Desert Experience

What Is a Sahara Camel Trek Actually Like?

By Pro Morocco Tours 7 min read Updated March 2026

The Sahara camel trek at Erg Chebbi is one of those experiences that photographs cannot fully prepare you for — not because the reality is better or worse than the images, but because photographs do not carry the silence, the smell of warm sand, or the specific lurch of a camel standing up beneath you. This is an honest account of what the experience actually involves, start to finish, so you know exactly what to expect before you arrive.

What happens and when

The Camel Trek at Erg Chebbi: The Full Timeline

Late afternoon — around 4pm to 4.30pm Arrive at the dune edge
Your vehicle stops at the end of the paved road at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dune field. The camp is not visible from here — it is positioned well into the dunes, far enough that the road and the town disappear completely once you are moving. The camels are waiting at a wooden post near the car park, kneeling in a line.
Before mounting Hassan ties your Tuareg turban
Before anyone gets on a camel, Hassan or your guide takes a length of indigo-blue cotton and ties a traditional Tuareg turban for each person in the group. The wrapping keeps sand off your face and neck during the trek and keeps the wind out. Most guests say this moment — the preparation, the deliberateness of it, the fact that it is done individually for each person — is when the Sahara experience actually begins.
Mounting the camel The camel stands — brace for it
The camel kneels to allow you to mount. You swing a leg over the saddle and settle in. Then the camel stands — and this is the part nobody fully prepares for. A camel stands back legs first, then front, which means you pitch forward sharply and then rock back. Hold the saddle horn with both hands. It is over in two seconds and after the first time you know what to do. The camel handler walks at the head of the lead camel and guides the string at a steady walking pace.
The trek — 45 to 60 minutes Into the dune field
The camels walk in single file along the base of the dunes, then up and over the ridge lines toward the camp. The route is chosen to bring you to a high point where the full extent of the dune field is visible at the right moment in the fading light. The sand underfoot muffles all sound. The silence between the dunes, away from road noise and any sign of habitation, is the thing most guests describe first when talking about the experience.
Sunset The light changes on the sand
The colour of the Erg Chebbi sand shifts from orange to deep terracotta to violet in the 30 minutes around sunset. The shadow lines from the dune ridges sharpen and lengthen. This is the moment that gives the Sahara sunset its quality — the combination of the colour shift, the silence, and the scale of the dunes above you.
Arrive at camp Dismount and change for the evening
The camels kneel again at the camp entrance. The dismounting is the reverse of mounting — forward pitch as the front legs go down, then stable. The camel handler unties the turbans and folds them. The evening at the camp — dinner, fire, music — begins from here.
Honest answers

Common Questions About the Camel Trek

Is riding a camel uncomfortable?
Honestly, yes — for most people after around 45 minutes to an hour. The saddle is wooden with cushions and the camel’s walking gait is a slow side-to-side rock that puts pressure on the inner thighs and lower back over time. The discomfort is mild on a standard 45 to 60 minute trek and is not the experience most people describe when they talk about the ride afterwards. It is worth knowing in advance so it does not come as a surprise. Loose trousers help more than you would expect — tight jeans make the saddle friction worse.
How tall are the camels? Is it frightening?
A fully standing dromedary camel is around 2 metres at the hump — roughly the height of a high ceiling. Most people feel the height once the camel has stood up, but the movement is slow and deliberate and very few guests find it frightening once the animal is moving. The standing and kneeling transitions are the moments that require active grip on the saddle. The walk itself is steady.
Can I walk instead of ride?
Yes. The camel trek is included on every Pro Morocco Tours tour but it is not compulsory. Guests who prefer not to ride can walk alongside the group — the walk to the camp across the dunes takes around 20 to 25 minutes on foot. Let your guide know before arrival and an alternative will be arranged. The sunset, the dunes, and the arrival at the camp are the experience — the camel is the most memorable means of getting there, but it is not the only one.
What do I do about my phone and camera?
Put your phone in a zip-lock bag or a zip pocket before mounting. Fine desert sand gets into everything and the inside of your pocket is not fine dust protection. Take photographs from the camel — the height gives a useful perspective on the dunes. The best photographs are typically taken just before sunset when the light is warmest and the shadow lines are longest on the sand.
Is the trek the same for morning departures?
On the 5-day tour with two desert nights, the second evening can include a shorter walk to the dunes rather than a repeat camel trek. On standard 3-day and 4-day tours, the departure from camp on Day 3 is by vehicle rather than camel — the sunrise is watched on foot from a dune near the camp before breakfast and the drive departs from the road edge where you arrived.
What should I wear?
Loose trousers rather than jeans. Closed-toe shoes — the dunes fill sandals immediately. A layer for the return ride in the evening when the temperature drops. Your guide will provide the turban for head and face protection. Sunglasses for the outward ride when the sun is still bright.
How long does the whole experience take?
From arriving at the dune edge to settling into the camp after the trek: approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. The ride itself is 45 to 60 minutes each way. The turban-tying and mounting process adds 15 to 20 minutes at the start. Most guests say the 90 minutes feels significantly shorter than that — the light and the landscape occupy attention in a way that makes time pass differently.
The thing most guests say they did not expect The silence. The Erg Chebbi dune field is large enough and the camp is positioned far enough from the road that there is no background noise once you are inside the dunes. No traffic, no aircraft, no voices except the people in your group. The sand absorbs sound. Most guests say they were aware of their own heartbeat at some point during the trek — not from nerves but simply because everything else was quiet. That is the quality that photographs most consistently fail to capture.

Book the Sahara Camel Trek

Every Pro Morocco Tours desert tour includes the sunset camel trek at Erg Chebbi — turban tied by Hassan before the ride, dinner at the camp, and a desert sunrise before the drive continues.

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