Day 5: Midelt - Ziz Valley - Hassilabied Desert Camp

31.3.26

Highlights of the day:

· Tizi n’Talghaumt Pass (1,907 m)

· Ziz Valley, Oasis & Canyon

· Rissani

· Erg Chebbi Desert

· Overnight stay in the desert camp

## From the Middle Atlas to the Sahara – or how our desert plans suddenly hang in the balance

After a peaceful night at Villa Pomme d'Or in Midelt, we start the day well rested. There was a hearty breakfast with fruits, omelet, bread, and the delicious almond paste that we enjoyed so much in Fès. Off we go to the next leg of our Morocco tour – from the Middle Atlas to the edge of the Sahara.

Just a short distance beyond Midelt, the road takes us over the Tizi n'Talghaumt Pass at 1,907 meters high. We frequently make small photo stops, as the views are simply spectacular. Deeply carved gorges, rivers carving their way through the rocks, and green oases appearing in between – the landscape constantly changes its face.

The drive through the Ziz Valley is particularly impressive. The endless palm groves of the Ziz Oasis form a fascinating contrast to the rugged rock formations of the canyon. At times, we feel more like we are somewhere in the Southwest USA than in Morocco. The red rocks, the wide plains, and the bizarre gorges are surprisingly reminiscent of Arizona.

However, while I want to savor the landscape, something else occupies my mind. Since the reservation, I haven't heard anything from our booked desert camp. Since it’s necessary to provide an approximate arrival time for the camel ride to the camp, I hastily try to contact the provider via WhatsApp. The reply hits me completely unprepared.

A certain Mohammed writes back that the camp no longer exists, and thus our booking is canceled.

Excuse me?!

Many thanks to Booking.com, which apparently thinks it unnecessary to inform us. Fortunately, we haven't paid anything yet, but we are only a few hours away from the desert and suddenly find ourselves without accommodation.

While my husband remains calm and simply wants to drive to Merzouga to spontaneously find a camp there, I completely disagree. Especially during peak season, I do not want to just end up somewhere by chance.

I ask Mohammed if he can perhaps recommend a comparable camp – preferably with half-board, a camel ride, and a similar price to our original booking.

To our relief, he takes care of it immediately. He contacts a friend who is an operator, and shortly after, we already have an offer for the **White Camp** – the same services, the same price. Perfect! We agree and shortly afterward receive the meeting point at the Shell gas station in Hassilabied.

Now I can finally relax and look out the window again.

At the viewpoint above the Ziz Canyon, we of course make one more photo stop. From up here, we have a fantastic view of the massive gorge and the endless palm oases. The numerous RVs and campers in the parking lot are also striking – clearly a true paradise for motorhome travelers.

Our next stop is Rissani. There, we visit the traditional weekly market of the Berbers and nomads. Here, it feels very authentic, far removed from the tourist-oriented souks in the big cities and far from embellished and prettified tourist markets. Among the fruits, vegetables, spices, fabrics, and various everyday goods, you can see almost exclusively locals.

Rissani is particularly known for its 'donkey parking lot'. However silly that may sound at first, the sight is quite distressing. Many donkeys and horses look shockingly malnourished and have to pull heavy carts. Some stand motionless in the dust, barely more than skin and bones. This sight makes us sad and shows once again that the lives of many people here are anything but easy.

The closer we get to the desert, the greater the anticipation becomes. Just after leaving the town, we spot the first camels by the roadside, and on the horizon, the first sand dunes finally appear. The sun makes the dunes glow red and orange before us. It looks absolutely stunning.

At the Shell gas station in Hassilabied, we wait only a few minutes until our driver arrives. Together with two other vehicles – both regular sedans or compact cars – we are to follow his SUV. Our Dacia Duster feels perfectly at home on the gravel road, while I honestly wouldn't want to switch places with the drivers of the little cars.

For several kilometers, we drive over gravel, sand, and mud paths into the middle of nowhere until we reach a small cluster of houses. Next to a camel watering spot, we park our cars and transfer our luggage.

Shortly afterward, three jeeps arrive: two from the White Camp and one from another camp for the couple in the compact car.

Our suitcases disappear on the roof of the jeep, and then the real journey to the desert begins. We pick up speed over the sand roads.

However, soon a small disillusionment sets in.

We're not actually driving right through the dunes but rather past them. Our camp is quite a distance from the large sand mountains. On the left, we spot an abandoned camp, and on the right, on a small hill, the Arabic Desert Camp – precisely the one I had also considered during the booking. Ironically, I decided against it because I thought it was too far from the dunes. Well… sometimes things just don’t go as expected.

Arriving at the White Camp, we are greeted by a very young employee who looks barely older than 16. In the large communal tent, he first serves us traditional mint tea and a bowl of nuts – a very warm welcome.

Then he shows us our tent. Since we booked the 'last tent,' ours is right next to the main tent, while the family that arrived with us occupies the neighboring tent.

And then comes the next surprise – this time a very positive one.

Our tent is enormous. A large comfortable bed, a small seating area, a sink, and behind that, each hidden by a curtain, even a real shower and a normal toilet. There’s really no talk of 'camping' here.

We can’t help but think of our desert overnight stay in Abu Dhabi. There, our accommodation consisted of a rather worn mattress on the ground and a shared toilet. However, we were the only guests in the entire camp—an adventure we will never forget.

Now we are curious about what this evening at the very edge of the Sahara will still bring us.

The transfer to the camp was supposed to take place on camels... The other tourists in the camp who arrived with us also don’t know whether and when they will ride camels. It seems no one else has “booked” this. We specifically asked during the phone booking whether the camel ride was included in the price. Answer: “YES!”

We ask an employee about the camel ride and receive a curt “not today” in return. Great…

Since it appears that we won't be going to the dunes on camels today, we grab a sandboard and make our way to the dunes on foot.

We climb up to the highest of the “small dunes,” my husband tries his hand at sandboarding (more or less successfully 😅) and we watch the numerous tourist groups around us as they ride camels through the dunes.

The sunset is beautiful.

Before us, a scarab beetle is turning and racing over the sand.

We walk back to the camp; dinner is served in the large main tent. Everything is already set. We have tajine (vegetarian for me), soup, and dessert.

The camp seems to be run by three brothers, as we only see the three who have been looking after us since our arrival. The youngest serves, while the other two are in the