What do you eat at a Sahara desert camp?

The food at a desert camp surprises people — it is far better than you would expect given there is no shop for fifty kilometres. Everything is cooked on site over gas or coals by the camp team, and it is the same honest Moroccan cooking you would get in a family home, not catering. The smell of a tagine being lifted off the fire, out in the middle of the dunes, is one of those small things you remember.

A typical dinner runs in courses. It often starts with a warming bowl of harira or a thick vegetable soup with fresh bread, sometimes a little Moroccan salad of tomato and cucumber. The main is almost always a tagine, slow-cooked for hours — chicken with preserved lemon and green olives is the classic, or lamb with prunes and almonds, or a vegetable tagine. Couscous appears too, especially if you are out on a Friday. Then fresh fruit — orange slices with cinnamon are common — and endless glasses of sweet mint tea, poured from height so it foams.

Breakfast the next morning, after sunrise, is simpler but generous: Moroccan breads and msemen pancakes, hard-boiled or fried eggs, olives, jam, local honey, soft cheese, and coffee or tea. It is exactly the fuel you want before the ride back out. Water is provided, but bring your own bottles too, because hydration matters out here and supplies are limited.

On dietary needs — these are very straightforward to accommodate if you tell us in advance. Vegetarian tagines are standard and excellent. Vegan, gluten-free, halal (all meat is halal by default) and allergy requirements are all manageable with notice, since the cooks shop and prep before heading into the dunes. What you cannot do is turn up unannounced expecting a special menu, so flag anything when you book and it will be sorted.