This is by far the easiest blog post I’ve ever had to write. Our adventure continued to the big dunes at Erg Chebbi, about 70 km from the Algerian border. We arrived at the dunes shortly before 5pm, with the goal of riding into the dunes on camels and capturing the last rays of the sun over the desert. We were not disappointed.
As the sun began to descend from the sky, we were treated to a broad palette of colours – pink, red, peach, dark yellow…a multitude of colours. As the sky darkened we were treated to ever darkening shades of blue eventually fading to black.
I hope you don’t mind scrolling down for a while…
So what’s the difference between sunset and sunrise?
First of all, sunrise is much, much earlier! We were up at the crack of 6am to make sure we made the sunrise in time.
The girls were particularly keen to get up the dunes to their spot to watch the sunrise.
The early wake up call was well worth the effort…we were well rewarded.
Up until now in our travels we have experienced some thrilling views, particularly in the Alps of Switzerland and France. Our time in Morocco gave us a chance to see an entirely different ecosystem, and while different, the views were just as spectacular.
Comments
24 responses to “Sunrise and Sunset in the Sahara”
Awesome!
Sure was! I’ve seen some good sunrises/sunsets from First Canadian Place in Toronto, but I have to say these ones took the cake!
Amazing photos Oliver! Brings back memories of our time there.
HI Scott, I’m glad that I could transport you there for a few moments…
Looks amazing and peaceful.
No pollution. No cars. Just us, some tents, and a few camels… Oh, and the sun and sand!
WOW!! simply breath-taking
Thanks Ted…glad you enjoyed. We had the same reaction standing on the dunes…
Oh my, how is Pickering ever going to compare to all of this wonder? You are giving the girls such a gift! They will love you and ‘resent’ you at the same time ( LOL) . How will they ever settle for urban/suburban after this? Yet…maybe they will come to treasure the safety and sameness that we in Canada have to offer? Maybe it will plant a seed of what they may want to do with their lives…
Food for thought….
Hi Herta,
I think we strive not to compare places to one another too harshly…Pickering has it’s lovely sunrises and sunsets as well! As for the rest of your comment regarding the girls, Katina and I hope that they do NOT settle for urban/suburban. We’ve definitely opened the gates to their imaginations and global possibilities…
Mission accomplished!
Awesome photos Oliver! A photographers dream spot. 🙂
Hi Kim,
Sun + desert = endless opportunities for photography. I’ve always loved sunrise (though I confess I do not like getting up for it!) and sunset…unbelievable colours. Coupled with the sand, it makes for a wonderful pallet of colours and possibilities.
Hi, Oliver, thank you for sharing these breathtaking images. I scrolled up and down again several times, because in each photo the colours are different, between the sand and the sky – I don’t know, what is more fascinating. Is it like this every night? Lots of hugs,
Hi Oma,
I think that it is like that every night…We didn’t get to spend more time there, so I’d be making a guess at best. The colours were fantastic, though. Glad you enjoyed the photos!
What beautiful pictures! How will you ever choose the ones you want to display in your house? You only have so much space. Here is an idea, maybe you can have a showing, like artists do, and invite people on a tour of your global travels. Of course, you will need to feature samples of some of the recipes you have prepared. What an event that would be!!
Hi Aunt Mary,
We may end up just creating custom wallpaper with all of our photos, and then paste every room top to bottom! Or maybe not… 🙂
I’m currently at about 9000 photos, and that doesn’t include the pics Kat has taken!
Wow….the images are breathtaking. Thank you for transporting me to warmer climates.
Hi Iniyal,
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the photos…and maybe inspired you to take a trip to a desert yourself?
Beautiful!! That’s all I’ve got … your pictures speak for themselves 🙂
Thanks Joanne…I’m glad you enjoyed the view as much as we did!
Wow, wow, Wow!! I doubt I will ever be here – Absolutely so spectacular. The photo with the camels is beautiful!! Thank you for sharing !!
Hi Gail,
The sunrises and sunsets were all so beautiful…unfortunately the camera can only do so much to portray what we saw. Glad that you enjoyed the views!
I am not sure which I like better–sunrise or sunset. They both are awesome.
Hi Baba,
They were both spectacular! I liked sunset better because I didn’t have to get up at 5am to see it! Honestly, it was worth getting up for the sunrise over the desert…never seen anything like it.
Oliver