Article Title: Desert Camping in Morocco
Publication: MarocMama: living and eating as a bi-cultural, globally conscious family
Summary: Riding a camel into the Sahara to explore sand dunes and sleep under the stars in Bedouin-style tents is an iconic Moroccan travel experience. This article describes my evening in the Sahara with my husband and our guide, while pointing out ways in which the experience strayed from my preconceptions.
The airbrushed sand dunes against the evening sun and the desert’s enormity created an almost hypnotic effect. That is, until the camel broke the trance with a few jarring clomps down the first slope of the journey. Which corrected another of my misconceptions: riding a camel is not like riding a horse.
Riding a camel down a dune feels a little like the unexpected jolt of accidentally squeezing the front break on a bike…repeatedly. Even on level ground, a camel’s unsteady gait causes constant swaying. Despite that, the novelty of sitting perched atop a tall hump while easing into the Sahara makes the discomfort easy to ignore.
