The Sahara Desert will surprise you – as it is bigger than you think, for one thing. Occupying 10 African Countries, the Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world and is roughly the size of the United States. Another thing that might surprise you is that the Sahara Desert isn’t always hot – the dunes in Algeria often get dusted with snow, for example. And, more of it is stony plateau than it is sand! So, before you head of on your desert trip, get to know this often-misunderstood area with our travel guide to the Sahara.
The desert brings out the child in us all, after all they are just like big sand pits aren’t they. Although, there was a plan at one point to flood the desert with seawater to make it the Sahara Sea, but this idea never came to fruition. It already has its own sand seas, anyway, the ergs which rumble, and shift, and sing just like any sea.
At the moment we are facing the issue of desertification, meaning the Sahara is growing bigger every year, and threatening to engulf some of the historic towns on the trade route around the edges. In summer, the desert can reach temperatures close to 50 – something to keep in mind when booking your Morrocco private tours, It is so worth visiting this otherwise hostile place though, and here are eight reasons why:
#1 The beauty and tranquillity
The beauty and tranquillity of this area is unsurpassed, and once you have seen a clear view of the 360-degree horizon you won’t forget it. The landscape in the desert changes constantly, with dry oases, high dunes, low dunes and wells everywhere you look. In certain places you may also see abandoned villages, ancient palaces and warm springs feeding into lakes.
#2 Sunrise and sunsets
The sunrise and sunset in the Sahara Desert are like nowhere else, it is hard to even describe them, they are just spectacular over that wide horizon.
#3 Night sky
The desert sky at night is packed full of stars and makes for an awe inspiring and evocative visual phenomenon. It can be hard to distinguish between the earth and the sky, as the stars look like they have dropped down and are scattered in the bushes. Every night is different and every night is breathtakingly beautiful.
#4 Food
Food always tastes better outside, and the Bedouins are really good cooks. The food is natural and cooked on an open fire in a traditional way. Their diet tends to consist of salads tossed in oil, and dishes made from meat, pasta, spices and of course cous cous. Bread is also freshly baked on the fire every day. Delicious.
#5 Feel good factor
Watching the Bedouins go about their daily chores laughing and chatting as they collect wood, round up the camels, and eat from a communal bowl. You can’t help but smile when you are sat around the fire in the evening listening to the traditional music and singing.
#6 Adventure
A visit to the Sahara Desert is never dull, and you can make it as physical as you want. Make sure you have someone with at all times though, as it can be very easy to lose your bearings, even when you are a short distance from camp.
7 The Bedouin
Such friendly people and their tourist-guide relationship is relaxed and spontaneous and usually a good one, which is helped by their enthusiasm to share their culture. They have a remarkable outlook on life, where everyone has a role to fulfil, everything is shared, and they are all working towards the common good.
#8 Camels
Camels are quite headstrong creatures with personalities of their own but they do have a comic side as well, especially when they roll in the sand when fully laden. They are also great scavengers, taking the lids of cooking pots in their search for food.
What does visiting the Sahara entail?
So, how do you get to the middle of nowhere? Well, most desert tours won’t just magically drop you in the middle of the desert – it takes time to get to the Sahara from civilisation, meaning you are in for a long drive to any of the gateway towns that sit on the edge of the desert. Chinguetti is 65km from the nearest town on an unmade road, for example.
Is the Sahara safe?
The sands of the Sahara trickle into some dangerous areas, such as Libya, where it is not advised to travel. However, some of the Sahara’s most beautiful scenery can be found in Tunisia, including abandoned Star Wars sets and the field of sand dunes known as the Grand Erg Oriental.
Highlights of the Sahara
There are very few landmarks in the Sahara, and all of the highlights tend to be around the edges. Little towns are like drawing pins, with a huge blank canvas of desert between them. These towns feature ancient ksars (fortified towns), sand-drowned stone houses and squat square mosques.
Erg Chebbi is Morrocco’s most famous sand dune, reaches over 100 metres above the plain, towering over the town of Merzouga beneath. The colour of the dune, a delicious apricot shade, deepens as the sun goes down. Erg Chebbi is a popular spot for tourists especially those who want to be buried up to their necks to try out the Bedouin rheumatism cure.
Erg Chegaga is at the end of the road, and harder to reach than Erg Chebbi, but you will be rewarded for your efforts by less visitors. The nearest town here is called M’Hamid and is often said to be the gateway to the Desert.
If you really want to explore the Sahara Desert in Morocco, then contact Hasina Morrocco Tours today and begin your adventure!
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