Day 3 ~ March 1
We set off early with Brahim, Chris and me walking on our third morning as we had a long walk ahead and Brahim wanted to avoid travelling in the heat of the day. Momo, M’barek and the camels would catch us up later. Our walk to our next camping spot was about 18 km in length, though we didn’t know that when we started out that morning. It took us over a large area of flatter terrain where there were a lot fewer dunes than there had been the day before. It was such an amazing experience walking through the changes in landscape.
Momo and M’barek caught up with us.
Luckily, the day did not start warming up until about 11 am so we had walked quite a long way by then. This was the day we were headed to the biggest area of dunes, Erg Chigaga, in this part of the Sahara.
This is stunning scenery for its simplicity!
As we walked further, we could see the huge dunes in the distance.
I love this photo of the desert as it shows so many aspects of the desert.
Though it is hard to get an accurate measurement, it seems that the largest dunes are about 500 ft high which is huge compared to anything we had seen so far. We were looking forward to climbing one, though the area is very popular with tourists most of whom are driven to this area in 4x4s and stay at semi-permanent camps which have sprouted up on the northern edge of Erg Chigaga.
Up until now on our Sahara trek we had seen almost no other tourists and very little litter. The dunes had been pristine and Brahim referred to them as "pure" dunes which was a very accurate description of how we were experiencing them.
In mid-afternoon, we arrived at where we would camp for the night which was about a thirty minute walk to Erg Chigaga from there. Camp was set up close to a huge tree which provided good protection from the sun and the wind. As we approached the tree, Momo found an old blue tea pot in the sand that had lost its spout. He joked that it was a great souvenir of the desert and I totally agreed. Making tea is such a fundamental activity in Moroccan life and in the desert so this was the perfect memento (it now sits on my mantlepiece at home!).
Our desert home for the night.
M’barek preparing our Berber Pizza. Yummmmm!
Momo, M’barek and Brahim would often wander a short distance into the desert and find a tree or a dune to sit on for a while. It seemed to be their form of meditation. Once back in camp, Momo surprized us by climbing quite high up in the tree to break off branches for the camels to eat. He takes such good care of them.
Sadly, after lunch, it became quite windy and dust started to become more apparent and our view of the dunes really deteriorated. It was uncertain that we would be able to go over to explore the dunes unless the wind subsided somewhat. In the late afternoon we were in luck, as the wind died down significantly. We headed over to the dunes with Brahim and Momo; M’barek stayed back at the camp. As it had been dusty all afternoon, the strength of the sunlight was hampered, which was disappointing for me because dunes look their most beautiful in early-morning and late-evening sunlight which brings out the golden light and lots of shadows to the dunes. Nevertheless, we still wanted to see and climb these huge dunes.
Although tourists benefit countries they visit by bringing in money and generating employment, both of which are important, when over-tourism happens in any particular area it tends to mar the natural beauty of the area and to create difficulties such as increased cost of living for the local people. Another element that Brahim told us about is that many desert tours are organized by companies in Marrakech or farther away and do not employ or otherwise involve local people. A few times we stopped walking whilst Brahim gave directions to tour groups that were lost and had no idea where they were. I was so glad that Brahim, Momo and M’barek are locals and know the desert like the back of their hands. I remembered how, on that first evening of our desert trek when Brahim sent us off to climb a higher dune, he had told us that if a sandstorm were to come up, we should stay where we were and he would come and get us! It reminded me of how to be with blizzards in Saskatchewan! The desert is no place to explore without having guides who know the terrain. We were always touched by how concerned our team was for our safety and well being.
Back to Chigaga ..... when we had climbed up about halfway up the largest dune, we realized that Brahim was not planning to accompany us to the top. He stopped and suggested he and Chris wait whilst Momo and I continue to the top. He explained it was simply too difficult for him to be in such a beautiful and spiritual place surrounded by crowds of tourists who were there only for adventure and were mostly disconnected from the deep spiritual quality of the desert. He knew that a throng of tourists from nearby tented camps would soon be climbing the dune to watch the sunset; he described this experience as like being in a 'souk” (market place). Chris knew he could not let go of seeing the sea of dunes that would be visible from the top so he accompanied Momo and me as we continued upwards, leaving Bhahim to spend quiet time down below. He looked so at home among the dunes.
Momo offered to carry my camera bag up to the top of Chicaga. I was very grateful as it really lightened my load..
It took a lot of work to get to the top as the dune was steep-sided and in many places the sand was soft. I started to get the hang of climbing the soft-sand areas by digging the toes of my boots hard into the sand so I didn’t slide back down too much. It was really special for us both to do this ascent with Momo. Perched atop the dune, the three of us admired in silence the beauty of seemingly endless dunes rolling out into the distance.
A very memorable moment!
Chris in his element!
The endless sea of Sahara dunes……..
As I feared, it was clearly not going to be a sunlit sunset. The upside of this was that, about half-an-hour after we got to the top, we were joined by only one large group of about 25 mostly younger people, predominantly Morrocan, so we were spared a major “souk experience”. We noticed that most people in the group spent more time talking into their cell phones than taking in the incredible natural beauty.
The group starting the walk up to the top of Erg Chigaga.
The group who shared the view on the top of Erg Chicaga that evening.
Having spent the past several days walking through the pristine desert where there had been virtually no impact by tourists, encountering Erg Chigaga was a bit jarring because of the numerous semi-permanent camps spread amongst the dunes, the amount of litter that was present, and the way that visiting tourists interacted daily with the landscape leaving tire marks from 4x4s, ATVs and motorbikes along with an over-abundance of footprints. I found it a challenge to take photos that captured the naturalness of the dunes and excluded evidence of tourist activity.
Though we had been in the desert for only a couple of days, we could tell how impacted we already were by its utter simplicity and beauty. All that we needed was an awareness of presence and the capacity to receive what each moment was offering. It was, therefore, jarring to see so clearly how humans often have to add onto what is already there ..... it is not enough to be immersed in the dunes ..... there is a need to ride on them at great speed in all manner of vehicles! The only saving grace is that the tire marks are erased by the wind!
As the sun lowered and clouds began to smother the light, we started to walk back down to where Brahim was sitting quietly. I have to say that I felt disappointed not to have had the opportunity to photograph the “sea of dunes in all its sunlit grandeur, but it was amazing to have experienced it with Chris and Momo.
We walked back to our campsite and, when we arrived there, we realized that we had walked 21 kms this day! Sitting in our little nests made by our lovely team, we rested and ate yet another vegetable tagine followed by the most delicious tangerine oranges. As the daylight dimmed and the clouds disappeared, we were able to enjoy another beautiful starry sky!
Day 4 ~ March 2
This was our last full day of walking in the dunes. We awoke to another lovely day. After breakfast, we packed up and once again Brahim, Chris and I headed off before Momo, M’barek and the camels who would catch us up later. As the wind had settled down, Brahim took us on a route parallel to the northern edge of the Chigaga dunes and then northward into an area of what he called “wild desert”. If the wind had been stronger we would have been unable to do this route because there would have been too much blowing sand. Our plan was to end up in a nomads' village and then stay in an oasis for the night. On the following day we would go to another nomads' village. But the dunes in the "wild desert" were so beautiful and amazing that we didn’t have enough time to go all the way to the first nomads' village. As it was, I walked 16 km and Chris another 3 km as I rode those last 3 km on Mabrouk the most trustworthy camel. I was so grateful not to have to walk as I was exhausted after clambering up and down dunes all day in order to get good vantage points for photos. I didn’t notice how tiring it was at the time as I was totally enchanted to be immersed in such pristine beauty.
Sometimes we came across these lone trees and wondered how they survive!
Several times that day we saw other caravans of camels making their way across the dunes in the distance.
One of my favourite photos of the desert.
At one point we passed a lot of camels grazing. There were young ones! The exoticness of seeing camels never wears off!
Brahim was always showing us interesting things in the desert.
How spacious is the desert!
We arrive in this area of most beautiful dunes. They were absolutely pristine.
Chris, at home in the desert.
This day, I was exhausted by the last hour of our walk so I road Mabrouk but Chris, walked the whole way!
As we were nearing the end of our day’s journey, the wind started to increase and before long the visibility really diminished. Brahim was worried that there was going to be a sandstorm. Luckily we arrived at the small oasis where we would be camping for the night and where — if the storm worsened — the palm trees would give us some shelter. The visibility continued to decrease through the afternoon but as evening approached, the skies cleared. We then spent a quiet and relaxed time at our oasis for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
The camels feasted on the palm leaves.
This location was different from any others that we had passed as there was a well located there. This meant that our team could wash their clothes, and Chris and I could wash our faces, hands and feet and generally freshen up. It was a good feeling for sure.
The well!
Chris spent an hour or two wandering amongst a profusion of black rocks that cropped out close to our site. Fossils are so numerous in Morocco that they are easily found. Chris’s rock collection is growing!!!
Apparently the nomad family that we would be visiting the next day actually used to live in this building which is now in ruins.
Fossilized ripples..
Whilst we were at the oasis, a couple of small caravans visited the well so that their camels could drink and fill themselves up with water for the next few days of their trip. It is always a delight to watch and photograph it all.
Momo engaging with a visitor at the well.
A quiet moment. Brahim checking out his email messages (yes there is even internet in the desert), and Chris looking at some rocks he picked up.
Momo bringing back firewood that he had gathered for the evening fire.
That evening Brahim answered some of our questions about the Toureg tribe and we were able to ask Momo and M'barek some questions about their lives. It was wonderful sitting around the fire. We were both quite exhausted as we had walked some 19 kms!
Such a wonderful evening!
I will continue on with our Sahara trip in the next blog where we overnight in the nomad village and then make our way back to Zagora. Thanks for sharing our journey with us. Love, Dana and Chris