Desert Excursion, Morocco - Anna Wu Photography

When we booked the two-day one-night excursion from Fes to the desert, I don’t think it occurred to any of us to check how far away the desert was. Turns out, it’s about 7-8 hours each way. Far. But the four of us, Godwin, Liz, Justin, and I piled in to the car, and our tour guide Kamal drove us all the way there, making stops along the way. We arrived just after sunset (sad), hopped on some camels, rode out into the Sahara, stayed the night in Berber tents, and rode back out at sunrise, only to drive all 8 hours back the next morning. Still, I think it was worth it just for the fun photos we took against the night sky. Judge for yourself!

There was such varied terrain on the way from Fes down to the Sahara, with open fields; Ifrane, a Swiss-style village that’s deemed the Alps of Morocco (it really does get snow); forests; mountains; small towns; clay pueblo-like houses; and more.

Monkeys! A nice little roadside attraction.

We stopped in this town for a late lunch. The butcher cuts down the meat you want and makes kebabs and chops. It was so good, we came back a second time too, which is when half of us ended up with food poisoning. And yet, good enough we’d still eat there again.

Oranges and orange juice are everywhere in Morocco. One of my favorite things throughout the trip.

Justin doing his thing, befriending a local despite not having any languages in common.

Godwin, Kamal, me, Justin, & Liz at lunch.

Magic hour, sun disappearing as we drive in to Merzouga.

We finally made it! Just as the sun had disappeared. But we hopped on our camels and rode into the desert.

Soup and tagine for dinner in our Berber tents.

I wonder if it was intentional that the only other people staying here were eight Japanese travelers. Put all the Asian people together?

After dinner it was time for the drum circle and some campfire singing.

Love.

The desert by moonlight.

Favorite.

The next morning, at sunrise.

Roadside portraits.

Back to the roadside kebab stand.

Such a long drive for a one-night excursion, but it resulted in some of my favorite photos of the trip! C’est la vie.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, or contact her to book your own session today.

Morocco

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