Merzouga, Morocco - Day 1
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Our day began in Skoura, Morocco at L’Ma Lodge for one last breakfast before heading to the Sahara Desert. We’ve all enjoyed eating the traditional Moroccan msemen crepes on the breakfast buffet, and dipping the bread into the selection of homemade jams available. My favorite jams were the pomegranate and orange blossom flavors; Andi loved the strawberry lemon jam.
After breakfast, we said good-bye to Safan and his staff at L’Ma Lodge, and thanked them all for a wonderful stay. This truly is an oasis in the desert — a tranquil place to stay along the 10-hour drive from Marrakech to Merzouga. We really enjoyed our time here.
Andi arranged for a driver from Bahba Luxury Camp, the place we are staying next in Merzouga, to pick us up at L’Ma Lodge and drive us to the desert. We had a 5-hour drive ahead of us today, plus more time allotted for lunch and stops along the way.
The area around Skoura in Southern Morocco is known as the “Valley of the Roses.” This fertile area is lucky to have two rivers cut through the landscape providing water and greenery to otherwise barren foothills. As the nickname suggests, roses are cultivated in this area and the major lifeblood of the community. In the spring, local women can be seen in the fields picking roses to be shipped off to factories in nearby Kalaat. The roses are pressed into rose water which is turned into everything from shampoo to hand creams.
Along our journey through the Valley of the Roses, we stopped at a local rose distellery selling a wide selection of the perfumed products. The owner was warm and welcoming to the kids, giving each of them a great big hug upon arrival into his shop. I’m not sure which Tory hates more — when the Moroccan men ignore her completely, or when they squeeze her in a gigantic bear hug. He showed us how they make rose water using this machine, rose pedals, and hot & cold water. They won't produce rose water until April or May, but he demonstrated the process for us nonetheless.
Next, he applied samples of rose-scented creams and perfumes to our arms, and waited expectantly for us to buy some. We politely declined. The truth is, we are not a smell family! This is a true sin in Morocco because every single thing is heavily scented here. Too many smells give Andi migraines. Our family thanked the man for his time, and then went to the bathroom to privately wash our hands (with scented soap, ha! there’s no escaping it).
We made one final stop in the Valley of Roses to the pharmacy to buy me more medicine. I’ve now come down with a full-blown cold and a cough that just won’t quit. I’m guessing there won't be too many services available in the desert, so Andi and I figured we’d better stock up on meds and essentials before we get there.
The next stop along our drive was Todra Gorge. Over thousands of years, snowmelt from the High Atlas Mountains has flowed down the river, carving a deep ravine through the sedimentary rock. Left behind is a canyon that reaches 200 meters (656 feet) high and only 10 meters (32 feet) wide. This is a popular tourist stop along the route to the desert, and there were a few vendors set up on the side of the road selling rugs and souvenirs. Mufasa, our driver, dropped us off at one end of the road and encouraged us to walk through the canyon to explore on our own. When we were ready to go, he would be waiting at the other end for us.
Andi, Tory, Aden, and I walked along the roadway through the canyon, but there wasn’t much to take in other than the massive size of the gorge. The roadway was shadowed by the massive rocks, so it was a bit chilly walking in the shade. We weren’t interested in buying rugs or trinkets, so we made our way to the other side of the canyon fairly quickly.
Toward the end of our walk, a nomadic woman and her young son approached Andi for food and/or money. He gave her a few coins and continued walking. Then she started following me, saying “Madam, Madam” asking for more. I felt badly for her, and especially for her young son, but I honestly didn’t have any money on me. Her begging was making Tory and Aden very uncomfortable. Andi had been taking a video of the river, so when he rejoined us by the car he gave the woman some more coins and then we hopped in the car to leave. Nomadic Berber people, like this woman, live all throughout the desert and in the surroundings mountains. They travel down to popular places like the gorge, or to nearby villages, for supplies.
During our long car ride, we talked with Mufasa about all things Morocco. He taught us the meaning of the star on the Moroccan flag, and told us about the Berber people of Morocco who use their own language and calendar. We learned about Muslim customs for marriage and the responsibility of caring for their aging parents because there is no such thing as retirement benefits here. Throughout our conversation, he often used phrases, like “inshallah” which means “If Allah wills it” and shouted “Africa!” 28 different times (we counted). We all laughed when Mufasa asked if we were unfortunate enough to get the “Marrakech Express” while we stayed in the Medina. (Marrakech Express = diarrhea from eating bad street food). Luckily, we missed out on that experience.
Having a personable driver that speaks clear English is a great way to learn about a new place from a local. Not only did it pass the time to talk while we drove, but we also learned so much from him.
For lunch, we stopped at a hotel/restaurant called Muxu Berber. It was really nice to order off the menu and get the exact quantity of food that we wanted. Almost every meal we’ve had thus far has been prepared for us and while the dishes have been delicious, it’s way more food than we can possibly eat. Andi ordered a bowl of spaghetti for the kids to share, two orders of briouat (a triangular-shaped fried pastry filled with meat and vegetables; similar to an egg roll), and one order of tagine kofta with eggs for the adults to share. This amount of food was perfect for the four of us — no leftovers!
As we approached the Sahara Desert, we started to see sand dunes in the distance. Towns were fewer and far between now, with the last city we passed through being Erfoud, Morocco. For tourists visiting the Sahara Desert who wish to stay in hotels, this is where they’d stay. Several Hollywood films have been filmed in Erfoud over the years including The Mummy, Four Feathers, and the James Bond film Spectre.
Soon, we arrived to a small village called Rissani where we met up with Mufasa’s brother Omar. The plan was for Mufasa to take our bags to Bahba Luxury Camp by truck while Omar drove the four of us there through the sand dunes in his 4x4 Toyota Hilux. We hopped into Omar’s beat-up truck and got ready to adventure.
It was immediately clear that Omar was a skilled driver through the sand dunes. Raised in the Sahara Desert all his life, he navigated the spanning landscape of rolling sand dunes from memory. No seatbelts in the vehicle, so the four of held on tightly to whatever was around us as our 4x4 rose and fell over dunes. It felt like a rollercoaster ride and was definitely one of those “pinch me” travel moments. We are in the Sahara Desert! Coasting across the soft sand felt as smooth as silk. While we adventured, Berber music blared from the stereo. “Africa!” Omar would shout once in a while.
Aden was having the time of his life sitting shot-gun in the passenger seat. He turned back to Andi and I sitting in the back seat and gave us a thumbs up with a big smile plastered across his face. Tory, on the other hand, was three seconds from freaking out. She held it together though, facing her fears as she hung onto Andi’s arm for dear life. Personally, I loved every minute of it. What a thrilling feeling to smoothly glide over the crests of the sand dunes. We didn’t see another person during our entire drive.
After about an hour of riding, we stopped to watch the sun go down over the dunes. The minute Tory and Aden stepped foot in the sand, they took off like kids on Christmas running up, down, and all around in the sand making fresh tracks wherever their feet stepped. The landscape was truly breathtaking! Brightly-colored orange sand and perfectly formed peaks and valleys for as far as the eye could see. God’s handiwork, for sure! It was an incredible scene.
The 4x4 truck was stuck in the sand, pitched high on top of the dunes, but Omar didn’t seem worried. He wedged a rock he carried with him in his truck under the front tire, messed with something underneath the hood, and then easily got the truck moving again. “Africa!” he shouted, as we continued on through the dunes.
After the sun went down, Omar drove us to our accommodations at Bahba Luxury Camp. As we approached camp, we could see a roaring fire and lanterns lining the path welcoming us. Together, brothers Omar and Mufasa run the desert camp together. They’ve been operating this business since 2018, though they’ve lived in the Sahara Desert all their lives.
We happened to be the only guests staying at the camp this week. High season for tourists typically runs March-May and September-November. For our family, temperatures in the desert this time of year are just about perfect — highs in the 60s and 70s with lows in the 30s. We’d rather have cool nights than very hot days. Mufasa said that in the summer, temperatures reach highs of 110-135 degrees F daily. I can’t even imagine.
There are 10 “glamping” tents on the property. Ours has three beds, a flushing toilet, and a shower with hot water. We’ve definitely stayed in much worse accommodations! There are thick comforters and blankets on the beds which must mean it gets cold overnight.
Our family was welcomed into camp with Moroccan mint tea and cookies around the fire. We met another man named Musafa who works with the brothers at the camp. He led us into the dining tent where we were served a dinner of Moroccan soup and bread, chicken lasagna, and ice cream.
The stars were incredibly bright above our camp. Andi, Tory, Aden, and I walked a few feet away from the camp to admire them after we ate dinner. I’ve never seen the stars so clearly.
We plan to spent two nights at Bahba Luxury Camp in the Sahara Desert. Excited to see more of the desert tomorrow and ride camels!
