Camel trek in the Erg Lihoudi desert

After Marrakech, a bubbling and hectic anthill, the contrast will soon be striking. The desert will offer us absolute silence and an incredible feeling of loneliness. But it will be good! No more 4G, no more Wifi, no more Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, emails…

For the next three days, we will leave the 4×4 for a camel trek in the Erg Lihoudi desert where we will ride two camels, which will be our best friends to cross part of the Erg Lihoudi desert and carry our backpacks. back. But before being able to commune with nature, we still have a few hours to drive through a first-stone desert. Full ahead!

We leave Zagora to reach the first gate of the desert. On our way to Erg Lihoudi, the last kasbahs …

Our arrival at the first gate of the desert. Shortstop for the photo and admire the panoramic view of the valley. In front of us, a stone desert awaits us before the fine sand.

This time we are there. We met a guy, our camel driver. But, you should know that these are dromedaries in Morocco, not camels, which are found in Asia. Camels are used to carry bags and food during our hike in the Moroccan desert. But we will still have the opportunity to mount them. And we can tell you that it is very different from a horse. It’s much higher and the gait is more… How can I put it? Zen!

But it is on foot that we will begin to tread the Erg Lihoudi desert. After a few steps, we already see nothing around us, only sand and tamarisk. The sun and the wind are omnipresent, and in front of this immense space which is offered to us, we are very tiny. Better not lose sight of our guides!

If the day fills our eyes and our memory cards with photos, the evening and the night also reserve some surprises. Back at the initial camp, where we had planned to spend a night under the stars, a guy surprised us by preparing some sand bread. After his delicious acacia tea, our camel driver is definitely full of talent!

It was therefore around the fire, just after an incredible sunset, that we were able to observe the making and baking of bread from the sands.

Our first night under the stars in Erg Lihoudi will remain etched in our memories. And it will not be without difficulty to lift the bivouac the next day. But another desert awaits us, that of Chegaga…