Is more than one night in the desert worth it??? Or is it overkill? We will only do this once and I want to get the most out of it for our family ( older parents/6yo child).

Ok, not quite right forum, but I get more answers here & I am starting in Spain.I know many here have taken the camel trek into the desert in Morocco and I am looking for BTDT advice.


I am booking my desert tour now & it is the hardest part as I want to get it right ( no going the bathroom out in the bushes for me please & various concerns about health & safety with a child) before going.

I have 2 nights in Merzouga area & possibility of staying one night in tent with a special berber family ( we are a family & like the cultural exchange) and one night in oasis in luxury tent.

Is 2 nights in the desert worth it??? ( riding camels for transportation)

Or is one night in a hotel with a shower and pool & one night in desert a better idea??


I have to book this asap as our trip is in April.THANKS in advance!!

We are leaning strongly towards these people as they have been great so far via email & come recommended:

http://www.nomadsaharabivouacmerzouga.com/

what does your family think? Is that what they want to do? We do not know if one night versus 2 is better for you.

Well, unless you regularly ride camels, I think we do know - one will be sufficient.

Ever been on a camel? GOD, they're uncomfortable! Be sure to pack pillows and an ice pack

It all depends on the camel. And please don't promise them the moon and then never call again.

We leave in 3.5 weeks for our trip to Morocco. We have one night in Merzouga and one night in the desert on the tent. I guess my concern with spending two nights is, what would you do all day in the desert?

With just one night, it takes a couple hours out on the camel, then explore, dinner, sleep, then wake up the next morning and take the camels back. I think spending an entire day there between the two nights, might be a bit much, especially for a 6 year old.

Here's my point with the earlier comment. If this is a package tour, why not ask them (maybe you have) about what they would recommend since they obviously see lots of familes and kids of varies ages. Ask them what there is to do all day, they are the ones planning the activities etc.

WTnow, I have no answer to your question because I have sat on a camel for no more than five minutes, and that too as a teenager (which now I am not! despite the occassional assertions of people around me) and I merely wanted to say I liked your question. At least I don't know too many sites where you can ask for advice on how many nights you should go for a camel trek on and get so many responses so quickly!

As Northshore says, Do be nice to the camel, please.

Do you still have to walk a mile to get a camel?

Don't know, Neopatrick. But do you know why most camel riders appreciate Bush?

NO, Comfy, please tell us!

Because so long as you are close to a Camel's rear, you are at least safe from missles.

http://tinyurl.com/yq7wpd

lolololol-

I am enjoying the camel jokes.

I don't why I am having such a hard time making this decision and yes I am glad to have this forum with so many replies and different thoughts.

According to John Sakura ( from VT & on the web with extensive experience in Morocco) this is a very special tour not like any others adn he said to trust her.

I am a little concerned about the camel comfort even tho she said she would make it comfortable for me.Some people say a camel ride is torture and others say it is pleasant. How do I know which it will be for us???

She does have nice things planned for my child including connecting her with a school and her doing a concert for the kids playing her violin. Yep, we are going to shlep her violin on a camel too.

She is even brining us special food ( as I am fussy about food in Morocco and want to be safe with a child).

It is really hard to tell before hand what will be best for us.

Some people hate their experience in the desert on camels, but others say it was the best in their life and they wish they spent more time there.

I just do not know what to do and just a little stuck here afraid I will make the wrong choice. Like what if it is sooo fabulous and I regret only doing one night? Or what if it is sooo bad and I really regret getting talked into 2?

Sigh, perhaps it is because I am mainly doing this for my child as I want a special experience for her. In theory I like the idea of a desert trek, but coward that I am , I would probably skip both night sans child.

Of course that is part of the joy of traveling with a child...she pulls me into things I would never do. She is fearless and exuberant & a great traveler, so makes me live up to more than I am.

Thanks for your help. All thoughts are welcome. I am up in the middle of the night here as I woke up worrying about this choice.


I will take the plunge soon, just not sure yet which one. Morocco is a little scary for chicken mom.

I took a 2 nights-3 full days (7-8 hours riding a day)camel treking (but no tent, no facility, bread making under the sand...)in Tunisia several years ago, to see the sunrise and sunset in Sahara is trully an unforgetable experience.

But, Camel riding is hard to be a comfortable way of travelling, at the first day, one lady in the group fell off from the camel, the group leader had to send for 4W to pick her up. It was particular hard in the morning of the second day, some riders were so sore they could hardly walk. However, everyone seemed to settle quite nicely in the second morning, as long as the rider relaxed, actually it was quite enjoyable. I would like to try a 2 weeks ride sometime.

In 2003, my parents and I tried camel riding for 3 hours in Gobi Desert in China; when my parents visited Morocco 3 years ago, nothing could persuade my mom on the camel again; my father was all right, but he is very used to horseback riding .

Thanks JudyC for a very interesting post. Sounds like you have been on some unique adventures!

Oh my...falling off..I think that is my worst fear. How did that happen? Is that easy to do?

I can not decide whether to have my child ride with my husband or go on her own. What do you think would be best for a 6yo?

The good news, I use to have a horse so have done lots of riding in my life ( but it has been a long time).I have been sore from horses and bikes, is it similar to that?

The bad news is I am overweight and crushed my knee & broke a femur years ago and have been plagued with knee problems for years. ( Adds to the wieght problem because I am less mobile). My knee used to dislocate ( painful and debilitating for months leaving me on crutches and in wheel chair) out of the blue, but that has not happened in years.


So between me and my child you can see why falling off a camel would be a very scary prospect. I have not heard of that one yet.( Food for my worry wart part )

That said I manage pretty well for a gimpy overweight person walking all over Europe and you would not believe the hills and stairs in our white village in Spain or the ancient steep stairs in our village house. I manage to climb up to bed every night in our camper when we are on the road.

For an overweight,gimpy 50 something I am in fairly good shape and pretty hearty. But I have been thru more than my share of extreme pain and am keen on avoiding that if at all possible.

This is a tough decision!

To WTnow, I think the reason the lady falling off was she rode too rigidly on
the Camel, when we went up some sand dunes (some could be very steep), she just slid off, fortunately not hurt. As long as one stays relaxed, following the rhythm of camel, one shall be all right. Since you are used to horse riding, you houldn't have problem. But for a 6 year old, perhaps it would be better to ride with an adult.

You do know that Camel is taller than most horses, and going up and down is not as easy as horse either, to me, it is the only awkward moment for an otherwise pleasant experience.

Yes, the soreness is the same as bike or horse ride, if one hasn't done for a long while.

Thanks JudyC, that is VERY helpful!

Allesandra said that she would get me something to make the on and off part a little easier for me. ( I think she meant stool or something similar,but due to language challenges I think she used the word "bank&quot.

She is aware of my challenges and concerns and seems to be flexible in handling those things.

They take very good care of their camels ( gentle ones) and great care in who they pick for camel guides etc. she says ( and John Sakura).

So far they have never had anyone fall off so that is encouraging.