What animals / insects are in the Sahara?

A lot of guests arrive quietly nervous about what lives in the desert, so let me reassure you first: the Sahara is one of the emptier places on earth for wildlife. The dunes are a harsh environment, and most creatures that do survive here are small, shy and active at night to avoid the heat. On a normal overnight you may well see no wild animals at all beyond a beetle scuttling across the sand and the camp's own camels and goats.

The famous resident is the fennec fox — the tiny, sandy-coloured fox with the enormous ears you see on postcards. They are real and they are out there, but they are nocturnal and timid, so a sighting is a lucky treat rather than a given. You are more likely to spot their delicate paw prints in the morning sand than the fox itself. Other genuine inhabitants include small lizards and geckos basking near rocks by day, desert beetles, and the odd hardy bird.

On the things people actually worry about — scorpions and snakes — the honest picture is that they exist but encounters are rare, especially up in the open high dunes where there is nothing for them to hide under. Scorpions shelter beneath rocks and in cooler crevices at the desert edges, which is exactly why we tell you to shake out your shoes in the morning and not go barefoot among rocks at night. In years of running trips, serious incidents are very much the exception, not the rule.

There is a softer side to desert wildlife too. After rare rains, the seasonal Dayet Srji lake near Merzouga fills and draws birdlife — you can sometimes see pink flamingos, ducks and waders there in spring, which surprises everyone. And the most reliable "animals" of the trip are the dromedary camels that carry you in and the goats and sheep the nomads herd. So pack a bit of sensible caution for rocks and footwear, but leave the serious fear at home — the Sahara's emptiness is one of its gifts.