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Recently I made a list of 25 things I’ve never done. Glamping was one of them. What is glamping you might ask? It’s camping chic. It’s tenting in luxury and style (and usually instagramming to brag about it). Beyond the obvious interest in being outdoors with mucho amenities, I had also found myself at the tale end of a 5-month whirlwind of travel finishing off with my most ever requested (and fully sold out 8-months prior) luxury yoga retreat in Marrakech, Morocco.
I tacked on some days at the end because… the desert was calling.
I had romantic fantasies of immense sand dunes, luxury campsite facilities, decadent food, flowy white dresses with sunsets peeping through them and exotic discoveries in the land of tagine and couscous. This is EXACTLY what I got when I embarked on a 3 day, 2 night journey with Marrakech Camel Trips.
Don’t be fooled by the name- they do tailored, group and private trips all over Morocco. Also don’t be duped by the website either- they are professional, upscale and I truly recommend this experience thoroughly.
It was a long journey. I had not realized how far and vast the Sahara actually was, but well worth it, for sure!
I want to walk you through this incredible experience- I didn’t expect to have private transfers, private guides and private luxury accommodation the entire time… but I did. I couldn’t believe it. Princess fantasies do come true!
Firstly, I want to tell you about my guide and driver, Idir. He was amazing.
He was knowledgeable and kind. He asked me questions about my background and interests. He then tailored the tour especially for me.
For example when he learned I was Jewish he made a point to show me where Berber culture met Judaism through artifacts that blended Berber and Jewish symbols. He also took me to an ancient Jewish cemetery from the 15th century to help me connect my own roots to Morocco. This was such a thoughtful touch.
Idir, aside from driving and guiding also played DJ. He asked about my favorite music and tuned the stations accordingly. Intermittently he switched up pop stations with Berber music when we moved through winding mountain passes. It felt authentic. The personalization and his investment in my enjoyment was notable. Idir also stopped at spots I never would have known about, like wells in the middle of nowhere that were important for Nomadic people, connecting me to his roots too. As a youngster he lived with his family in the desert until Age 6 (more on that later).
Day 1: Marrakech to Dades
The first day was Marrakech to the city of Dades.
We drove through the high Atlas Mountains where Idir shared with me some of his Berber culture and origins. We passed several Berber towns and even stopped in one to peruse the shops. I chatted to shop owners, tried on shiny things. I was shown how the carpets are woven and introduced to a multitude of beautiful and useful gadgets that are the staples of nomadic living. Idir was incredibly patient for the first couple of shop stops… less patient toward the end of our trip when he realized I could stay in markets for hours on end, touching everything and he would literally have to drag me out by the arm so we didn’t end up driving all night.
Idir comes from a large Berber family. They lived on the other side of the Sahara near the Algerian border until he was 6. Eventually his parents sought a better life for their children, a life of education and possibility. So they moved to a small city that afforded them more opportunity. Idir was humble but clearly grateful that he had the opportunity to go to university, a chance his older brothers didn’t get.
Then we went through the valley of roses and rocked the kasbah…
Following the impromptu stop, we drove through the Valley of Roses and by the road of a thousands Kasbahs…
The Valley of roses is a charming little stretch of road where rose apothecaries dot the streets, children sell roses on the side of the road and there are fields and fields by the highway full of roses. This is the spot where rose oil, rose water, rose tea and other rose products are picked and prepared for the Moroccan and world markets. Every rose themed restaurant, taxi, shop and distillery are painted pink.
When we got out of the car, the entire town literally smelled like roses. I kid you not. We popped in to one store where I curiously asked questions. Then scurried to the side of the shop where other women were separating buds from blossoms. The buds are used in tea whereas the blossoms are crushed, heated and pressed for oil. I’ve never seen so many roses in my life! The women were kind and friendly. We giggled together and it made me feel warm to be amongst other women playing with flowers.
Then we went to Ait Ben Hadou- the Hollywood of Morocco- the world’s most famous Kasbah! Many movies and TV shows are filmed here. It seemed to be a huge source of pride. I don’t know much about Kasbahs but I will say that I was highly impressed with the views. Idir was highly impressed with my handstands and significantly less impressed with more carpet shopping (I bought one. In the Kasbah. It’s gorgeous.)
Road of 1000 Kasbahs?! Pfff… This part of Morocco was more like land of a zillion casbahs. Literally every single house, school and gas station was some kind of fortified building. Super cool. The song Rock the Casbah by The Clash will never be the same again… it’s better now and forever more.
This top was perfect for travel- light weight, modest and never ever wrinkles!!
I wore these shoes the entire trip! perfect for travel and style 🙂
Love the pants? Here’s the link to get them! Under $20!!
After a long day we arrived at our evening locale. The Sultan of Dades. (A kind of Kasbah looking hotel…)
Like pretty my every dwelling place in Morocco, it was lovely. I arrived to a 3 course meal of soup, tagine and dessert. The food was incredible and the spot was very special. Unexpected. Spotless. I crashed so hard.
Unbeknownst to me, we turned the clocks back an hour. I found myself up at 5am. The sun was just barely peaking up behind the valley. I strolled on to the deck outside with a view of the mountains and the city of Dades at my feet, I rolled out my yoga mat and did some surya namaskar, said some prayers of thanks and meditated before breakfast.
Day 2: Dades to Merzouga
This was the day I would get to go into the Sahara- see the sand dunes, check out what all the fuss about glamping is. We still had quite a bit of driving to do, but we made a really lovely stop along the way. Idir had told me that we would be passing his hometown. I had been asking many questions about what it was like to be a Berber woman. What do they wear? How do they celebrate and dress? What are some of the customs and cultures? So on request, Idir arranged a visit to his home. He called ahead and his sisters and mum received me. They offered tea and cakes. They toured me around their home. They dressed me in celebratory Berber garb (from their own closets). Idir’s older sister and mother put kohl on my eyes using a wooden dowl. They let me ask questions. They were polite and sweet and it was truly a highlight of the trip! It was also pretty charming to see Idir so relaxed in his mother’s house. As soon as we got there his demeanour changed. He reclined with feet up on the couch and indulged in the food and drink that was on the table. I could totally relate… When I visit my mother the first thing I do is open the fridge. Some things, like mom’s cooking and the comforts of eating at home, are universal.
Shortly after I disrobed and said my thank yous and goodbyes, we set off for the desert…
I arrived, was immediately wrapped in a Berber scarf, mounted a camel and was guided by “Brad” to our campsite. On the way Brad took tons of photos, stopped to show me lizards and shiny desert Beatles. He taught me Berber songs and we sung loudly as we made our way through the desert.
Brad and I shared a love for photography. He doesn’t have his own camera but has been taking photos of tourists for 20 years. He is so talented!
Brad took all of the photos of me in the desert. He even took me to the dunes after dinner and encouraged me to practice night photography with him, giving me fun ideas and poses.
(I am trying to get him a DSLR. If anyone reading this has one to donate, let me know please!!)
Here’s the link for my favourite white maxi dress!
Moroccan hospitality continued to impress. Youssef was waiting for me me with tea and cookies the moment I dismounted from the camel. He shared with me some info about the camp and about the nomadic lifestyle. The tents were gorgeous! I did NOT expect to have a flush toilet, hot shower and full room complete with Moroccan lanterns, furniture, rugs and more.
Then I set off to play in the sand, take some yoga photos and mess around. The guys were pretty impressed and inspired. They started practicing headstands and handstands too. We went sand boarding on old snowboards, rolled down giant sand mountains, laughed and played like little kids.
I washed up for dinner and Youssef proudly showed me the paintings he decorated the dining tent with.
The food was abundant and unbelievable. I was served soup followed by couscous and chicken. I thought this was the entire meal… then I was served an entire Kefta Tagine of course, as with every meal here, accompanied by fresh bread. After dinner, the boys entertained me with Berber song and dance. It was uplifting, upbeat and amazing.
Here’s the link for the yoga pants I wear the most ever. Here’s the link for the bra.
I woke up the next morning for sunrise, had a breakfast overlooking the dunes and headed back on a long journey to Marrakech.
This was a totally unbelievable experience. What was perhaps most impressive to me was that Ibrahim, the owner of Marrakech Camel Trips grew up as a Nomadic Berber himself. Everyone who works with him are also Berber Nomads. They started an incredible something out of nothing. One tourist at a time, camel by camel, they have created a magical desert wonderland. A space where quiet seems to hug you close and the sand underneath your feet feels like home. They are not formally educated yet they can converse, inform and entertain in at least 4 languages. They treated me like royalty and I felt safe and cared for every single moment of the journey into the Sahara Desert with Marrakech Camel Trips.
I would highly recommend 2 nights in the desert in future so you can fully relax and enjoy the silence of the space. I would also recommend returning to Fez rather than Marrakech because it’s much closer. I didn’t have time or plans for that unfortunately.
Turn your life upside down!
Turn your life upside down!