Don’t Rush the Sahara

I’ve been lucky enough to experience the Sahara more than once, and every time I’ve been there, I’ve appreciated having time… It’s one of the reasons I would never recommend treating the desert as a quick overnight stop.

You know the kind of itinerary: hours of driving to get there, arrive around 4pm, head into the dunes, watch the sunset, sleep, wake up for sunrise and leave again by 9am.

Technically, you’ve been to the Sahara… But you’ve spent barely any time actually in it.

And for me, that misses so much of what makes the desert worth travelling all that way for.

The Sahara isn’t somewhere with a long list of things to see or do and that’s exactly why it needs time. Time to slow down, walk through the dunes, sit somewhere without doing anything, watch the light change, talk to people and experience what it’s like when you’re not immediately preparing to leave again.

If you’re going to spend hours getting there, give yourself enough time to actually be there.

The desert as an experience, not just a photograph

One of the things I loved about being in the Sahara was how little there was demanding my attention.

There is space… A lot of it.

There are no packed sightseeing schedules, no endless list of attractions and no real reason to rush from one thing to another.

Instead, you start noticing much simpler things.

The wind.
Your footsteps in the sand.
How quickly the temperature changes when the sun goes down.
Conversations at the end of the day.
Just how quiet everything becomes.

You slow down without really trying to.

And I think you lose some of that when the entire experience is squeezed between hours and hours of driving and a tightly packed itinerary.

The Sahara isn’t for everyone

And I think it’s worth saying this too.

You don’t have to visit the Sahara just because you’re travelling through Morocco.

The desert can be demanding… There are long distances, extreme temperatures, simpler infrastructure in some areas and fewer of the comforts many of us are used to when travelling.

Some people arrive imagining a perfectly romantic night under the stars and discover that they’re too hot or too cold, sandy, tired or simply uncomfortable.

That’s okay.

It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the desert, it might simply mean that this particular experience isn’t for you (or isn’t for you on this particular trip).

Skipping somewhere because it doesn’t fit the way you want to travel is completely valid.

Sleeping in the Sahara: expectations vs reality

Sleeping in the desert sounds incredibly romantic.

And sometimes it is.

A huge sky, very little artificial light, sand stretching around you and a kind of quiet that’s difficult to describe until you’ve experienced it.

But it’s still the desert.

Temperatures can change quickly.
Sand gets everywhere.
Facilities vary enormously depending on where you stay, and the experience can range from very simple camps to places offering considerably more comfort.

So I wouldn’t choose a desert stay based purely on beautiful photographs.

Look at where you’re actually staying.
Find out what’s included, how you’re getting there and, especially, how much time you’ll actually have in the desert once you arrive.

Because if you’re travelling all that way, I think you should have time for more than sunset, dinner, sleep, sunrise and goodbye.

Travelling through the Sahara responsibly

A little preparation goes a long way here…

Travel with local people who genuinely know the area.
Don’t underestimate distances or temperatures.
Research your route properly and understand what kind of accommodation you’ve booked and what facilities you can realistically expect.

Don’t try to force the desert into an itinerary that simply doesn’t have room for it.

If adding the Sahara means spending most of your trip inside a car just so you can say you’ve been there, I would seriously consider saving it for another trip.

Morocco isn’t going anywhere.

Give the desert time

For me, the Sahara was never about simply being able to say I’d been there.

It was the experience of getting there.
Watching the landscape change along the way.
Slowing down once we arrived.
Having time to walk, sit, talk and take everything in without already thinking about what time we needed to leave the following morning.

That’s what I remember.

So if your Morocco itinerary allows you to visit the Sahara, give it time.

And if it doesn’t, that’s okay too.

Morocco has so much more to offer, and there’s no rule saying you need to see everything in one trip.

Travelling well isn’t about reaching every possible destination…
Sometimes it’s about giving the places you do choose enough time to actually experience them.