From Marrakesh, the journey to Merzouga, the remote village on the edge of the Moroccan Sahara takes about 9hrs by car. We decided to split the journey with a night roughly midway in a tiny hamlet called Ouled Otmane a few kms south of Tamezmoute.
After the Atlas mountains that seem endless and exhaustingly hot, we drove through red and sand coloured foothills, through villages that blend into the landscape, because they're made of the soil on which the buildings are stood. Occasionally we drove alongside a palmerie, a grove of palm trees that create a sea of green, usually adjacent to where a river would have been flowing had the country not been in such a desperate drought.
After about 5.5hrs of driving from Marrakesh, we arrived at La Ferme Ecolodge, our stop for the night and were greeted by a friendly Toureg man named Abdul. We had some Moroccan mint tea, which is always the way in Morocco wherever you go you're offered some, and it's known as the Moroccan whisky - there's always a small glass of it on the go. The ecolodge was like an oasis in the desert; mud and straw walls encased a mature garden of flowering shrubs and gigantic date palms towering above us. Here and there were places you could relax in or tables you could eat at. It was full of hidden small areas, and it was lovely.
It was very very hot into the night and only cooled to 29 by 6am. With a traditional Berber room of mud and straw walls, we didn't have the luxury of any aircon, so we slowly cooked throughout the night. Abdul was so kind though and gave us a fan to help make the night more comfy.
In the morning, we ate like kings. Abdul and his family had provided so much variety for the table, that when things just didn't stop coming out, it got a little embarrassing. He seemed so keen to please us that it went beyoond the normal realms of politeness. But we ate what we could and then insisted he stop.
When we went to his office to pay, the generosity continued. He insisted on giving me a discount on the dates he sells (which were delicious and probably the best I've ever had) and then gave me a piece of local pottery before we left.
It's the end of the major holiday season in Morroco and I can't help feeling that there is an element of desperation in the air as traders realise that their income is disappearing for another year and they will do almost anything to get a good review. And in this case, Le Ferme Ecolodge deserves it. A great place to stopover on the way to or from the Sahara desert. And it only cost us £26 for the night.
We set off to find the Sahara. We drove through landscapes that were ever changing; losing the green palm trees and cactus and changing colour from golden brown and red soil to pale beige. As we progressed we saw less and less cars, and passed through fewer villages until the hills disappeared completely along with all signs of life. The wild flatness went on and on for miles in all directions, and even when it felt like the Sahara must only be just beyond the horizon, it was still 75 Km away.
Finally the golden dune loomed into sight beyond the village of Merzouga and we excitedly found our way to our hotel for a couple of days, Riad Marmouche in the adjacent village of Hasselbilad. The roads here were not paved, so the hire car got a bit of a test as we had to drive in the dust and gravel to get around the villages.
From our hotel we could see the dunes and see the camels being fed and stabled. We relaxed with a lovely pool and a large air conditioned room for a few days before we moved on to stay in the desert in a tent for a night. The temperature in the desert was hotter than the sun, 51c on one of the days we were there. Crazy.
The transfer from Merzouga to the camping in the Sahara was not a great experience, but very much worth the confusion and delay in the end.
There wasn't really enough communication to make sure we knew what we needed to know. We arrived at 1pm at our meeting point but didn't leave for the desert until 5.30pm. We didn't have cash to make the payment and they couldn't do card payments, but the owner was happy to use his personal paypal so it all got sorted in the end. When we did transfer to the dunes it was by 4x4 and was a brilliant experience. The dunes were giving off a great amount of heat, the colour was vibrant against the blue of the sky and just beautiful. Rolling across the tips of the dunes and into the trough of the next one was so much fun, I loved it.
The 4x4 pulled up to a camp of white tents and seating. Our tent had a flushing loo and hot shower. A bit of luxury in the desert. The experience of staying in the tents, watching the sun go down over the dunes, eating and socialising under the stars, music, dancing and fire was amazing. I loved it. It's something I've always wanted to do and it's a big tick off my bucket list. I even got to try camel tagine. We weren't told it was camel until after, but I did think the beef tasted odd. lol
The next day, after an early breakfast in camp, we headed back to Merzouga by 4x4 again, and again it was great fun. We checked into the nicest hotel of our trip so far - Hasilabilad Appart Hotel. Amazing service from Hassan and his team, seriously friendly people - so accommodating - fab facilities, including a laundry with washing detergent provided! The food was delicious and the breakfast nothing short of superb. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone going to the Moroccan Sahara.
Visiting the desert had a profound affect on me. It is a beautiful place and the people who live in and around it are equally lovely. We were only there for 5 days and in the dunes for 1 day but it is by far one of the most memorable things I have done so far.
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