What is a dromedary (the one-hump camel) of Morocco?

Every camel you'll ride or photograph in Morocco is a dromedary — the one-humped species, Camelus dromedarius. (The two-humped Bactrian camel lives in Central Asia, not here.) Moroccans often just call them camels, and in the desert they remain genuine working animals, not just a tourist prop. The first time guests meet one up close, they're always struck by the long lashes, the disdainful expression and the surprising gentleness.

Their desert adaptations are extraordinary. The hump isn't a water tank — it stores fat, which the animal metabolises for energy when food is scarce. A dromedary can lose a huge fraction of its body water and keep functioning, then rehydrate enormous amounts in one drink. Thick foot pads spread on soft sand, slit nostrils close against blowing grit, and a double row of lashes shields the eyes in a sandstorm. They're purpose-built for the Sahara.

For desert peoples they've been everything — the 'ship of the desert.' They carried caravans of salt, gold and dates across the dunes for centuries, and still provide milk, wool for tents and blankets, and meat. Around Merzouga and Zagora I introduce guests to herders whose families have worked with camels for generations; the bond and the knowledge passed down are genuinely moving to witness.

Of course, most travellers meet dromedaries on a sunset trek into the dunes, swaying along on a blanketed saddle as the sand turns gold and pink. I always brief guests on the rhythm — hold on as the camel rises back legs first — and we choose operators who keep their animals healthy and unhurried. A slow camel ride to a desert camp, then mint tea under the stars, is for many people the defining memory of Morocco.