📷 Camels at the Edge of Erg Chigaga
Near the edge of the Sahara’s Erg Chigaga dunes in southern Morocco, camels sit quietly in the sand while their handlers prepare for the next ride. They rest with their legs folded beneath them, their long eyelashes catching the desert light. The handlers move among them, adjusting tack and speaking softly—small, gentle gestures that reveal their relationship with the animals. These camels will carry us into the dunes, where every step leaves a mark and the desert records what passes through it—a realization that shaped my essay Traces in the Sand. Before each ride, there is this moment of stillness, when the camels gather and wait.
A group of camels rests together while waiting for riders near Erg Chigaga.
A camel turns toward the camera while waiting with others near Erg Chigaga.
A camel with sharply divided black-and-white markings and mismatched eyes waits near the Erg Chigaga dunes in southern Morocco.
A white camel looks toward the camera while other camels wait in the background near Erg Chigaga.
A camel wearing a green rope halter waits near the Erg Chigaga dunes.
“Camel trips do not begin or end, they merely change form.”
– Robyn Davidson
- Camel legs and hooves stand in the sand near Erg Chigaga
- A close view of a camel’s knee near Erg Chigaga.
A camel bares its teeth while waiting near the Erg Chigaga dunes.
Camel keepers wait beside a seated camel near Erg Chigaga before a desert trek.
Naturalist’s Notebook
Notice
Notice how the caravan stretches and compresses as it moves across the landscape.
Listen
Listen beyond the obvious. Can you hear footsteps, breathing, leather creaking, harnesses shifting?
Ask
How would you describe your camel without using any color words. How would you distinguish it from the others?
