The camel trek into the Erg Chebbi is the single most photographed moment of Moroccan tourism — and the one travellers have the most unasked questions about. Here are the honest answers.
Does it hurt?
An hour is comfortable for almost everyone; two hours tests the sitting bones. Our standard trek is the sweet spot — about an hour into the dunes at walking pace, with a handler leading. Wear long trousers; shorts and saddle blankets disagree.
Is it safe — and is it ethical?
Led at walking pace, camel trekking is genuinely gentle for riders of any age; children adore it. On the animal side, we work with handlers whose camels are rested in rotation, loaded lightly and visibly well-kept — ask to meet them before saddling, always granted. A camel’s working conditions are readable in its condition; look, and choose operators accordingly.
Can I skip it and still get the camp?
Yes — a 4×4 shuttle reaches every camp we use. Families often split: children ride, a parent drives with the bags, everyone reunites on the dune for sunset.
The small print nobody mentions
Mounting and dismounting are the only awkward moments — lean back going up, back again going down. Hold the pommel, not the reins. And hand your camera to the handler for the classic caravan-shadow shot; they frame it better than you will.
The trek is included in every desert circuit — see the 5-day loop — and the Merzouga FAQ answers the rest.
Fatima Zahra Ouazzani — Fatima Zahra covers the desert south — Merzouga, Zagora, the Draa Valley and the oasis routes between them. Her writing keeps returning to the people of the region: the families who run the camps, the date harvest in autumn, the way a khettara irrigation channel organises an entire palm grove. She is our reference for travellers who want the Sahara with its context still attached.
