Berber entertainmentĪ night at La Belle Etoile includes live Berber music and dancing, and a typical Moroccan feast. The highlight is the campfire in the middle of the tents under the brightest stars I’ve ever seen, with enough pillows and carpets to keep you comfortable for hours. Given the middle-of-nowhere inhospitable setting, these tented camps are decadent with beds, running water including an in-room toilet and shower, and electricity. Not as comfortable as it looks Xaluca La Belle Etoile La Belle Etoile private tented campĪs soon as the sun went down, we headed back to our accommodations for the night, a private tented camp run by the Xaluca group called La Belle Etoile. There’s nothing about this place that is familiar or usual - the very essence of experiential travel in my book. Everything about these dunes is surreal and vivid - the color, the shadows, the sky. Hello sand shadowsĮvery expectation was exceeded. We arrived at the Erg Chebbi sand dunes just in time to hop on camels for a sunset ride. Experienced “desert drivers” and well-equipped cars ensured this trip was stress-free. Getting to the dunes involves an hour of on- and off-road driving through a barren stretch of desert. There’s no “just passing through” these dunes. It takes time and effort to get to the Sahara Desert in Morocco and only determined travelers will keep it on their itinerary.
That said, in the end, the number of groups we ran into were very small. In the end I weighed priorities and determined being solo in the desert wasn’t important to us. The trade-off is this area has more tourists than more remote desert spots like Erg Chegaga. Little boy paradise Erg Chebbi Sand DunesĪs I scoured the web for information, Erg Chebbi came up again and again as the hot spot for sand dune excursions.Īdmittedly, I was in a dangerous trip planning place as I had a very specific vision (huge, reddish dunes that go on forever) for what I wanted to see which meant that anything “less” than that would leave me disappointed.Īs a consequence, I ended up selecting Erg Chebbi as our dunes venue as it was the “safe” bet for meeting my vision. The company we used, however, didn’t shy away from the challenge. I had a few operators try and talk me out of going, while others quite simply couldn’t provide enough details or customization. I had an extensive search for an operator who would and could find a way to make this long journey kid-friendly. Moreover, you need a way to make an inherently tiring trip, fun for all. Together these trip requirements mean that a tour operator to handle the driving, touring, and camp selection is a must. Staying in a tent in the dunes is the way to dig into this destination. Staying in a hotel outside the dunes is possible, but will not immerse you in the experience. Moreover, the logistical challenge isn’t just about getting there, it’s also about what you do once you arrive. I quickly realized that no matter how you organize sightseeing stops in Morocco, a trip to the dunes involves 10+ hours of driving through remote parts of the country. A task that proved challenging and ultimately, affected every stop we made on our trip. When I planned our family trip to Morocco in October, I was determined to include sand dunes in our itinerary.
#PRIVATE CONTACT ERG CHEBBIE MOVIE#
Edge of Sahara Desert sand dunes at Merzouga, MoroccoĮver since I watched (and re-watched) the movie The English Patient, I’ve dreamed of seeing the Sahara Desert sand dunes in North Africa.
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