The Sahara is a magical land, frequented by many nomadic ‘Berber tribes’ who still wander this majestic desert, across ancient routes with their camels and produce to trade with neighbouring settlements.
If visiting the Sahara Desert, general advice is that you leave 3-4 days either side of your trip so you can get back out of the desert in time for any connecting transport you may need to catch. This is in case of ‘Transport strikes’ across Morocco and sand storms – sometimes these two events come hand in hand. As a result of transport strikes we were practically reduced to hitch-hiking out of the Sahara and an unexpected sand storm meant we were washing sand from places we didn’t even know sand could get…long after we returned from Morocco!
On a clear day – which is most every day, aside from the storms, every direction you look there is a mesmerizing stark contrast between the bright orange of the sand and the startling blue of the sky. Yes, the sand really is that orange – I took some home with me! :O
Depending on how far you get into the Sahara, regardless of storm or strike, your journey back to Moroccan civilisation can take you some time.
My next stop; after just over two days’ journey (with ONE cassette of Arabic tuneage and three Spice Girls songs, in the oldest Fiat Panda imaginable- which I am sure was held together with match sticks and chewing gum) travelling through desert, pastureland and mountains- with a tea break in a cliff house in Ziz Gorge- picking up a total of 5 hitch hikers (as well as ourselves), was Fes. It was this intricate UNESCO World Heritage site city that provided me with the best night sleep of my life- in a Moroccan mansion in the heart of the city- and the chaotic meeting with my father the next morning for the final and most exhilarating leg of my Moroccan adventure!
The Adventures of Elle Coco 