Engine checked, fuel tanks full, and luggage packed, my three siblings and I sat comfortably in the back of our van, prepared for a long but exciting road trip across the Sahara Desert. Normally family trips would bore me, but the ride to Merzouga, the eastern edge of Morocco, was special.
From Marrakech in central Morocco to Ouarzazate to its east, between torrents, snow-capped peaks, and gorges, the magical views of mountain scenery were renewed in each village, my eyes clinging to the rugged slopes and vertiginous switchbacks. The desert’s colors were brilliant—bathing the palm tree spotted landscape in a soft red light and making the background of snow-capped peaks even more dazzling.
The Grand Atlas mountain pass that links the southeast of Marrakech to Ouarzazate is known as Tizi N Tichka. A perilous yet sensational crossing above the Marrakech plains, Tizi N Tichka was the gateway to our destination: The Merzouga Desert.
Upon our arrival, the beauty of the desert forced us into the present moment. With no social media and no concerns for our busy lives back home, we gave our complete focus on where we were and on the adventure awaiting us.
Merzouga is a town known for its towering mounds of sand. The sheer size of the dunes is a humbling experience for any traveler. Sunsets in the Sahara Desert are graciously colorful: the rays blend into the perfect gradient of red, orange, and blue. I buried my hands and feet in the warm sand and watched as the sun sank into the dunes that gradually shifted from their dazzling golden color to a progressively darker blue.
The next morning brought a camel ride with Merzouga nomads. The excursion included a visit to Khamlia, a small village that lives to the rhythms of Gnaoua music, illustrating the Africanity of southeast Morocco. Dar Gnaoua, translating to "the house of the Gnaoua", was another pleasant stopover—the ideal place to attend a real demonstration of the Gnaoui music which takes its listener through the history of the Haratins, sub-Saharan slaves exported upwards to the Maghreb during the time of triangular slavery.
Our tour continued with an afternoon tea with Bedouin tribes under a tent in a sea of sand. The very idea that people were living in the same way as they have for centuries and still practicing the traditions of their culture just a few hours away from ever-lively cities was hardly conceivable. Without electricity or a permanent home, the Bedouins live off the breeding of goats, sheep, and camels. And yet, their hospitality and modesty have no limits: they welcome tourists with open arms and invite them to sit and drink tea without asking for anything in return.
On my return home, I realized how much my country was endowed with historical, social, and cultural wealth and diversity that I had previously not known. My trip has fostered a newfound pride for not only my roots to Morocco, but for Africa as a whole.
Section Editor: Emily Gonzales
Section: Travel & Culture
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