Into the Sahara

When I booked this G Adventures tour, I did it primarily for the night in the Sahara. I knew it would be the highlight of the trip — and it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

It started at 4:30pm with a camel ride. Mounting was a bit difficult, and it wasn’t as comfy or elegant as horseback riding, but far more practical. The sun was high, not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was perfect for meandering through the desert.

We learned that large sand dunes are called erg in Arabic, and they surrounded us as far as we could see. We also had little company, so most of the landscape was empty of other humans or visible animals.

The ride lasted 1.5 hours before we reached camp, which was honestly more like “glamping.” I’d been expecting nature or squat toilets and tents as basic as we’d had on the Inca Trail. Instead, we were met with luxury — carpeted paths, real washrooms with running water, and electricity from solar panels.

In our spacious rooms, we had real beds and warm blankets for the night. Though it was technically hanging fabric walls, it could not really be called a tent.

After a refresher of olives and peanuts, half the group hiked to the top of a sand dune to watch the sunset. If you’ve ever tried climbing on sand before, you’ll know how deceptively exhausting it feels. We set off at a brisk pace, but as the hill grew steeper, we were soon panting and parched.

The view though, was worth everything.

For dinner, we got a hot meal — tangine and rice with vegetables — and all retired to the campfire afterwards. The stars had come out, and as it had been a cloudless day, we saw Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper, Orion, and thousands of other constellations scatter the sky. The moon was very bright, so it wasn’t as starry as it could’ve been, but still among the most I’ve ever seen.

I also had a random desert kitten crawl into my lap and purr as I pet him, which was the cherry on top of a perfect night.

The bed was so comfortable and warm when I headed there at midnight, but as the night went on, it grew colder and was harder to sleep.

We were back on the camels at 7:30 and caught the sunrise over the Sahara as we headed back to town.