After consuming breakfast, we was lead southward deeper into Morocco until we reached one of this area’s more noteworthy spots known as Todra Gorge. This tourist spot features enormously tall cliff walls rising hundreds of meters over top of a narrow canyon where a stream runs through a valley covered with palm trees and surrounded by rocky walls.

As you continue your trek toward the next destination of your trip, the land surrounding you gets progressively drier with each passing mile. As we pass through desolate outlying desert towns and fossil-laden regions close (geographically) to the town of Erfoud, we begin to understand why these two locations are associated; Erfoud is home to thousands of date palm trees located just north of the Sahara.

Before long, we rounded a bend and came upon the vast golden sand dunes (known as Erg Chebbi) that border the outskirts of a small desert-side community (now considered artificial due to the huge influx of tourists). I hopped off the bus and hopped onto a camel’s back to quietly trek across desert sands as the sun changed color (from golden yellow to deep orange).

We spent the night at a traditional style camp located in the desert of Sahara, enjoying a traditional Moroccan dinner after which we listened to live local musicians while also having great views of the incredible number of stars (from the clear skies above) that exist throughout the universe.