Who Would Be Daft Enough to Leave Their Passport in the Desert? - Day Six in Marrakesh
- Jun 13
- 3 min read
As we had already learned, sleep was not part of the itinerary on this trip and day six started with a wake up call at 5am (stupid holiday!) For those who were capable of functioning at such an unholy hour, breakfast was served before we split into two groups for our final desert adventure.
One group opted for a sunrise camel ride across the dunes, while the rest of us headed off for something a little different - sandboarding. But before we reached the sand dunes, we made a fascinating stop at a nomad village.
Watching the sun rise over the desert was magical enough, but seeing an entire community living seemingly in the middle of nowhere was unbelievable. There were tents, makeshift buildings, animals roaming around and families going about their daily lives surrounded by endless desert. It felt completely surreal.
After learning a little about life in the desert, we climbed back into the jeeps and headed towards the dunes ready to take on the hills with our sandboards. I had envisioned gently gliding down the slopes in a rather romantic and rose-tinted glasses sort of way. Of course that is not what happened at all. The dunes were far steeper than I had expected. We travelled much faster than I had imagined and, let's just say, the gravity was more enthusiastic than anticipated.
There were no lessons - it was just jump on and have a go. I started with my left foot forward. Mistake! I barely made it anywhere before realising I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and my board naturally started to turn as my right foot tried to take the lead. For my second attempt, I switched to my right foot forward and immediately had much more success. By success, I mean I travelled much further and faster but this of course ended with my face challenging the desert to a fight. The sand won.
Despite the occasional wipeout or faceplant, sandboarding was brilliant fun. Jo, Claudia and Kerry were complete naturals and gave the rest of us some pointers on how to stay upright. The adrenaline rush of racing down the dunes was incredible and everyone spent as much time laughing as they did actually boarding.
Of course, nobody mentions the hardest part - getting back up! Every single run ended with a slow, exhausting climb back up the hill carrying the board while questioning whether another go was really worth it. Spoiler alert: it was.
Eventually, after one final run, we climbed back into the jeeps for what can only be described as a high-speed rollercoaster ride across the desert.
As we approached civilisation and prepared to meet the minibus, disaster struck. Or at least, what felt like disaster. I discovered that I had somehow managed to leave my passport behind. In the desert! The actual desert!
Thankfully, our wonderful Abdul came to the rescue. Somehow managing to retrieve it and return it safely to me, he instantly became my hero for the day. I genuinely could have kissed him. I settled for a hug!
After the adrenaline-fuelled few days in the desert, our next challenge saw us having to overcome something quite different - a nine-hour drive back to Marrakesh.
Thankfully, our little bus family had become so close by this point that the journey passed surprisingly quickly. There was chatting, napping, snacks, music, stories and plenty of laughs as we made our way back through the incredible Moroccan landscapes. We stopped a few times along the way to stretch our legs, grab refreshments and admire the scenery, before we arrived at our final destination for the trip - a luxury hotel!
After days of hostels, desert camps, and adventure travel, it was exactly what we needed. Big comfortable beds. air-con, proper bathrooms, swimming pools and a bar! Heaven!
After checking in and freshening up, we headed to the bar for a well-earned drink before getting dressed up for dinner in the hotel restaurant. It was a relaxed evening with great food and even better company. Plus it was one of the only evenings where the menu wasn't just tagine - bonus!
As we went to bed that night with full tummies and full hearts, many of us were already thinking about our secret plans for the next day that we had been waiting to surprise one of the group with for months...
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