Christmas in the Sahara – Erg Chebbi

Due the impromptu meet up at Gara Medouar the previous evening, we had opted for beers when we arrived with Charlotte, Stuart (@orkneyoverlanders), Dave, Amy (@the_day_we_ran_away) Kathrin and Steph (@ausfahrt4x4), instead of exploring. That gave us the perfect opportunity for a sunrise dog walk the following morning. We tried our best to quietly leave our truck beside the other campers in the dead quiet of the desert, though with big heavy truck doors I am not sure how successful we were. There was just the slightest hint of indigo / amber on the horizon as we entered the imposing walls of Gara Medouar and walked the track up to the top.

The light was just enough at the top of this geological landmark to show us the stunning views across the miles of empty desert plains beyond. We watched the spectacular sunrise progress, as we made our way around the rim, avoiding the couple of large crevices splitting across the massive structure. The sheer drop over the edge soon reminded me of my vertigo though, which seems to be enhanced with age as I firmly held on to the dogs on the lead and nagged Kevin not to go close to the edge while he snapped dozens of photos.

After a bracing walk, we were all ready for breakfast and just had to pull out the outdoor kitchen in our wild camp out for a tasty Shakshuka.

We had been up early before our walk to do some trip planning and deciding on plans for Christmas. We had read about a Facebook meet up, but had not realised until we met the others the night before, the length of the off-road trek across feche-feche powdery sand required to get there. We had planned for something a little more sedate for Christmas after such a lot of driving to get this far. So reluctantly we said our goodbyes to the rest of the group who were heading to a campsite for supplies before heading off, leaving us to head to Erg Chebbi.

However, before we could leave, we had scheduled with OM-S in Germany to complete our finally connectivity test for remote support with our engine computer and the Moroccan desert seemed as good a location as any to do that. We connected up the device to our OBD port and then to our Starlink wifi and within seconds confirmed connection via WhatsApp to Yannic and OM-S. The wonders of technology!

We had only an hour’s drive past El Rissani and all the many shops offering fossils to get to Merzouga, a village on the edge of Erg Chebbi. Erg Chebbi is one of several Ergs (from Arabic meaning sea of dunes) in Morocco stretching 28km from north to south, 7km across at its widest point and dunes reaching 150m in places. Its rolling dunes are everyone’s idea of what a desert should be and was just the iconic location we had dreamed of for Christmas. It is more accessible than some of the other Ergs (we plan to visit later) and so is more visited. Even in the searing heat of the summer, Moroccans apparently visit for its reputed healing properties for rheumatism, voluntarily being buried for a few minutes up to the neck in sand, any longer and it could be fatal.

Thankfully Park4Night had some hidden spots in the dunes for camping, we used Google Maps to pick a path through the dunes, leaving behind the several camel schools and quad hire shops on the the way in. We tucked ourselves in to a horseshoe of dunes, with just a peak of our roof visible. We thought there maybe a few vans there for Christmas but we saw only one other French van hidden some distance away in their own sandy alcove.

It was late afternoon by the time we finally got parked up, so after letting the dogs burn off some energy play fighting in the sand, exuberant in their off-lead freedom, we set up camp outside our truck.

We tried to resist a feeling of dread as we were later approached by a local guy in a royal blue traditional turban, as we’d hoped for some peace and quiet in the desert. However, we are soon shamed by our lack of instinctive hospitality, which is so native to the Moroccans. We chatted to Yousef, a local man born and raised in Merzouga but with several languages to his credit including a good standard of English. It seems he has worked with some previous Austrian visitors to set up this Park4Night spot and he visits the people staying to see if there is anything they need. He was a lovely guy and we immediately liked him.

We had been planning a camel ride, as you really have to do that when visiting the desert and had not been looking forward to navigating the several packs of camel schools we passed to organise it. So when Yousef said he could arrange for camels to meet us beside our van for a sunrise trek to the highest dune the next morning for Christmas Eve, it seemed the perfect start to our Christmas. Kev also arranged to buy a djellaba the next day, the traditional dress in Morocco, seen everywhere with the distinctive pointed hood and just the gear to wear on cool desert nights.

The rising almost full moon had been so bright that night some of the stars were shadowed. However, by the time that we walked the dogs the following morning in the freezing cold of the desert night, it was absolutely black. We could barely spot our young guide Mohammed waiting silently in front of the truck and I nearly tripped over the nearest camel crouched on the floor in the darkness. However, after a slight faff waiting for Yousef to come to explain about how and when to pay (due to Mohammed’s limited English), there was just a hint of deep indigo on the eastern horizon. We mounted our rides and as gracefully as possible clung on whilst the camels impressively stood to their feet.

The motion of the camel was very alien to me after several years horse riding, however, as our silent procession through the dawn light progressed, I started to get into the rhythm. We were headed to the biggest dune on the horizon to catch sunrise. Mohammed was very careful with his animals, guiding their route over the peaks of the dunes carefully. The camels strength, adaption and aptitude to the their natural environment in the desert was very apparent by the ease they ascended and descended the loose sand of the dunes.

When we dismounted to climb the last part of the biggest dune by foot, with each step sinking down again to almost where it started, we realised just how poorly adapted we were to this environment. Our laughingly futile efforts had me in hysterics on the way up, but eventually determination to see the sunrise from the top got us up. The path of the light across the amazingly pink peaks of sand casting long shadows ahead as the sun crept over the horizon, bringing some long awaited heat to cold hands.

It really was spectacular to stand in amongst the dunes as the sun arose, with only a roofs of the tallest buildings of Merzouga visible in the distance on one side. The climb was very much worth the effort. It is one of those views that seems unreal, like a postcard brought to life, with only the blemishes of tracks from quad bikes / 4×4 tours making it real.

I loved the camel trekking and could have carried on all day, really getting into the rhythm of the stride and how to help them up and down the dunes with your body weight. I was imagining the camel trains of old, walking for days and weeks through the desert sands. Although the perfect stillness of the morning probably helped my enjoyment, as it would certainly have been less fun in a sand storm. Kev was less convinced and has vowed never to get on a camel again! The discomfort apparently being sufficient he was contemplating walking back!

Yousef came later that day bringing us fresh bread and a djellaba for Kev. We even arranged for him to bring us tagine and couscous cooked by his wife for Christmas Day. It just seemed the perfect option for our Christmas meal. He did offer to serve this at his house too, but as we had a lot of family calls to make through the day, we had to decline and arranged for tea on Boxing Day instead.

When he arrived later that day with a djellaba for me as well, which somehow I was persuaded into by he and Kev, he also brought us some firewood to make a fire. He really had turned out to be the perfect desert concierge service, meaning we did not have to emerge from our cocoon at all for Christmas.

We had a fantastic Christmas Day in the sunshine, shaded under our awning, chatting to family on video calls with the wonder that is Starlink. We drank French 75 cocktails from the film Casablanca, as really that just had to be done for Christmas in Morocco, before eventually settling by the fire in our amazingly warm djellabas to watch the stars.