Riding a camel in Morocco

Keep calm and ride a camel …to the Kasbah

This is the fifth installment of guest blogger Silvia Latours adventures in Morocco.

Part one shared important information all travels should know before going, like whether they need specific vaccinations. Part 2 delves into why she chose a small group tour for her Morocco trip, part 3 explored Moroccan Riads with part 4 sharing all the food of Morocco you should try!
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As part of our 10-day trip, one of the highlights, possibly THE highlight was something I have wanted to do but never thought I would get to! Ride a camel. Not only was I was going to be riding a camel but it was so much more.

First, we checked in to our amazing accommodations at the Kasbah Tombouctou in Merzouga (Erg Chebbi). After driving for quite a bit, we traversed various landscapes and terrains until finally, things started to look desert-like. We first caught a sight of camels before we even got off the tour bus. I was hit by the same feeling the first time I saw a whale from a cruise ship, awe! Of course, I took 100 pictures of that first glimpse only to later delete them and replace them with better ones!

Next was check-in and we are shown our amazing rooms, which felt more African than Moroccan. Quite exotic and interesting. The site itself was nothing like I’ve seen before. I walk out of my room and turn left and what do I see? Camels and their Bedouin handlers. Camels! Right there…I can just walk over and they are there. And then I see it. Right behind the camels is the freakin’ desert. What?! Pinch me.

Then it was time. Time to leave for our camel adventure. But before that we headed out for a sand dunes jeep ride. And I don’t mean driving by the side of them looking at them, we went up and down the dunes! We all enjoyed it, but not as much as the driver who I think enjoyed hearing our screams. It felt like we were going to flip over but he expertly handled the vehicle. I just kept hoping the camels are not as scary!

We arrive and meet our guides (yet more people named Abdul and Mohammed – extremely popular names in Morocco). We meet our camels and our gear is hooked to the saddle and we are given instructions about holding on tight. I needed a boost to get on…oh well, short people problems. And then the camel gets up and I learned they weren’t joking about hanging on. Before I know it, we are all up on our camels and I am leading the way. Since we were caravanning the camels were all attached by a rope so we stayed together. Then all of a sudden you have that surreal moment of Holy cr*p I’m on a camel in the Sahara. Bucket list. Check.

The Sunset was incredible!

We stop about half way to our camp, we dismount and park the camels. I don’t mean to make them sound like a car, but we literally parked them all in one area like a camel parking lot. Oh, and when they say brace yourself, do it. Seriously. The camel bends down to allow you to get off and it’s fast that if you aren’t paying attention, you may be getting down harder than expected and in a less graceful way. Thankfully I was fine.

The next pinch me moment: sunset in the Sahara. Seriously. Snow angels move over, sand angels are taking over. Just the sheer peace and quiet as we see the sun that accompanied us all day, turn in for the night was breathtaking.

Back on the camels and we make our way to camp – yes, that is correct, not only a camel ride but we stayed under the stars in a Bedouin camp. You have never seen stars like that. Trust me.

Moroccan Culture

After a wonderful dinner, we were entertained with some song and drums. We also were given the chance to learn to drum. The tent was amazingly huge. Very colorful traditional material and high center peak. In the morning it was time to watch the sun wake up and we were there to greet it. Oh, for the record, the day time temperature was a comfortable (20-26 Celsius in November). At night that changes. Overnight temperatures drop to about 10 Celsius. Let’s just say that I had socks on with my sandals. The sand was so cold! Who knew!

We thanked our hosts, got on our camels and were on our way to head back.

For those wondering, the camel ride is fairly smooth, but some travelers complained of discomfort in the err…crotch area. Camels are very sure footed. They are also tall and I have no desire for any camel racing. The trickiest part were hills – both going up and coming down. The guides instructed you the whole way of sitting forward or back as needed for the terrain. When we returned to our starting point, we were treated to a final very fast jeep ride through the dunes back to the Kasbah (more screaming). Buffet breakfast and lots of talk about the last 24 hours and how amazing it was. Then it was showers, packing and back on the road for the next part of our adventure. This day will be impossible to forget.

Guest Blogger

Silvia Latour lives in Montreal, Quebec. She currently works as a Sales Specialist and Business Intelligence Analyst for a major Pharmaceutical Company. She enjoys spending time with friends & family, travel, photography, volunteering and baking. Her life philosophies include: So many places to go and so many things to bake! Shoot with a camera and be kind. Follow her sweet creations on Facebook.