs, secrets and living muscle tissue. There is no more uniformity. Everything is oriented…and since the desert does not offer concrete wealth, we are not seen or heard in the desert, so we are far from it, so we are recognized from indoor life. There, sleep is strengthened, and the man is first animated by an invisible solicitation. Man is ruled by spirits. I am worthy of doing what my gods are worth in the desert.