The Many Surprises of Merzouga Desert: Live From Sky Sahara Camp

In today's episode of Destination Morocco podcast, we continue on our southern tour of Morocco, and arrive in what is often considered the highlight of a traveller's time in Morocco: the Merzouga Desert itself. Our host is Said, manager and co-owner of Sahara Sky Luxury Camp, located in the heart of the desert, yet just 38 km from the town of Erfoud, the local service centre. 

Said and Azdean sit down to talk about how he founded his camp, how they maintain their own animals and gardens in the desert, their emphasis on organic ingredients in their incredible food, and how the food itself is different than your standard Moroccan fare. When you're ready to go beyond the tagines and couscous, Said and his kitchen have wonderful, original recipes for you to try.

Said gives us a glimpse into daily life at the camp, and shares fascinating perspective on his family history. Said's own grandparents were traditional nomads, and Said himself is not far removed from that reality.

All this in addition to a surprising number of activities, located on-site or a short drive away. The desert is about more than just camel rides and dune buggies, although you shouldn't miss out on doing them either! But the Merzouga area has a number of important cultural sites, some dating back hundreds or thousands of years, that connect the area to Berber and North African history, and Said can easily arrange for you a tour. Or you can take part in cooking classes and musical performances at the camp itself, before relaxing under the stars. This is Merzouga, and nothing compares to the show that is put on by the night sky.

You'll hear peacocks and cats in the background as we chat, and close your eyes to imagine yourself in this beautiful desert paradise. Because of course, you yourself can experience all this too! 

Contact us at Destination Morocco and learn about our custom-built itineraries and tour packages. We love to profile our partners and attractions in our episodes, which you can then be sure to request as part of your own tour.

Visit destinationsmorocco.com to learn more and add a stay in Merzouga Desert to your itinerary.

Do you dream of exploring the enchanting land of Morocco?

Destination Morocco is your ultimate travel experience for those seeking luxury and adventure. We specialize in crafting bespoke itineraries tailored to your unique tastes and desires.

If you're a discerning traveler who values an immersive, curated adventure, visit www.destinationsmorocco.com, and let us bring your dream Moroccan vacation to life.

Learn more about Azdean and Destination Morocco.

Explore our Private Tours and Small Group Tours!

Transcript

Azdean: Welcome to the Destination Morocco Podcast, the show that takes you away to the beautiful country of Morocco. I am your host, Azdean Elmoustaquim. In each episode, we explore Moroccan culture, history, attractions, and activities, real and practical information coming from experienced travelers and native Moroccans like myself. And now let's go exploring. 
 

Welcome back everyone to Destination Morocco podcast. This is your host, Azdean. Thank you for coming along on my journey this summer through Morocco. In our last episode, we visited an authentic, Berber-owned kasbah in the Dadès Valley, halfway between Marrakech and Merzouga Desert. I chatted with the riad owner, Mehdi. 

It was a lot of fun and I really, really enjoyed our episode about life. You know, we talked about life living in the narrow gorge where the buildings really cling to the side of the cliffs. It's beautiful, beautiful, especially when you get on good eye view from the top, he offers tremendous views of the lush green oasis below. 

Check out that episode if you have not already. It was a lot of fun recording it and putting it together as well. You can find it in our list of episodes in your favorite podcast app, wherever you listen to the podcast, and you'll have the direct link in the show notes from today as well. 

In today's episode, we continue on our southern tour of Morocco and arrive in what is often considered the highlights of the travelers time in Morocco, the Merzouga Desert itself. Our host Said manages and co-owns Sahara Sky Luxury Camp. And Said, just to give you a little bit of background, he is also the chef, and when they played the music, he plays the music with them as well. 

So he is really, really talented. The camp is located at the heart of the desert, yet just 38 kilometers from the town of Erfoud, which is the local center. Said and I sat down to talk about how he founded his camp, how they maintain their own animals gardens in the desert, their emphasis on organic ingredients in their incredible food, and how the food itself is different from your standard Moroccan fair when you are ready to go beyond the tajine and the couscous. 

Said and his kitchen have wonderful original recipes for you to try. All this in addition to a surprising number of activities located on site or a short drive away. That's the thing, because when you're in Merzouga, you think that that's it, that's where the experience ends. It actually, it doesn't. There's so many things you can do in the camp. 

Well, tons and tons of stuff and activities to do while in Merzouga. So you can spend two days, three days, even four days, and you, you're not gonna get bored. So there's so much stuff to do. The desert is about more than just a camera ride and doing buggies, although you shouldn't miss out on doing them either. 

But the Merzouga area has a number of important cultural sites, some dating backhands or thousands of years that connect the area of Berber and North African history. You can take part of cooking class. You go into the camp, you know, you go, you pick your vegetables, you pick your meat, and then you take it inside the company and you cook it or a musical performance at the camp itself. 

They can have, you know, different groups of music depending how you would like to be hosted. In our case, he was kind enough and he had the Gnawa group music, which was a lot of fun. So we really enjoyed it and they stayed with us for quite some time. So cooking class, musical performance at the cam itself before relaxing under the stars. 

This is Merzouga and nothing compares to the show put on by the night sky. It is just incredible. You'll hear peacocks and cats in the background. As we chat, close your eyes and imagine yourself in this beautiful desert paradise because of course, you yourself can experience all of this as well. Contact us at Destination Morocco and learn about our custom itineraries and tour packages. 

We'd love to profile our partners and attractions in our episodes, which you can then be sure to request as part of your own tour. Visit destinations morocco.com and that's destinations with an s morocco.com. We look forward to showing you our country. And enjoy our conversation today with Mr. Said. 

Thank you so much and have a wonderful day.



Azdean: Welcome to Destination Morocco Podcast. Today we are talking to you from Merzouga Morocco, and we have an amazing, amazing host and owner, Mr. Said. Welcome to Destination Morocco podcast. Very glad to have you with us today. Can you tell us and the audience about you, about your camp please? 

Said: My name is Said. I'm the owner manager of the camp. It's family business run by three brothers, but I'm the manager here. We built it on 2017, but before we built it, we grow the pLam trees, see all the trees and the pomegranate trees, like 14 years ago. Oh, wow. So 14 years ago. Yeah. Oh wow. At least we can have some shade and yes. 
 

In yes, of course. It's windy. Absolutely. So as you experienced yesterday, yes, there was like wind outside, but inside the camp was okay. Yeah. Clear. Quite yes. 

Azdean: Yes. I walked around the property we have, and it, it is a massive investment. The place looks incredible. The food, everything is just, Beyond delicious. 
 

I mean, I remember dinner last night. It was very different dinner. Normally anywhere you go you almost get the same couscous, the tajine with beef, chicken and so forth. But yesterday we were very surprised with the meal that we were served. We had pumpkin soup. And then we had a salad, which looked very different than any salad we've had. 

Yeah, in the Southern Morocco tour. And then we had the main dish. And even the main dish, it has like little bit of everything if you would. Little bit of vegetables, mac and cheese done a little bit different than what we used to in the US and then. The chicken, the meat, everything. Then the tomatoes with the really, really nice sauce, creaming sauce. 

Can you tell us what was in dinner last night? Especially the main dish? I know the salad was very good. I, I love the tomatoes in the salad. And then in the dish. Can you describe the dinner to us when somebody comes in to Sahara Sky Luxury camp? What should they expect for dinner? 

Said: So that's a good question regarding the food here in Morocco. 
 

So was the people who came to Morocco, they always have the same food everywhere they go? Yeah. Such as the couscous, tajine, or Barbecue? Barbecue. Okay. That's why. So might, and without that, it's better to change the food and give them something different than other places. And concerning what we always sell to our guests. 

Like the pumpkin soup? Yes. Or vegetable soup, or something like that. Then salad with the avocado and or the, my dish. The main dish. The fish dish? Yeah. Yes. With the cream. Fresh and the mushroom. Mushrooms? Yes. Tomatoes cooked with the cream Fresh as well. Crème fraîche. Okay. And some herbs. Herbs, yeah. 

Potatoes. It's like yes. French fries, but it's, oh, I see. Cooked in a different way. 

Azdean: Different way, yes. Mm-hmm. It was very delicious. It was very different. It's a little different than what a lot of people would expect. I mean, for me, the dinner really stood out last night. And then we had breakfast today, which is just amazing. 
 

I love coffee and I drink coffee all the time. And a lot of people with us were asking, Hey what type of milk is this? Is this powder milk? Is this, this? Until we asked the gentleman who served us breakfast and he said that you guys use what type of milk? You goats. Goats. Goats milk. Yeah. Why do you use goat milk? 

Said: It has a different taste for sure. And you cannot get it to wherever you go. Exactly, yes. Only cow milk or, yeah. The food we have here that we make, it's organic. Organic, yeah, exactly. Because we grow some of the vegetables here, and that's where we have some animals here, which we. Can at least use some of their products, like goat milk. Or eggs. 
 

Azdean: That's the other thing. You know, it's, it's funny, we haven't had this type of eggs in a very long time. You know, we just looked at the farm, we saw the animals. And it's different. Everything is grown here, which is just incredible. So the, the milk that we had was goat milk. 
 

Amazing. So it has a little bit of different taste in the coffee taste. Yeah. And it's just, I really, really, really enjoyed it. So you have the animals here, which is kind of unusual because in a lot of the camps there's no animals. It's just you come in, you have your dinner, the next day you have your breakfast, and then off you go to your next destination. 

So what's. The reasoning behind having the animals here. And also if you can tell us what type of animals you have, Mr. Said, please. 

Said: Yes, of course. So, as you know, I am originally from here, from this region exactly, from near Merzouga. So I was born in a small village called Hassilabied. My grandparents, they used to be there. So they lived for a, a long time there. And they were nomads. Nomads always. They have goats, they have some of them, of course, of course. Course we never their stock buy stock. Okay. That's why we still have even I went to the civilization and they changed the way of my life, but I'm still doing some, some of those things. That's why we brought the animals here. As well another idea is to do the cooking class. For those who stay here two nights, we teach them how to make Moroccan dish. We take them to the place where they can pick some of the vegetables. We go to the kitchen and we teach them exactly step by step, how to prepare. At the end, they eat, what they prepare. 

Azdean: Oh, nice. Nice. So can you tell us, we're hearing some kind of noise in the background. Can you tell the audience what the noise is or which animal? 
 

Said: So that's a peacock. Peacock, yeah. How, wow. So as you know, we have peacock, we have Turkey. Turkey. Okay. Chicken, chicken, goats, goats, alpino goats, and sheep. Pigeons and rabbits. Rabbits, yeah. 
 

Azdean: Mm-hmm. What about cats? We have as well. So what's, what's the reason of having cats in the camp? It makes no sense to me to have cats. Yeah. That's a good, how many do you have, by the way? 
 

Said: As you know, here in the desert, we have some insects. Yes. Such as scorpions and spiders. 
 

Azdean: Spiders. Okay. Yeah. 
 

Said: So that's the reason why we brought the, the cats here, because they don't so that's, that's the cleaning around here? Yeah. They clean it. 
 

Azdean: Okay. Mm-hmm. How many cats do you have in a camp? 
 

Said: I think around 36. 36. 
 

Azdean: Oh, wow. Yeah. That's a lot of cats here. A huge number. Okay, so this is really, really different. 
 

We've stayed here we send you all our guests and the feedback that we get from them is just incredible. I mean, time, after time, after time is just, it's really, really amazing and we're very fortunate. To be here and experience with you, your hospitality. Mm-hmm. Your generosity. It's really, really amazing. 

What can you tell us if somebody wants to work with you or what, what other type of things they expect from the moment they walk in? Because last night when we came in, everybody was greeted with moroccan tea but mm-hmm. Yesterday you did something special for us. Can you tell us about it and if you know your guests or our guests want to book something like that, how they can get it done? 

Said: Normally we take them to the place where they will take the camels. Mm-hmm. So they do the camel ride. Yes. They have the sunsets over the dunes. Absolutely. Once they get here, we agreed them with the Moroccan tea, milk and dates. So as you see, yes, these are almost, ready to pick in August. 
 

Okay. Yeah. Then sometimes there are like huge groups or we greet them as well with special group. Mm-hmm. From the region 

Azdean: I see. 
 

Said: Gnaoua group, Gnaoua . Music. Exactly. Okay. 
 

Azdean: And that's exactly what, that's the experience that we had last night. Mm-hmm. And it really, really was good. It was incredible. There was music. We came, we had our dinner, and then afterwards we had a. You know, a party and everybody was dancing and, and having a really, really good time. But what surprised me is you were in the middle of it. You were playing the drums, doing this, playing the flute. I mean, it's just like you doing everything, you know? 
 

That is just amazing. So tell us a little bit more about your camp. Why should people stay here versus staying somewhere else? I know the reasons why we stay here. Mm-hmm. But for somebody else who doesn't know you and wants to make a decision, 

Said: So for those who want to have a unique experience and enjoy their stay, we are here and that's why we are here as well. 
 

So we work with, and honesty, we always treat our guests as like friends or member family members. I see. I'm always here, not like other places. The boss or the owner is not there. Is not there. Yeah. But I have to be here just to, to make sure that everything is so, you need, say exactly to make sure that everything is going perfect and everybody enjoy the, the experience. 

Azdean: Just to add to what you have just said, Mr. Said, it's really, really important when you book your accommodation or your stay in Merzouga Desert, it's really important: some owners, like he said, they're not here, but he's here for you to make sure that everything goes smooth and you have the best of experiences, whether it's dinner, whether it's your tent, whether it's your breakfast, the whole experience. 
 

He makes sure that it's smooth and if something happens, you know, he'll take care of it. Thank you much and we really, really appreciate everything you do for us and our guests, and I know you do the same for all the guests that come here to your camp. So what else can you tell us about your history or the camp's history or Merzouga region in general so people know what to expect when they get here, please. 

Said: Merzouga is part of the real Morocco, as we say. Yes, it's one of the places or the destinations that leads people to come to Morocco. Oh, for sure. And that's why some of big cities they have now, they have more tourists coming there. Such as in Marrakech, it's because of the Sahara Desert. 
 

Azdean: So basically Merzouga desert or Merzouga experience, if you're coming into Morocco, especially if you do in a southern Morocco tour, Merzouga is a must stop. You know, we've been here for two days and in my opinion, I used to think one day is enough, but it's actually, it's not enough. You can do two days, you can do three days, you can do four days, or even five days. 
 

There's so many things to do and see in Merzouga, I've learned so much in the last two days about Merzouga and I, I fell in love with it even more. So, you know, somebody wants to come here and do other activities. Mm-hmm. Instead of, for example, we did the camel. Last night we did the quad early morning today because Imran, that's what he wanted to do. 

So what other things can people do here, Mr. Said, and experience here? 

Said: They can do like, tour around the news by four by four in order to discover the normal lifestyle. I see. And as well, to visit the Mfis Mine. And as well visit to the Gnaoua, to village. It's like the dark-skinned people village. Yes. So, as you know, their origin Subsaharan. Yeah. They came from Mali and Sudan as slaves. Later, our tribe go the land to build their own village. Yes. Visit as well to the Srij Lake, but now it's dry. Yeah. Cause your amount has been long time it didn't rain. 

Azdean: Yes. Five years. 
 

Said: Yeah. Then a visit to the gardens. Of Hassilabied Village or even Merzouga, and as well to the system of the irrigation underground. Khettara. 
 

Azdean: We did Khettara yes. Yes. 
 

Said: Or as well another activity or another day trip such as Rissani. It was like the first dynasty Alawite, and it was the first capital of Morocco. It was named Sijilmassa. And then to the fossils Capital, Erfoud. Then they come back here. Or even another day trip, but more north side, to Sufsuf Oasis. Okay. Or even a day trip to Taouz Village. They can see the engraving rocks. 
 

Azdean: Can you tell us about the engraving rocks please? If you have any information. Because we talked about them, me and Sam, giving me a little bit of history. Mm-hmm. And he said that, you know, it's, it's a really, really important side, but unfortunately a lot of those, those rocks have been stolen, have been taken by other people. Mm-hmm. So that's kind of really selfish. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? 
 

Said: So, to be honest, history, I don't have like I don't know that much, Okay. About that. Okay. But they said, Like the old people, they said that it's for like an old generation of our grandparents mm-hmm. Who lived in that place. And fortunately they are protected by the community. The can't steal it, as in other places. 
 

Azdean: Okay. Okay, perfect. So we can see there's so much to do in Merzouga Desert. Mm-hmm. You can plan day trips for a long, long time. Two days, three days, five days. And you can do either the north side or you can go the south side which is just incredible. Mr. Said, anything that I should have asked you but I didn't. Any questions that I should have asked you but I did not. 
 

Said: So, as you know, there are sometimes there are people the get afraid to, to come here: windy here like you are going to the desert or something like that. So they, they think that maybe will have problems or especially for solo travelers, women traveling alone. 
 

I see. But I want to say to people that everything here is safe. Absolutely. And it's like different than big cities. Here is safe people. They look after their guests and those were the tourists. You don't have to be afraid. Nothing afraid. Exactly. 

Azdean: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's amazing. 
 

Said: Welcome everybody to the Sahara Desert. Your second home for nice and a unique experience and see you in Morocco, in the Sahara Desert! 
 

Azdean: Thank you so much. This concludes our episode from Merzouga with Mr. Said, owner, manager. And by the way, I forgot to mention, who made that beautiful dinner last night 
 

Said: It was me and some of the staff of course. We do everything here, we play drums, we... 
 

Azdean: Oh my goodness. Yes, yes. Oh, it was delicious. It was delicious. Thank you very much. I love the food, so, now I understand the feedback that I get. You know, whether it's Roxanne, whether it's Eric, whether it's Pablo. So this has been really, really good. And, and, and thank you to the team, to your hard work. 
 

Really, really appreciate it. And Mr. Said, thank you so much for being an amazing host. We're very grateful. 

Said: You're welcome.