Chance discoveries while traveling give another dimension to what’s been planned and researched. So often it’s the unexpected things that are best remembered and inspire a return visit. In 2024, I had the great good fortune to travel with my youngest daughter, Sascha, to Morocco so we’re able to rekindle our fond travel memories. Those memories are more distinct when the place has been shared with a family member or close friend. My daughter is both. A highlight of our Morocco trip in February was a foray into the Sahara Desert by camel — a one-humped creature actually called a dromedary and perfectly suited for desert travel. Their two-toed hoofs allow them to walk across sand without sinking in, and fleshy pads on their hoofs, elbows and knees let them sit in the hot sand without burning their skin. It was mindbending for us to discover that the entire contiguous United States would fit into the Sahara, a desert shared with Morocco by the African nations of Egypt, Algeria, West Sahara, Niger, Chad, Tunisia, Mauritius and Sudan. “Caboose,” the dromedary I’d been assigned, was the lead animal in our group of seven others linked head-to-tail and led on foot by a camel tender into the red sand dunes. We were in the country’s south, a short distance from Erg Chebbi, not far from Morocco’s border with Algeria. The rider sits on a dromedary in front of the hump, where the camel’s back is quite wide. Dromedaries, with their soft, velvety noses and long eyelashes, are sweet creatures with a gait nothing like that of a horse. Instead of alternating with right front and left rear feet synchronized, like a horse, a camel’s front and rear feet move at the same time, resulting in a rolling side-to-side gait. This dromedary, the correct name for the one-humped camels of Morocco, is perfectly suited for desert travel with fat two-toed hooves that don’t sink into the ever-shifting sands of the Sahara. (Janet Podolak – For The News-Herald) At his shoulder, Caboose was about six feet from the ground. Even seated for mounting by riders like me, the camel’s saddle is a long way up with no ladder in sight. Two burly camel tenders lifted me quickly and easily into place. Related Articles Afar magazine’s 25 amazing travel destinations for 2025 Winter weather can disrupt. Here’s what to do if your flight is canceled 6 tips to keep teenagers happy on vacation Climate change-driven weather risks are reshaping the way US consumers travel Stunning backcountry hut near Vail Pass offers comfortable getaway with remote feel We rode high into the desert’s endless dunes to watch the sunset and discovered when sitting down in the sand that it’s not at all like the sand we have at home or on Caribbean beaches. Red and as fine as dust, the Sahara’s sand looks just like cinnamon but mysteriously holds its shape as dunes — solid but constantly shifting as it magically defies the laws of physics. It changes color from pink to shades of deep red with the passage of the sun. I brought some Sahara sand home and have it in a perfume bottle on my desk to remind me of my short time among the dunes. It’s the desert base camp to which I wish to return in Morocco. I want to sleep among the vast landscape of red dunes reaching as far as the eye can see without any other lights or signs of habitation. I want to be immersed in the deep Saharan silence beneath a sky so clear that stars are seen down to the horizon by night. In Morocco, we were told, the constellation we know as the Big Dipper is called the “Mama Camel’ and the Little Dipper is the “Baby Camel.” The Erg Chebbi — we were driven in 90 minutes to a base camp there from our hotel by four-wheel-drive vehicle — is likely the most accessible of Morocco’s desert areas. More remote base camps require a guide with an accurate GPS to prevent getting lost among the shifting sand dunes. A truck loaded to travel into the vast Sahara must be sturdy and have a good GPS to prevent getting lost in a desert that’s bigger than the United States. (Janet Podolak – For The News-Herald) Small guest houses at the desert’s edge are first-come-first-served — often so remote they are without phones. Guidebooks say they’re reliably clean and offer meals. But Erg Chebbi is near Merzouga, a village served by a paved road that in recent has years grown into a tourist hub for desert travelers. It’s not far from a seasonal lake known as Dayet Tifert, which fills during the winter and spring rainy season and draws migratory birds, including flocks of pink flamingos. Several base camps offering desert stays are tucked into the dunes, isolated and not visible from one another. The tents, connected by raised wooden walkways, have cozy beds and even showers for those who stay. They’re warmly covered with wool blankets to ward off the chill that descends once the sun sets. Meals, like the one set out for us after we returned on our dromedaries, are taken in a central tent where native Gnawa musicians play. Castanets are a mainstay for Gnawa musicians who play sub-Saharan music that combines chanting, prayers and poetry. (Janet Podolak – For The News-Herald) We saw snowboards propped against one of the tents, awaiting sandboarders who “surf” the dunes. Surfboards propped against a tent in a desert camp await those wishing to climb the Sahara dunes and sand-surf down. (Janet Podolak – For The News-Herald) If I am able to return to Morocco’s Sahara, I’ll look into Bivouac Chergui, one of the desert camps with air conditioning in its tents. Southern Morocco has recorded highs of more than 122 degrees in summer, so I know that’s not for me. I don’t deal well with the heat, so if I was able to return to Morocco I’d go in late January through March or in the autumn months — perhaps for the annual Erfoud Date Festival in late October when the fruit on thousands of date palms ripens. October is said to be a fine, dry month for much of the country. Although we didn’t spend the night in the Sahara when we visited in February, various guidebooks to Morocco reveal that overnight stays in the desert, complete with a guide, breakfast and dinner, range from about $20 to $100 per night depending on the level of luxury. I’m working on a plan to return. Travelers’ checks We traveled to Morocco with Odysseys Unlimited, which specializes in small group tours. Learn more at Odysseys-Unlimited.com or 888-370-6765. Cruise the internet to discover more about Morocco, the Sahara Desert, camel riding and luxury desert glamping. Although parts of the country are quite far removed from civilization, independent travelers can find rentals and transportation for their own visit. Lucas Peters’ recent “Moon Morocco,” one of the Moon Travel Guides from Avalon Travel, has many good resources. Read my earlier Morocco travel features: bit.ly/nh-morocco-creatures | bit.ly/nh-morocco-shopping | bit.ly/nh-morocco-food | bit.ly/nh-morocco-scenes.