One night in the desert:
camel trekking to Bertam
- Price: from €80 per person
- Start: Desert Camp Chraika
- Begins: 3-4 pm on Day 1
- Ends: 11-12 am on Day 2
Highlights
- Experience night camping in the desert
- Ride a camel & walk in the dunes
- Savor the sunset in wilderness
- Try Saharan bread freshly baked in hot sand
- Enjoy the taste of tajines cooked on the fire
- Try a “Berber omellette”: hearty breakfast
Sample itinerary
Day 1
The excursion begins around 3:00-4:00 PM, depending on the season, departing from Desert Camp Chraika. The distance of this trek is 9 kilometres, which is an equivalent to about a 2-hour walk. Camels carry all the necessary camping equipment and luggage, allowing for a carefree trek. After finding the perfect spot, our guides will set up a camp, allowing you to explore the wild dunes and revel in the surrounding nature during the sunset. As darkness falls, our nomadic guides will bake bread in the heated sand, serving it with olive oil. Other dishes include aromatic harira soup, traditional tajine, and a fruity dessert. You will spend the night in a comfortable nomadic tent, close to nature with all the magic of wild camping.
Day 2
We start this day with a delicious, hearty breakfast served in the full morning sun. Then, you will begin the return journey to Desert Camp Chraika, where you’ll arrive before noon, after about 2 hours of walking. Should anyone get tired, t is possible to ride a camel during trekking on both days of the tour.
Includes
- All gear needed for a night camping in the desert
- Dinner and breakfast
- Water, hot and cold beverages, snacks (fruits, cookies)
- Camels that will carry all the luggage and camping gear
- Good company of our desert guide, local chef and camelmen
Things to know
Here is the list of essentials for the desert trekking:
- A refillable bottle to always keep water handy
- Long-sleeved and long-legged, comfortable clothes
- A long scarf or a turban
- Sandals or light trekking shoes
- Sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses
- A travel towel
- Power bank
- Headlight
Since camels will carry all your luggage, to safe them unnecessary effort, pack only what’s essential. You may sort things out and leave the remaining luggage at our camp. It can be safely kept there until your return from the trip.
All supplies like water, beverages and food will be provided, as well as all camping gear: tents, mattresses, toilet paper and blankets.
Best months for desert tours in Morocco are October, November, March and April, when you can expect mild temperatures – around 25-30°C in the daytime, and 10-15°C at night.
February and December are a bit cooler, but with good preparation also very good for a desert trip.
On the other hand, May and September are good for those enjoying temperatures above 35°C, allowing the sand hammam rituals in the daytime and sleeping under open sky at night.
Traditional desert cuisine is very simple, yet wholesome and diverse. Exemplary dishes served on a desert tour are: tajines made on fire, bread baked in hot sand, lentils in tomatoes, beans, various salads with both cooked and raw vegetables, “Berber omelette”. Also, refreshing and energising Moroccan mint tea is an every day treat on a desert tour.
You should be ready to walk for about 2-3 hours on an uneven terrain. Part, or even the entire way can be ridden on a camel. If you need a camel for riding for the whole tour, please let us know beforehand and we will take an extra one.
You must also be ready to use the “wild bathroom” in the dunes and to sleep on a 4-centimetre thin mattress in a tent.
In order to meet your physiological needs during camping wild in the desert you must be ready to return to the roots and use a wild bathroom, i.e. find a secluded place. Since usually there is nobody in the radius of kilometres, it should be quite easy.
To keep the desert clean, put the toilet paper in a dug whole, and cover thoroughly with sand. The paper can be also burned. Remember not to put any sanitary products other toilet paper into the sand.
The proper toilet paper which is easily dissolved, is provided during the tour.
Yes, of course! From our experience, children enjoy being in the desert. Running in its vast spaces, playing with the sand, learning how to make fire, collecting the wood – all these activities are not only playful, but also educational.
From the age of 5, kids are usually ready for this kind of adventure.
It is good that you have your own sleeping bag with you, but it is not necessary – we provide blankets.
Let's create your best travel story
Salam, friends! If you have any questions regarding your journey, or wish to create your own plan, simply let us know – we will be happy to help.
