People usually imagine endless sand dunes when they think about the African desert. However, the Sahara is mainly rocky like the area where I slept on Wednesday after leaving Zagora.
The sand dunes cover only about 15% of the the world’s largest hot desert. These areas are called ergs. There are two major ergs in Morocco: Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga. I decided to drive into Erg Chebbi because its highest dunes are about 90 meters higher than the ones at Erg Chegaga.
I reached the dunes located in front of the Algerian border on Thursday.
Wow, what an impressive landscape!
Working between sand dunes
The LTE connectivity was surprisingly good at the western foot of Erg Chebbi. Perfect! I was able to work in my mobile office surrounded by Saharan sand. I parked my van next to a tree between some dunes where I spent a very peaceful night.
The rising sun and the shadows of the dunes created a stunning scenery in the morning.
What a nice place! During my breaks I relaxed in my hammock,
and observed other travelers walking through the desert. 
Climbing up the dunes
I woke up really early on Saturday morning. It was still dark out when I walked into the dunes to climb up one of the big dunes at Erg Chebbi.
Maybe I could reach the top by sunrise? Worth a try!
I reached the bottom of the huge dune before sunrise.
Climbing up the the leeward slope of the dune seemed pointless. It was very steep and the sand was lose. Too exhausting. I decided to walk around the dune and give the windward slope a try. On the other side, there were some dromedaries sitting in the sand.
They were “parked” right next to a desert camp. Probably one of the tourist camps that offer dromedary trips into the erg. Everyone seemed to be asleep. However, the sky was about to get light. I had to hurry up.
The walk up the dune was really exhausting. My feet sunk deep into the sand on every step. I was sweating and heavily breathing when I finally reached the top of the dune.
I made it right in time. The sun was about to rise when I sat on the edge of the dune. What a great spot to enjoy my breakfast! I had a beautiful view over the whole erg. The mountains in the back were already part of Algeria.
I could feel the heat reflected by the sand only a few minutes after sunrise. I stayed for a couple more minutes before I started the walk back to my van.
It was already pretty warm by the time I arrived at my van. Almost too hot. I was ready to head back north to follow the spring into Europe.