Tips For Camping In The Sahara Desert With Kids

Trekking to a camp site in the middle of the Sahara Desert via camel, and sleeping in a tent under the milky way in dead silence,  was one of the most memorable and magical experiences ever.  Definitely the highlight of our Morocco trip and was literally the stuff movies and dreams are made of!
We drove from Fez over the Atlas Mountains to Erg Chebbi, a small town on the edge of the Sahara located about 5 miles from the Algerian border.

kinds in turbans sahara desert morocco
Stylin’ in their turbans

We stopped to buy turbans on the way.  This wasn’t just to make our pictures look really cool (although they did add a little flair I must admit), but our trusty driver, Khalid, warned us it may be 90 degrees during the day, but in the Sahara the temperature drops VERY quickly.

From Erg Chebbi, we picked up a dune buggy to drive to Merzouga where we’d choose our camels. Of course the boys loved every minute and our driver didn’t need much encouragement to catch air as he drifted over the sand dunes, on a wild ride through the desert!sahara desert, Morocco with kids

kids camping in the sahara desert, Morocco
Julian was able to ride the cute baby camel!

We arrived and picked our camels for the 90 minute trek to the campsite.  I was expecting quite a relaxing ride, but it was actually quite strenuous.  My camel seemed to be in a mood, and I was lodged precariously in between two humps, squeezing my inner thighs for dear life.
sahara desert, Morocco with kidsvisit the sahara desert, Morocco          It would often turn its head to look me in the eyes as if to say “don’t try any funny business sister!”   Regardless, I fell into the rhythm of big, jerky camel strides, as I swayed forwards and backwards and side to side squeezing my thighs for dear life.  It was quite a workout! sahara desert, Morocco beauty with kidsThe dunes began to change color as the sun started to lower in the sky, and the incredible views took our mind off the discomfort.sahara desert, Morocco sand dunes orange

sahara desert, Morocco shadows
Guess which one is me?

After about 60 minutes of walking through the dunes, we finally spotted what looked like a collection of tents in the distance. It seemed almost like a mirage.

camp site in the sahara desert, Morocco
Is that a mirage or our hotel for the evening?

The sun was setting, it was definitely getting cooler, and we parked our camels and began to hike a huge sand dune to watch the sun set over the dunes.

climbing dunes in the sahara desert, Morocco
This dune is actually much steeper than it looks, and was quite challenging

It was the most impressive sunset we have ever seen.  sahara desert, Morocco sunset

As the sun hit the horizon, the sky literally exploded with color. The lights bounced off the sand dunes to share the most incredible shades of yellow, pink, orange, deep red, and finally a dark brownish glow.  Amazing!  sahara desert, Morocco

sahara desert, Morocco campfire
My boys look so handsome in the Sahara sunset

Once the sun set, I realized we’d better get back to our campsite pretty quickly.  It would be very easy to get lost with zero light, and there wasn’t a single sound for miles.  The only light was from the fire and candles back at our camp.sahara desert, Morocco campsite

kids camping in the sahara desert, Morocco
Our humble abode for the evening!

We climbed down the dune, headed back to the campsite, and set up our beds for the night in our modest tents.   The tents were very basic with thick heavy Berber blankets for us to sleep on, and also to lay on top of us for warmth.  I’m pretty sure the linens aren’t changed every day like the Four Seasons Hotel, so tried not to think about who slept in them the night before!

sahara desert, Morocco adventure camping
“Mom, this isn’t very posh” – Julian

We closed the ‘door’ to our tent in the hopes of keeping warmth inside, but it was absolutely freezing.  We added more layers of clothes, and made our way to the communal tent for dinner.  There were about 16 guests total in our camp, from all over the world.

We could smell the tagine cooking from the top of the sand dune, and we were eager to put some food into our cold tummies. We sat cross-legged on the ground, eating tagine, couscous, veggies, and drinking sweet mint tea.

sahara desert, Morocco tagine
The tagine was absolutely fantastic after our long camel ride to camp

We shared stories, and after dinner we lit a campfire, and sat around talking and laughing. Our guides played traditional Berber music and we all sang, played instruments and enjoyed the moment.

sahara desert, Morocco campfire stories
Each group was asked to sing a song that represented them and their country.  Many people sang their national anthem, and we sang ‘Don’t worry about a thing’ – Bob Marley.  Sort of summed up an unforgettable evening…

As the fire died down it was time for bed.  We were all freezing cold at this point.  We slept in layers of clothes (including hats and gloves) and cuddled for maximum body heat in the same bed.

sahara desert, Morocco camping in the desert
I think I actually froze in this position all night with my face locked into this sexy grimace

Julian stuck his little hands in between my legs for extra warmth.   The ‘bathroom’ was a separate tent for the whole camp, and was basically a hole in the desert floor with a make-shift bucket for a sink and mirror surrounded by tarp.

kids camping in the sahara desert, Morocco
In case you were wondering, there’s no padding between the Berber blanket and the desert floor and they are sleeping in hats, hoodies and gloves.

We decided to use this facility as little as possible, instead we’d shower properly the next day in a hotel.  We cuddled under the stars and stared up at the milky way.  The stars were so bright as we were in complete darkness, and it was strangely silent (except for the odd camel fart much to Julian’s delight).  sahara desert, Morocco milky way
There was practically zero light pollution and we could see every planet and star of the milky way so clearly.  We felt a million miles away from humanity, and huddling together looking up at the stars in the Sahara Desert is one of our most amazing experiences together.

sahara desert, Morocco sunrise
We set off from camp in darkness the next morning at 6am

sahara desert, Morocco sunrise camel rideThe next morning we were woken at 5.30am.  We were warned it would be a brutally cold morning, but it would be worth it.  We drank lukewarm weak coffee, ate rusks, and packed our backpack ready to trek on our camels.  It was seriously freezing.

sahara desert, Morocco freezing cold camel ride
This boy is NOT happy here….it was so cold

Poor Julian said he couldn’t feel his fingers and toes (neither could I for that matter) so I told him to write the alphabet with his toes inside his double layers of socks and shoes. His face was pink and the snot was almost freezing to his face.

We set off for Merzouga, clung to our camels in the freezing cold and darkness for about 40 minutes (and I’m not going to lie… I was miserable and wondered why the heck we decided to do this in the first place)…. then we stopped.

Our guides obviously knew this spot, and we stared over the dunes to witness the most spectacular sunrise. sahara desert, Morocco with kids for sunrise It was very slow to rise, and I was surprised to feel the temperature immediately rise, as we watched the magical show courtesy of mother nature.

family traveling to sahara desert, Morocco
There were no words

We were amazed by the different shades of yellow, orange, pink and red, and very slowly the temperature became more bearable.  family on camels sahara desert, MoroccoIt was almost more spectacular than the sunset!  sahara desert, Morocco camel ride in sunrisecamping and camel rides sahara desert, MoroccoAfter taking the most incredible pictures, we made our way back to Merzouga for a tasty traditional breakfast, hot coffee and HEAT!sahara desert, Morocco

sahara desert, Morocco warm again for breakfast in merzouga
This is the face of someone who sat in the hot shower for 30 minutes!

Some pointers for the Sahara Desert:

  • Be sure to pack plenty of warm clothes.  It can get super cold at night, think below freezing temperatures. Bring a hat, gloves, sweaters, warm socks, jacket, and lots of layers.
  • Try to avoid visiting the dunes in July and August because the winds are brutal and almost unbearable to explore the dunes, not to mention the extremely hot temperatures during the day.
  • There are many companies offering to take you camping in the Sahran Desert.  Be sure to choose a smaller campsite for a more intimate experience.
  • Be prepared to be off the grid with no cel service.
  • Be sure you’ve got your ‘song’ to share with the other campers!
  • Bring extra batteries for cameras and cel phones if you are using that for pictures.  There is nowhere to charge your devices until you get back to Merzouga and it would be a total bummer to run out of juice for the grand finale sunrise!
sahara desert, Morocco husband
Love this pic of Hot Hubby!

Would you take your family camping in the Sahara Desert?

About The Author

Samantha

I’m a travel and health writer, digital and brand consultant, breast cancer survivor, and supermom to two active boys! I keep it real and share stories of raising teenage boys, family life after a cancer diagnosis, and family travels around the world! Each story is shared with my dry, and sometimes naughty sense of humor.

3 COMMENTS

  1. melclayville | 5th Jan 18

    Yes! I have wanted to do this for so long! One of these days we will make it to Morocco and ride those camels into the Sahara! Thanks for sharing your experience and for the tips!

    • Samantha Kuhr | 5th Jan 18

      It was incredible! Hopefully you make the trip soon! Happy New Year!

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