Desert trek in the Sahara

November 1: Arrival in Marrakech, transfer to the hotel, first impressions, first meal, everything is very exciting, new and great!

Day 2: 8-hour minibus ride over the Atlas Mountains to Nesrate, south of Zagora. The first sunset in the desert, the first night in the tent - we are all completely overwhelmed by the beauty of this landscape.

Day 3: The caravan starts - 7 women, our guide Lazeen, our cook Ibrahim, the two Mohammeds and 5 dromedaries. We hike through partly rocky, partly sandy desert landscapes and can't believe that we are actually experiencing this. Ibrahim, the cook, spoils us with vegetarian 3-course menus for lunch and dinner, which he also beautifully arranges, sometimes even as a mandala.

Day 4: Early in the morning around 5 o'clock the bright moon has disappeared, so the starry sky stretches wide and glittering above us. Today we climb a mesa, cross a dried-up riverbed and have a lunch break under acacia trees. In the afternoon we continue through a rocky desert until we reach high dunes again, where we find our camp set up in the middle.

By now, no one minds that we don't have a shower or toilet in the desert. Walking behind the dune with a small plastic bag for toilet paper is no big deal anymore. Too much water is not good for the skin anyway and the desert sand provides a natural peeling.

Day 5: Sometimes Ibrahim even spoils us with omelettes or pancakes for breakfast - how does he conjure up all this in his simple kitchen tent and how can Mimoun, the 'cooking camel', carry all this kitchen and food? Hiking through the sandy dune landscape in the morning, through rocky deserts in the afternoon, takes on a more meditative character. I love walking behind or ahead, observing the scenery and the stones, picking up the most beautiful ones and occasionally taking a photo.

Tonight, the guys surprise us with a campfire. We sit together, eat bread baked in the fire, sing, dance and there is a lot of laughter.

Day 6 and 7: We continue hiking through different forms of desert, passing through a small village where the children immediately surround us, ask for our names, admire us, but also beg.

The relationship with our Berber travel companions becomes more and more friendly and familiar, and even the dromedaries no longer seem so foreign to us. On the morning of the last day of hiking, we all ride a small round through the dunes - it is a pleasant rocking motion when sitting on a well-padded saddle.

Day 8: Our caravan ends in the desert village of d'Ouled Driss, which seems completely foreign to us. Windowless dark clay buildings through which veiled women hurry with children in their arms, while the men sit smiling friendly in front of the houses.

It makes us all very sad that the desert trek is now ending, that we will no longer sleep in tents or under the open sky, and that we have to say goodbye to our now familiar companions.

Day 9 and 10: The journey continues by minibus to Marrakech with an overnight stay in Ait Benhadou is very exhausting, but the sunset behind the film set of 'Gladiator' compensates a little. The stops at selected merchants to buy dates, jewelry, herbs and oils are welcome breaks.

Day 10: Marrakech is an incredibly diverse city: along the main roads it is loud, smelly and very exhausting. The Medina, the old town, is also crowded, but here it is so interesting and varied: hundreds of narrow streets full of people, shops, traders, buzzing mopeds that sometimes transport a family of 4 through the hustle and bustle of the display baskets.

On Jeema El Fna (the square of the jugglers) it is difficult to get through the food stands with freshly squeezed juices, dates, nuts, tahini dishes, grilled fish and meat, next to snake charmers, musicians, beggars, cyclists, mopeds - and despite all this crowdedness, most people remain friendly and extremely humorous: 'Hot iron must be forged as long as the dogs are barking.'

Last day: Today our adventure journey comes to an end, but I am sure that I will visit this country again. Inshallah - as they always say here when it comes to future plans - God willing.

Thank you to my amazing travel group - there was not a single moment of stress or trouble, even though we are all quite different individuals.

Shukran - Thank you.