Marrakech - Sleep Under the Saharan Desert Stars

The beauty of experiencing a visit to Marrakech wouldn’t be complete without an excursion to sleep under the stars in the Saharan desert. We had the good fortune of booking a group tour at www.Viator.com.

Within 30 minutes of our hotel pick up we were in the glorious, picturesque Atlas Mountains, North Africa’s highest mountain range. The colorful chaos of Marrakech, just behind us. The terrain was jaw dropping, spectacular.

Our first main stop, was a must destination for film buffs. As the filming site for Hollywood blockbusters such as Game of Thrones and Gladiator, in less than four hours, we arrived at the UNESCO world heritage site of Ait Ben Haddou. We were met by a private guide who escorted our group for the short trek through this ancient historical village. Built in the 17th century of red clay, this was an important trading route between Marrakech and the Sahara Desert. It was built as a fortress so that residents could retreat for protection.

This was followed by lunch, before we continued our journey to the Sahara desert. Our arrival was perfectly timed for sundown. When our van stopped we could see our camp, far off in the distance, and were greeted by our hosts, who were born and raised in the desert. We looked forward to an authentic experience, and a glimpse of how local Berbers lived in the desert.

Each participant climbed onto a camel and did the one hour trek to our camp site, with the sun setting in the distance.Upon arrival at the camp, we saw 15 large, sturdy tents, set up in a circle, and we were randomly assigned a tent. We layed our bags down and the much anticipated star gazing began. We lied on the traditional Moroccan style welcome mats and cushions to begin this mesmerizing experience.

“I see the Milky Way”, said one participant. “There’s the Big Dipper - and there’s the Polar Star”, says another. “I see endless shooting stars”, and the chatter continues as the want to be astrologers of the group share their knowledge.

Before we knew it, traditional Moroccan fresh mint tea was being served ceremoniously and the ice breaker games began. “I’m Jorge from Portugal. It’s my first visit to Morocco. I’m Paola from Venezuela. It’s been my dream to come to Morocco and I’m pinching myself. I can’t believe it.” Our hosts set the tone as they went out of their way to ensure that participants were as comfortable as can be.

Eventually, we were summoned to the communal tent for dinner of chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumber and coriander, followed by chicken and vegetarian tajines. After dinner, we settled back on the welcome mats as our hosts took out their musical instruments and treated us to authentic berber music, keeping the energy level high. Finally, some retired to their tents for the night, while others decided to get their blankets and sleep outdoors under the stars.

The sunrise was a glorious melange of colors of bright red, orange and yellow hues. We were offered a light breakfast, including traditional tea, to give us the stamina for the camel trek back to our vehicle.

Booking with Viator Easy and Seamless:

This was an amazing experience thanks to the ease and confidence of booking that comes with Viator’s seamless-to-use platform. Viator is the leading global experiences marketplace. Its nearly 400,000 experiences onsite, offers 5-star rated tours and activities to book and explore. Other advantages include the ultimate in flexibility, with free cancellation and payment options to satisfy any plan or budget and 24/7 award-winning support.

This tour to the desert can be booked at: https://www.viator.com/account/booking/105698209/1260828652/868393152

Other tours from Viator can be booked at www.viator.com.