After your sunrise camel trek to the highest dunes, plot the day ahead; chose from multiple activities: dune buggy excursions, camel crossing picnics at an oasis, or merely sit and stare at the endless horizon of pristine windblown sand dunes. Colors change with each passing hour; drier air translates to more vivid color. Warm sunrise hues change dramatically to intense blue afternoon skies, and brilliant yellow, gold, and red hues illuminate the horizon as the sun slowly melts into the dunes.

Morocco is a land of legends and fascination, despite its closeness to the European continent. At the outer edge of our favorite Sahara tent camp in Erg Chebbi, a few small nomad settlements can be included in a day trip to nearby local communities… a stay here isn’t complete without visiting the villages. Erg Chebbi in the eastern Sahara Desert is located near Merzouga, where nomadic Berber and Sahrawi people, the original inhabitants, the first ever nomadic tribes still reside. The people are known for their simple way of life, their deep connection to the land. A brief visit to the nomad area offers a glimpse of their simple lifestyle.

Our drivers will accompany you into the tiny village of Khamlia for Berber Pizza followed by afternoon tea in the outdoor music café. The Gnawa are an ethnic group inhabiting Morocco, and they play jazzy upbeat traditional music in an open café. The ancestors of the Gnawa people were brought from Central and West Africa as slaves through the Sahara Desert in caravans that eventually arrived in the southeastern part of Morocco.

Gnaoua music is deeply intertwined with spiritual rituals, often involving trance-inducing rhythms and dances, particularly in ceremonies called lila or derdeba. 

The Gnaoua tradition has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging its importance in preserving Moroccan and African cultural identity. 

Gnaoua music is known for its unique instrumentation, including the guembri (a three-stringed lute), krakebs (metal castanets), and various drums. 

Wander into the large workshop where you can see posters of Gnaoua Festivals, walls lined with musical instruments including the castanets which can be purchased.  I enjoyed a mini lesson with one of the musicians, be assured I won’t be running away with the Nomads, I seem to lack innate musical rhythm!

Highly Recommend exploring Sahara Culture!