Our drive across the Atlas mountains led us through ancient villages to the pinnacle of our trip – The Sahara Desert (full details of our 3-day trip here).
Waiting for us, was a line of towering camels. I craned my neck up to take a good look at my ride into the camp. We locked eyes and he gave me a slow, long-lashed blink. Some sort of unspoken agreement was made at that moment, I’m not quite sure what. Obligingly, he knelt down for me to mount and we began our journey into the desert. One in front of the other, trodding in unison. Apart from the occasional grunt and slam of hooves against the soft sand, there was silence.
Sat at 2 meters above the ground, we took in the surrounding landscape. I was lucky enough to be the first of the caravan and was treated to unobstructed views as far as the eye could see. The imposing dunes looked suspiciously perfect. Curved and smooth; dark shadows contrasting against the golden mounds, nature truly is the world’s best artist. The untrodden sand reminded me of freshly fallen snow and the child in me was dying to imprint on it. The sun, hazy and soft, filled the sky with a yellow tint and highlighted these lofty hills perfectly.
I stared hard, in a desperate attempt to lock this memory in.
The journey on camel was about an hour, a lot of time for thinking. I remember feeling humbled by the experience. As traveling usually is, this vast expanse was a reminder of the small place we occupy in this world. After watching the sunset over the Saharan dunes, we arrived at the Bedouin camp.
We were welcomed with open arms by the camp’s hosts. They were charming and kind and made us feel at home in the desert. The camp itself looked as though it was snapped from a catalog- spacious white tents, embellished with intricate Moroccan lamps that glowed warmly as the evening grew darker. We indulged in a traditional tagine and tea, before spending the evening chatting with the hosts for hours.
The desert came alive at night. We gathered around a campfire and experienced an authentic Berber drum performance. We laughed, danced, sang (badly), and learned about our new desert friends, under the light of the full moon.
Soundtracked by desert silence, we slept. Bellies full and hearts fuller.
