Sahara Dawn and Camel Ride

We set the alarm for 5:45 so we could climb the dunes to watch the sunrise. We were told it wasn’t a particularly good one, but to our eyes it was fairly spectacular. The changes of color in the sand mirrored those in the sky. The younger generation found the pull of gravity irresistible, and ran down each dune laughing, racing each other and stumbling.

We returned to our desert Berber camp for a traditional breakfast (with one important distinction: they served coffee, a first for our visit). Afterwards we went to the edge of camp where our camels awaited us. The saddle for a camel is basically the shape of an open doughnut, encircling the camel’s hump so that only the ridge of the hump was visible and tangible.

The ride itself was only slightly more uncomfortable than that on a horse -- it had a bit of a rolling gait. The most “exciting” part was when the camel got to its feet from a kneeling position after we got into the saddle, or back to a kneeling position from upright. Those maneuvers were equal to any carnival ride and required a tight grip on the horn of the saddle to avoid being tossed off.

We spent an hour riding through the dunes, and although we were a little skeptical when we read in the brochure that “most find that enough”, we concurred.

We were met again by Mohamed and Ali at the end of the ride, and after a few gymnastics by Mohamed to get each camel to kneel so we could dismount, we got back in the car for our return drive to M’Hamid. Unlike yesterday during the sand storm, we actually got to see where we were going, though we continued to be mystified by how Ali was able to navigate across the dunes with no visibility. On inquiring, he jokingly replied that he has a GPS in his brain.

Once back in M’Hamid we retrieved our car from the guard at the garage (cost $2.50) and bid our guide adieu, informing him we planned to stop for coffee before leaving town. Mohamed and Ali consulted each other, then advised that “no, it would be better” if we drive an hour north to Zagora before stopping for coffee. We don’t know why they advised this, and could only guess they felt without their protective presence we’d be harassed unmercifully by touts trying to sell us “camel experience”, the seemingly sole source of revenue in town.