Adventures in Travel & Photography: On the Edge of the Sahara
One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams…”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery – The Little Prince
Hey Lovely Whale Adventurers!
Well, yesterday's post for the Mobility Photo challenge got me reminiscing about our time in Morocco - and more specifically a magical night spent in the Saharan desert near Merzouga.
I thought I'd share this wonderful adventure with you and if you ever get the opportunity to do it yourself.. I highly recommend it!
Rose gold hills appear in the distance, looking like a mirage with the heat shimmer rising from the land between us and them. Yes…finally, there were sand dunes.
Our trip through Morocco took us to crowded medinas, to snow-capped mountains (yes even in Morocco), and to stand reverently in shimmering Mosques that stood over the sea. But the desert was what was truly calling me. The quiet expanse of the golden Sahara, with its mountains of sand reaching into the cloudless blue skies.
The dunes of Erg Chebbi, rise majestically over the town of Mergouza, to heights of 160m. They stretch for 22 kilometres and are 5 kilometres wide. This is, by far, the easiest and most popular place for tourists to access the Saharan desert in Morocco.
Blocking out the other camels and riders, it's easy to believe you are the only person on earth. The stillness and expanse of the desert has a way of putting you at peace, and everything else simply falls away. Look carefully though and there is life and movement. Scarab beetles scurry through the rippled landscape of slowly but ever-shifting sands. Lone date palms spring up from mostly dried up waterholes, roots reaching to soak up what little water lies under the surface. Closer to the camps a donkey peaks over the desert grasses, ears and head just visible.
A long climb to the top of a dune provides the perfect vantage point to watch a spectacular sunset. With each movement of the sun, the sand dunes change colour, from rose gold to flaming orange until finally, just before dusk descends - the sun seems to expand as the sky turns apocalyptic blood red as if heralding the end of times.
Dinner is a simple but delicious affair, olives, tagines and oranges, cooked by our camel driver. After dinner the entertainment, an interactive session involving drums, singing and dancing, all illuminated by the soft glow of a campfire and a sky full of heavenly lights. We choose to sleep under the stars rather than in our tents.
Morning in the desert is quiet until the howl of a feral cat pierces the silence, jolting us awake - but in time to once again climb a mountain of sand to watch the new day heralded in.
While sunset is a violent display of fiery reds that herald an ending, sunrise is a much more gentle affair, soft yellow, pink and peach hues- gently welcoming the day. In its own way, still as spectacular.
the colour that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again…”
Ram Charan
Til the next adventure
Wishing you so much Love & Light,
| Location | Merzouga, Morocco |
|---|---|
| Camera | Panasonic DMC-FZ100 |
| Editing | Adobe Lightroom CC & Photoshop CC 2019 |
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