Top Desert Trekking Adventures in Morocco
The Best Deserts Trekking Experience in Morocco
Morocco, a North African kingdom adjoining the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where the cultural blend is renowned by its Berber, European, African and Arabian cultural influences. Journey to Morocco’s most beautiful and oldest city Marrakesh, where Markets and its Medina’s offer vibrant buys and wonderful scenery. The capital Rabat’s Kasbah of the Udayas is very famous with the ancient history of 12th-century royal forts.
The deserts of Morocco are amazingly warm and great for trekking. But ironically, most of the best areas are far from the vast stretches of sand dunes where you may only discover “the golden sand”. When one speaks of the desert, one has in mind images of immense sand dunes, as far as the eye can see, and mirages.
There are only two easily accessible Ergs; the famous erg Chebbi, next to Merzouga, and erg Chigaga, further south, near M’hamid. If Chebbi dune is the highest and the most extensive, then Chicaga is more isolated, since it takes about 45 minutes of 4×4 to reach it, and Merzouga is actually “at the edge of the road”.
To go to the dunes is to fulfill a dream whether you’re a sports enthusiast or a trekker, or a little less athletic. While rolling in the sand to drive on the high dunes, we replay movies and comic strips in our imagination, letting ourselves go to the pleasure of a fast descent and safe journey. But there are also many more deserts in Morocco, whether the deserts of stone surround the oases of the Drâa valley, the high plateau of the Atlas, almost untouched by many visitors, exceeding twenty centimeters high.
The Hamada of the Draa:
I prefer these deserts because of the high sand dunes, their landscapes are more diverse, always bitter, dry, often dark, like the black summits of Jebel Saghro. The oasis, right next to Serdar, fossils can be found enshrined in schists and black marbles project. Under the devastating sun, a heavy late-spring canard, these plains are where hundreds of thousands of years ago skipjacks and small other fish wriggled in a sea that has disappeared now, you will get a very special experience here.
Moonlight in the Hamada of the Draa, in the primordial times, gazelles and elephants passed by. It was perhaps not a lush jungle, but it was a green, rich area, whose inhabitants have left evidence in rock engravings. Today, the river Drâa will disappear under the sand, not being able to flow freely to the Atlantic, absorbed by a thirsty land. The oasis of Drâa is a wealth dotted with the biggest palm grove in the world, islands of lush green planted along the course of the river, in a yellow and red landscape that extends to the Atlas.
To discover the desert well, you have to give some time. It takes more than an excursion of a few hours so that the body begins to dry up, to feel the effects of aridity and dust so that the eye is made to the sparkling luminosity. You have to spend a few nights, to fully enjoy a sky full of stars as you see nowhere else. And above all, it takes a few days, so that the “nothing” of the desert produces its effect. Little by little, the sutler details that surround you, a simple grass, a little insect that whirled a few minutes, and that you would never have noticed, take on an unimagined importance. This is the magic effect of the desert, to open you to the world.
My favorite deserts:
It is first “mine”, this Hamada of the Drâa that surrounds us, and especially the natural oasis of Serdrar and the dunes of Foum Tizza. It is also, between Tazzarine and Merzouga, the dried-up bed of the Gheris, a sandy track winding between large acacia bushes, like a labyrinth. And finally, it is the majestic Djebel Zireg, an enormous mass of black shale, all in length, three-quarters covered with a sand of a sustained orange. The contrast of the colors is striking, it feels very small face to this mess, full of respect…
Every year, I have the chance to discover new places and share them with those who can dedicate time desert.
The departure of excursions:
Departing from Marrakech, it takes 4 days to really go into the desert, and that is a minimum. On the other side of the road, one goes for two or three hours in the dunes.
The summer period should be avoided because of extreme heat. So – especially if you are traveling with children – take a lot of water, and plan small trips.
Some tips to follow:
Bring sunscreen with a very high degree of protection, which is not easily found in Morocco, moisturizing cream for the lips, hands, and feet, and possibly for the hair wigs.
As for clothes, light and covering (you do not bronze in the desert … you protect yourself), and for the evening, a good sweater, a pair of socks, because after sunset, it is cold.
Shoes with support and sides. I prefer to avoid flip-flops and other open sandals. The landscape is full of small stones, thorns, and stings, and you have to protect your feet. However, in the evening, it is a true delight to enjoy a pair of comfortable slippers!
Sunglasses as I have very sensitive eyes, I always carry two pairs of sunglasses, “in case”.
Finally, the essential accessory is the chèque – this long light cotton scarf will protect from everything, and start dusting. Moistened with water, it pleasantly refreshes the head and neck. Reached to the Tuareg, it protects effectively in the event of a sand wind. Placed on the face, it avoids the flies during the siesta (there is “nothing” in the desert, but there are always flies). And in the evening she makes a cushion or a head rest.
Some come prepared and experience the magnificent desert landscapes of Morocco.
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About The Author: Maria Bella is from the UK and works with Virikson Morocco Holidays. She is very creative, passionate and adventurous for traveling as she has discovered more the 13 countries, Including Spain, Morocco, USA, UK, and other European countries. I love to write personal experiences, travel articles, and blogs which help the readers or travelers to choose the perfect destination.
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Image Source: Pixabay
