Morocco Reviews: Merzouga and the Sahara

This was the obligatory camel ride experience. We drove for about 12 (!) hours to reach our hotel in Merzouga from Fes. The last 30-45 minutes was driving across the uneven floor of the desert, as there had recently been a flash flood which seemed to have washed away what little road there was. This was a very bumpy experience, not to be recommended, when you are having a bit of stomach issues…But the reward was worth it. 

We finally reached our hotel, Kasbah Yasmina, which was situated right on the edge of the sand dunes with a great view over the Sahara. Of course there was not much to do here, since it was not really possible to wander off and explore on your own, but the hotel has a very nice pool area, where you could easily spend the day just relaxing and catching your breath after some hectic days. There were also a few options for trips into the desert during the day, before we set off on our camel ride in the early evening. 

The Kasbah Yasmina Hotel entrance

The view from the hotel

We set out about 6.30 in the evening, and even though it was not as hot as in the afternoon, it was still very hot, and sun protection was needed, in the form of sun creme and light clothes to cover up. We rode the camels for about an hour, and by the time we reached the desert camp, where we were staying for the night, the novelty had worn off. We had been warned that the camel ride would be very bumpy and uneven, but I did not think it was particularly bad. The seat was a bit uncomfortable, but other than that it wasn’t anything to worry about. The worst part was getting off. Getting on was okay as the camel stands up pretty quickly, and you just have to hold on. But when getting down again to let you off, the camel takes its sweet time, and you have to balance a bit precariously on its back while it gets situated. 

We reached the desert camp, and we had been told that it would be very basic accommodations, but I was quite impressed. We had bedouin tents available, each tent sleeping four people, but divided in the middle so there were essentially two double rooms in each tent. The toilets were western style flushing toilets in their own little hut, and there was a kitchen tent where the camel guides cooked a lovely tagine dinner for us. There was the option of sleeping outside to enjoy the stars, and mattresses from the tents were moved out for those who chose to do that. We had been told to bring warmer clothes as it gets cold in the desert at night, but I did not use any of my warmer clothes. It got a little bit chilly towards daybreak, but nothing serious, and to be frank, I quite enjoyed the chill. 

Our bedouin tents

The desert dinner

We got up before the sunrise and mounted our camels again to head back to the hotel, where we had left our big bags. When the sun rose we stopped to enjoy the sunrise and take pictures before finally reaching the hotel and saying goodbye to our camels. 

Sunrise in the desert

Hotel Kasbah Yasmina

As mentioned above the hotel has a pool of a fairly large size, compared to other pools in Morocco, which are generally quite small. The rooms have air-conditioning, soft beds and for once, decent pillows. As far as food goes, you are pretty stuck with the hotel restaurant, seeing as it is situated pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but fortunately they cooked very good food there. The breakfast consisted of bread and yoghurt. 

The hotel's lounge area

The pool area

We had to check out of our rooms when we left for the camel ride, but the hotel has a nice big changing room with showers and toilets and a place to leave our bags. It was not possible to leave the bags in a locked room, so I used my little padlock to secure my bag. It’s always advisable to bring a padlock or some other locking mechanism, for when you need to leave your bag behind on day trips etc.