My Journey Through the Heart of the Sahara Desert

As the sun set below the dunes, casting a warm glow across the endless sandscape, time felt like it stopped in the Sahara. This isn’t just a desert. It’s a place where silence hums, stars shine the brightest, and each grain of sand holds the memory of ancient travellers.

My journey into the heart of this vast and beautiful part of nature began with a single step, yet it felt like stepping into another world entirely. The sand in the Sahara was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. This wasn’t your typical beach sand. Each step sank softly as if the ground were a cushion. Lying on it felt like resting on the world’s warmest, softest mattress.

I remember scooping up a handful, watching the fine grains slip through my fingers and vanish into the breeze. The sand was smooth, warm, and a shade of golden orange so vivid it looked straight out of an edited desktop wallpaper. Everywhere I looked was breathtaking; I couldn’t believe it was real. 

The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world, covering almost the entirety of North Africa. In May, I had the pleasure of travelling to this site with a friend — a trip we’d talked about for months before finally booking our tickets.

We flew into Marrakech, Morocco, and joined a tour group bound for Merzouga, a small village on the edge of the desert. Along the way, we crossed the magnificent Atlas Mountains and explored the ancient, UNESCO-listed Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. Our final destination was the Sahara itself, where we rode camels into the sunset and spent the night under the stars at a traditional Berber camp in the desert. 

Before our journey into the desert, our guides, who were local Moroccans and Berber people, taught us about proper desert attire. They took us to shops where we could buy scarves and traditional Moroccan clothing. The scarves, essential for the trip, were carefully wrapped around our heads, covering our noses and mouths to shield us from the harsh desert winds. Out in the Sahara, the wind kicks up fine sand that stings against your face. These scarves, used by locals for centuries, are a vital layer of protection in one of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes.

Mounting our camels and riding into the desert was an experience I’ll never forget. There’s a profound silence in the Sahara. No cars, no city sounds, no traffic, no trees or leaves in the wind — just silence. Not to mention, when I looked across the skyline, all I could see were endless sand dunes stretching for miles with no signs of civilization: just pure, untouched sand. In those moments, time seemed to stand still.

After a few hours in the desert, we finally reached our campsite for the night. My friend and I shared a tent with two beds, and soon, we joined other travellers from different tour groups, forming a lively gathering of around 30 people. As darkness descended, we sang songs and danced around a crackling campfire beneath the desert sky. Though we were all strangers to each other, we embraced the night as if we were lifelong friends. With no Wi-Fi, data, or connection to the outside world since entering the desert, we found ourselves fully immersed in the magic of the moment. 

After our songs and games, we stepped away from the campsite momentarily, and I was amazed to see a darkness I had never seen before. Where I had once marvelled at the sand dunes stretching for miles, I now struggled to see even six feet in front of me. But this all-encompassing darkness brought its own beauty. When I looked up, I was astonished to find the sky painted with countless stars twinkling in the sky as far as I could see. Growing up in the city, I was used to the stars being washed out by light pollution, but here, without any signs of civilization or artificial light, the stars became the only source of illumination. I couldn’t help but gaze up in awe.

The night passed quickly, and I found myself wishing for time to slow down. After only about an hour of sleep, we climbed back onto our camels and rode into the desert as the sun began to rise. 

Watching the sun emerge over the dunes was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen; it felt like a painting coming to life. We settled into the sand and watched as the sun came up over the horizon. I laid in the desert’s soft sand, with the sun’s rays gently warming my face as it rose in the sky and the cool night sand beginning to heat up beneath me. I felt connected to the desert. 

All too soon, it was time to mount our camels once more and begin our journey out of the desert, marking the end of my unforgettable adventure in Morocco’s Sahara.

Being so immersed in nature, completely disconnected from the outside world, has forever changed how I see exploration and travel. To fully lose myself in one of the world’s most remote and captivating landscapes was a rare thrill, and I am deeply grateful for the experience. This journey wouldn’t have been possible without the Moroccan locals who welcomed us into the desert with open arms, shared their wisdom, and became friends as we told stories around the campfire. 

My journey to the Sahara Desert in Morocco was truly a trip of a lifetime. 

• adventure
• africa
• camels
• camping
• morocco
• North Africa
• Sahara Desert
• travel