There can be no two more iconic emblems of Morocco than the camel and the Renault 4. Here, next to a patch of sand dunes near Chegaga in the south of Morocco, the two sit together, apparently in harmony. Both has an extraordinary physiology to cope with the demands of its environment; the camel with its hump, its soft leathery feet and its de-sensitised mouth (to deal with even the most thorny of vegetation) and the R4 with its simple, no-nonsense mechanics, and its soft multi-directional suspension to cope with the demands of off-road driving. Which is the better machine? Who's to say, but both are to be commonly found in Morocco. Dromadaries (single-humped camels) are still used by nomads as a pack animal in Southern Morocco and can be found roaming in the low hills around Essaouira. There are of course those that work the tourist trade in the Marrakech palmeraie, but their real place is in the desert, where they come into their own. On some of our treks ("Walking with Nomads", "Sahara Trek") we use camels as pack animals and they can be ridden by those who choose. The other workhorse in the photograph, the Renault 4, however, we do not use, as a support vehicle or otherwise. Beyond the dunes in the background of the picture lie the northern fringes of the Sahara Desert, and 2000km of sand and stone desert stretching to Timbuktu and beyond. From the M'Hamld/Chegaga area it's said to take nearly 50 days for camel caravans to reach the town of Timbuktu. Our trips focus on a more compact area, with the tail end of our "Atlas Sahara Hike Bike" tour finishing with a 4x4 adventure through the dunes. Once at the dunes of Chegaga our team puts up an authentic camel-hair Bedouin tent and we enjoy a barbecue, camp fire and a night under the stars. There's very little to compare to the stillness and beauty of a night spent in the desert so you're encouraged to take your sleeping mat and sleeping bag into the dunes and sleep out. Our desert treks focus on the Erg Chebbi / Merzouga area, where the red dunes rise a dramatic 1000 feet above the surrounding 'hamada' (or stone desert). A different area, but the principle remains the same, to trek into the calm of the dunes and get in tune with the unique rhythm of the desert.
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