Erg Chebbi

Erg Chebbi, Morocco

The colours are inescapable. Like the elusive mirage on a sea of yellow, Auberge Yasmina looked impossibly perfect. On the edge of the Sahara, the mighty dunes of Erg Chebbi were yet another gem in the kaliedoscope of Morocco. Only four hours earlier I was standing in the whiteness of Midelt, feeding nuts to snow-loving apes.

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An Oasis in the Desert

The colours are inescapable. Like the elusive mirage on a sea of yellow, Auberge Yasmina looked impossibly perfect. On the edge of the Sahara, the mighty dunes of Erg Chebbi were yet another gem in the kaliedoscope of Morocco. Only four hours earlier I was standing in the whiteness of Midelt, feeding nuts to snow-loving apes.

Sunrise over the Sahara

I’d have to say out of all of the places I’ve been, what I saw and experienced here in the desert is amongst some of my fondest travel memories. We did an hour camel trek from Merzouga through enormous apricot waves of sand. My traveling companions and I were a very determined bunch and we insisted on sleeping out underneath the stars on the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi versus the goat haired nomad tents made available to us for the trek. All I can say is our poor guide, but he was a very good sport and hauled himself up and along to appease our whim. It was a night that I’ll never forget. I’ve never in my life seen so many shooting stars. We froze, especially when the wind picked up at 4am-ish. We were there in April, so no worries for critters, like scorpions or snakes we had been told, though come morning we did see beetle tracks and something that might have been from a fox like creature. Greeting us at dawn was this breathtaking sunrise. We had a lot of wonderful experiences in Morocco, but it had saved its most intimate and generous gift to us, for last.

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