Erg Chebbi, Western Sahara of Morocco

From Marrakech, my friend and I drove out into the desert, into the western reaches of the Sahara. We had organised to take an overnight camel ride, that would take us out amongst the dunes at sunset, feed us, give us a tent for the night followed by a relaxed ride back through the dunes the following day.

Well, with hindsight I have to say that it was a bit of a tourist trap in some ways but the problem is, as an Australian, the Sahara is a long way away and full of mystique, so I was just glad to be there. Whatever we think about riding animals and transferring our burdens onto them, carrying a human being certainly felt well within their powers, and their gruff personalities definitely added to the experience. At sunset, the desert sands almost seemed to glow red, and the shadows cast across the dunes by our camel caravan as the sun sank, were incredible to watch. For me though, the best part was climbing to the top of the dunes at sunrise, walking across their pointy tops, sitting and taking it all in... and then racing back down the fastest way possible! Super fun!