Camel trekking at Erg Chebbi
Erg Chebbi are a set of sand dunes at the northern tip of the Sahara desert, 30km long and up to 250m high. We did a sunset camel trek to a camp set up in the dunes and spent the night in Berber tents before trekking back out in the morning.
Upon arrival in Merzouga we had a quick round of mint tea, then hopped on our camels for a trek into the dunes.
Riding a camel is about as comfortable as it looks. We had a bit of a late start for our sunset ride, so it got dark soon after we left; that combined with getting jostled around on the camels made for extra challenging picture-taking.
We had fun along the way joking around about noises and various other things being emitted by our camels. We also came up with names for each of them. My guy kept making squeaking noises all the way (I blame my heavy backpack), so he was named Squeaky.
Whenever Squeaky got us past a tricky section safely I would pat him on the neck and say nice things to him; I kept wishing I had some kind of treats to give him but I didn’t know what camels eat for treats.
After just over an hour on the camels we arrived at our camp. We hung out in the dinner tent for a while, then went running up and sliding down the dunes.
It’s exhausting climbing those things; the sand gets wind-loaded just like snow, and the leeward side is soft and steep, so after every step you sink and slide 90% of the way back to where you were before.
We hung out for a while at the top of one of the dunes checking out the clear night sky and watching for shooting stars. There weren’t that many but I think I saw the best one I have ever seen: really slow, bright, and low on the horizon.
After a while our dinner of various tajines was ready, which we hungrily gobbled down (or at least I did.)
Then our guides made a campfire and entertained us by playing drums and singing.
It was really cold once the fire died down, so we warmed up by running up and down the dunes some more before turning in for the night.
In the morning we got up at 6am and walked over the dunes to where our camels were parked.
I decided to walk back because it would be easier to take pictures, and because riding wasn’t that comfortable. (none of the locals seem to ride them by choice)
So poor Squeaky had to walk back alone. He didn’t squeak on the way back; I think he was sad because I wasn’t riding him.
I kind of tailed our caravan, trying to keep up while looking for interesting camera angles.
It was really cool to watch the dunes change color as the sun came up.
Just after 7am we were back in Merzouga; we had quick showers and breakfast then hit the road back to Marrakesh.
After half an hour I said bye to the tour group and jumped out in nearby Rissani; I wanted to spend more time in Merzouga but wasn’t sure I would be able to get online there for my meeting at noon. I found a net cafe in Rissani and spent the day working there before returning to Merzouga for the night.
I miss Squeaky, I wonder what he’s up to now. Back out on another trek? Or maybe just hangin in a city somewhere?
Squeaky!? Squeaky!! Noooooooooo!