The Extravagant Nature of Morocco

Tazart, Morocco

After a long night of waiting at the airport, our three-day tour through the desert began. Our guide took us to the first location, which would be a beautiful mountainous view, swallowed by a sea of fog. It was surreal to see in person. And, of course, it would not be a Morocco blog without at least one picture of a cat!

A foggy, green mountain landscape with a village partially obscured by mist in the distance.

A tortoiseshell cat with golden eyes sits on a red wooden chair at a black table in a restaurant, looking directly at the camera. A person in a pink shirt is partially visible in the background.

Ait Zineb, Morocco

The next unique stop on our tour was this small historical suburb called Ait Zineb. The views from below and above were both indescribable in their own ways. We also stopped in a small shop with paintings that filled the walls. Our tour guide then presented to us how these magical pieces of art are created with fire, followed by some exciting music.

A fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco with a bridge and river in the foreground under a clear blue sky.

Panoramic view of Ait Benhaddou, a fortified village in Morocco, with numerous clay buildings, green palm trees, and a vast desert stretching to distant mountains under a bright blue sky.

A man in a traditional Moroccan art shop, surrounded by numerous small desert landscape paintings, examining one of them.

Todra Gorges, Morocco

Next, we walked deep into the villages to a lovely view of the mountains. This was a very fascinating walk with hidden paths all throughout different plants and fields. It was totally worth it for the end result, though; people were even hiking these huge mountains!

A deep canyon with towering red-orange rock walls under a bright blue sky, featuring a winding road, a river with small waterfalls, a white van, and a few people at the base.

A scenic dusk view overlooking the city of Marrakech with palm trees in the foreground and a crescent moon in the sky.

Tinghir, Morocco

We ended our night at this lovely hotel nearby, where we would have a family dinner and rest before fully going into the desert. I really appreciated how much the guides treated our group like family. It was comforting and made the tour even more unique! The window in our hotel room presented us with a lovely view to wake up to the next day!

The Sahara Desert; Daytime

Here’s the most exciting part: our arrival in the Sahara Desert. The sand was a shade of orange that matched the sun, and several camels greeted us in the distance. We drove our ATVs to the camp we would be staying at, with some insane mountains of sand throughout the drive. Safe to say I will definitely be doing that again in the future if given the chance.

A bright sun shines over vast, rolling sand dunes under a dark blue sky, with visible tire tracks in the foreground and a small off-road vehicle carrying two people.

A serene desert landscape at dusk or dawn, featuring vast sand dunes with visible footprints, a pale blue sky with scattered clouds, and a delicate crescent moon.

Long shadows of a camel caravan and people stretching across vast sand dunes under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

The Sahara Desert; Nighttime

I think the best way to end this blog is with the highlight of my trip, camping out in the desert. This is an opportunity that I never imagined, but I am so grateful I had! The desert has all these beautiful parts, but the most magical of it all is the night sky. It felt like you could map out the whole world with your eyes, and I lost track of all the shooting stars I saw. All I have to say is, if you’re thinking about it, book that trip!

Silhouettes of several people standing on a dark mountain ridge against a breathtaking sunset sky, featuring hues of orange, red, and dark blue, with subtle clouds.

A dark night sky filled with countless tiny, bright white stars, creating a serene and expansive celestial view.