You’ve probably heard about the charming streets of Casablanca and boujee resorts in Agadir, but the far east of Morocco is totally different from anything you’ll experience out west. This area serves as the gateway to the Sahara Desert, where many members of the nomadic Berber tribe continue to reside, preserving their rich traditions and way of life.
When you walk around any major Moroccan city, it won’t be long before you spot the travel agencies offering tours to the Sahara Desert to spend a night with the Berber people. It was the same for me when I visited Marrakech back in 2022. As we were slowly coming out of the pandemic, I managed to pick up some seriously cheap flights to the Red City. I had no real concrete plans before arriving, but after seeing these same advertisements in the souks, I was curious to know if what they were offering was legit, so I went ahead and booked a 2-day/3-night trip.
Who Are the Berber People?
The Berbers are an ethnic group based in Northern Africa; it’s estimated there are around 20 million of them based in Morocco, although it’s hard to estimate the exact figure. They also go by the name of the Amazigh and have strong ties with land, hence why most of them tend to live in the Sahara and the Atlas and Rift Mountains.
In Morocco, the Berbers either live a semi-modern or nomadic lifestyle. Those who live in semi-modern own houses and often reside in urban areas, whereas the nomadic people live in camps, migrate through the desert, and raise their livestock in the most suitable locations. These days, it’s common for the younger generation to pursue a different way of life, so they often venture to more populated places for better opportunities.
It’s important to mention that most Berbers have villages with their communities, but a lot of them spend extended time in the desert. For example, with the crowd I stayed with, many of them were born in the Sahara and lived there most of the time, but some of their families resided in a village around an hour’s drive from the camp. On the other hand, two of the gentleman’s fathers were fully nomadic, so everyone’s personal situation is different.
Getting to the Moroccan Sahara
The drive between Marrakech and Merzouga (the main entry point to the Sahara) is around eight and a half hours, but it takes much longer regardless of how you go there. With an organized tour, most drivers will break the journey there up between two days as the way back tends to be one long stretch, making it less intense. And if you take the bus, it makes a few stops in different towns on the way, so it takes longer.
If you go with the multi-day tour option, you can expect to pay around MAD 1185.34 (€110) for the three days (at least that’s what I paid); this includes transport, basic accommodation, and some meals. They tend to include a few exciting stops along the way, like the Atlas Mountains and Aït Benhaddou. Trust me, you’ll be kept well entertained every day, but do take into account that you’ll spend a good chunk of your time stuck in the back of a van. Fortunately, my group was very social; we all got chatting with one another from the beginning, so the time passed quite quickly.
Alternatively, you can take a direct bus from Marrakech to Merzouga with the company Supratours. Tickets for the one-way 12-hour bus ride are priced at around MAD 430 (€40), which adds up to MAD 860 (€80) return, so it’s not cheap. When you consider what you get for the price of the tour, it’s only an extra MAD 323.27 (€30), a much better option in my opinion, but it depends on how much time you have to spare.
Arriving in Merzouga
After a long journey, one too many Moroccan coffees, and more dates than you can imagine, you’ll eventually reach Merzouga. I’ll never forget arriving in the village and seeing the dunes of the Sahara in the distance, with the golden sand rising as the sun began to set.
I was lucky enough that my transport to the camp had already been arranged for me; it was a camel, pure Berber style. Members of the camp we were staying with met us at a point just on the outskirts of the desert with the camels. I’d say we rode for at least an hour before we reached our camp for the night, and let me tell you, riding a camel isn’t as easy as it looks; you’ll be fairly sore the next morning.
Anyone who’s arranging their experience on their own can find a bunch of Berber camps on accommodation websites like Booking.com for as low as MAD 75.43 (€7) a night. They’ll most likely offer you pick up for free from Merzouga or arrange it for a small fee for you.
What to Expect When You Spend a Night With The Berbers
I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the camp. I’ll admit, my expectations were low; after all, we were sleeping in the middle of the desert, so home comforts were bound to be at a minimum.
As I jumped off the camel and grabbed my bags, one of the tribe members showed me the way to my tent. It was a basic tent-style lodge with a mattress, pillow, blanket, and a little battery light; that was all I needed.
Soon after, we were called for dinner in a separate tent; a giant traditional tagine was prepared for sharing. Tagine is a slow-cooked stew made with tender meat and vegetables, served in a distinctive clay pot. Alongside it is some freshly baked Moroccan bread for dipping into the flavorful sauce; it’s as delicious as it sounds. Over dinner, we got to chat with the tribesmen about their social structure and how Islam plays an important role in their lifestyle. It was interesting to learn about the tribal system among the Berbers and how each sub-tribe has its own leader who is in charge of installing law and order in the community. Luckily, one of the Berbers taking care of us had a decent level of English that he had developed over the years meeting tourists. He acted as a translator between the five of us in our group and the rest of the tribe members, which helped a lot.
As dinner finished, it was music time next. The Berbers love their music; it’s such a big part of their lifestyle, so you’re bound to hear them play a few of their favorite tribal tunes with the flute and drums. Our guys took out a set of drums, got the fire going, and started singing immediately after eating, so there was no time to waste. We gathered around the campfire, sang songs all through the night, and exchanged stories about our backgrounds; they were equally as intrigued about us as we were about them.
Just as we were about to hit the hay, one of the young men from the group asked if we would like to go on a little walk and see the stars. Of course, we all nearly snapped his arm off for the opportunity. We walked for around 30 minutes, scaling the dunes in the darkness before finding a nice place to set ourselves down. The tribesman brought a few blankets with him for us to lay down on, and just like that, we finished the night stargazing in the Sahara.
Waking up for Sunrise
It was 5:30 am, and I was abruptly woken up with screams of ‘coffee, coffee; time to wake up,’ that’s about the only thing that could get me out of bed this early. More than likely, the leader of your camp will do the same for you to get you up in time for sunrise. While nobody will force you to get up, I urge you to fight the tiredness because this will be one of the best sunrises you’ll ever witness.
I sloshed back my bitter, lukewarm Nescafé red, threw on my jacket, and shivered my way to the camel. We rode around an hour into the desert and stopped at a pretty big dune. I knew we were going to have to climb up it, but luckily, the coffee had kicked in, so I had a bit of energy in me. After ten minutes, we reached the top, stood by, and waited for the sun to emerge. A little while later, one of the men from the tribe told us to prepare as he counted down the seconds. And just like that, the sun rose exactly as he got to zero; he timed it perfectly.
As we sat there, soaking in the views of the sun illuminating the sky, we could hear the sounds of the call to prayer from a distant mosque. The Berbers walked away from us to begin their prayers; the entire scene was nothing short of extraordinary.
Essential Packing List
First night spending a night in the desert? It likely is! You’ll want to come prepared, especially if you’re staying at one of the more basic camps like I did, since they have fewer amenities.
Here are some things I recommend you pack with you:
- A few layers of clothing, as it gets cold at night
- Snacks
- Hard currency (Moroccan Dirham)
- Mosquito repellent and a net if you’re really paranoid about getting bitten
- An extra blanket
- Bottled drinking water
- A power bank to charge your phone
Tips for Planning Your Trip
There are so many things I wish I had known before planning my stay with the Berber tribe. Unfortunately, some lessons can only be learned through experience, and you don’t fully grasp them until you’ve been there yourself.
So that your trip runs as smoothly as possible, I’ve left my tips below to help you prepare:
- Do lots of research beforehand to ensure you’re actually visiting an authentic Berber tribe. There are some camps out there that claim they’re real Berbers, but they actually aren’t. The last thing you want is to show up and realize that the people operating the camp don’t know anything about the Berber lifestyle and traditions.
- Shop around for tours; don’t just jump on the first one you see. You’d be amazed at the sheer number of companies that offer visits to Berber settlements, so you can chance your arm and try to bag yourself a good deal.
- Make sure your tour includes return transport from Marrakech; some companies only bring people one way and then ask them for money to take them back.
- If you want to go to a different city from the one you’ve departed from, be sure to mention this to the company you’re booking with, as they may know another company going in that direction that can take you.
- Most camps will arrange a camel ride for you between Merzouga and their settlement. Some people may not want to ride a camel due to their own personal morals and beliefs, and that’s perfectly fine. You can inform the camp in advance, and they will either allow you to walk alongside your group on the camels or arrange a direct jeep ride straight to the camp, depending on their policy.
So, Is Camping With the Berbers as Good as It Sounds?
Despite the lengthy trek east, camping with the Berbers will be one of the adventures that you will talk about for years to come. Sure, you might have to rough it for a few days, but memorable moments on the road like these never come easy.
Even if you’re not one for braving the outdoors, there are some more upmarket camps in the Sahara; they may not be the typical way the Berbers live, but they sure will give you a taste of their lifestyle.