A full day at the edge of the Sahara here in Mergouza. Nine of our group signed up for the optional 4×4 Land Cruiser excursion which promised more cultural and educational value than thrills but that still sounded great.

3 vehicles took off from our hotel, each taking its on path as we speeded around the edge of the dunes, throwing up streams of dust in our wake. I was sitting in the backseat and had to borrow a Covid mask!

Our first stop was a camel depot – camel riding is huge for the tourists so we had a quick look while Saaid told us about the animal and it’s importance to the nomads.

Then we went over to an water access point, 100’s of kilometers of underground canals were built throughout Morocco, feeding both the large cities and small villages.

Then we roared, euphemistically speaking, around the western edge of the dunes and south to within sight of the border with Algeria, to visit another nomadic family. Mouna made traditional Berber “pizza” for us (with cheese, chopped onion and tomatoes inside flat bread) and her husband poured us tea. They used to be nomadic, always on the go with their livestock but with 2 young boys they’re semi-permanently based here while the oldest goes to school and the father leads the occasional camel ride.

We cruised back over the hard, rocky landscape to stop quickly at a old coal mine, all hand-picked, then back into town to visit a music cooperative. We learned about the heritage of black Africans from the ancient Empire of Ghana in Morocco, and had a chance to test our drumming skills.

A few hours break by the pool at our hotel then out to catch another sunset: