Sometimes Morocco gives you the best moments for free

Before coming to Morocco, I think I had already decided one thing in my head – if we ever rode camels here, it probably wouldn’t be through one of those typical tourist setups.

You know the kind.

A short camel ride, a few photos, a set route, and then back again.

And somehow, even though we spent a lot of time in Morocco and saw camels many times, we still never actually booked a camel ride.

But Morocco, as usual, had other plans.

A camel outside the van window

One morning, we had parked for the night near Souss-Massa National Park. It was warm, sunny, and one of those peaceful mornings where you’re still half inside the slow rhythm of van life.

I was inside making pancakes for breakfast when suddenly I looked out the window and saw… a camel staring straight at me.

A literal camel. Looking into our van.

It was one of those completely absurd, completely perfect moments that instantly makes you think:

only in Morocco.

A local man was walking with a few camels nearby, and somehow, within what felt like a very short conversation, our little boy was already sitting on top of one of them, being taken for a ride.

And honestly – he was absolutely loving it.

So there I was, still standing in the van, flipping pancakes, watching my child casually ride a camel outside the window like this was a totally normal breakfast situation.

Pancakes for a camel man

After I finished making breakfast, I offered the man some pancakes.

It felt like the only logical thing to do.

He was so warm and kind, and after a while he insisted that I should ride the camel too. At first I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to – but of course, a few minutes later I was already up there too.

And yes, it was fun.

A little strange, a little high, and definitely one of those things where once is enough for me 😄

At one point he even made the camel run a little, which was exactly the moment I realised I was perhaps not as naturally camel-shaped as some people seem to be.

I laughed. I also got slightly scared.

Perfect balance.

He took selfies, somehow managed to capture me on the camel with the van in the background, and created one of those tiny, ridiculous travel memories that you never could have planned.

And the sweetest part?

He didn’t want to take money for it.

That morning stayed with me not because it was some big “bucket list” activity, but because it felt so random, warm, and human. It was one of those moments that reminded us again how incredibly kind and open-hearted so many Moroccans are.

And then – a whole camel family in the middle of nowhere

Another time, we were driving through what felt like an endless rocky desert landscape somewhere near El Kôm, not far from Iriqui National Park.

The road stretched on, the landscape felt empty in that dramatic Moroccan way, and then suddenly – camels.

Not one or two.

A whole herd.

There must have been around 50 of them, scattered across the rocky desert, and the best part was that there were also tiny baby camels among them. Some were so small they were still drinking milk from their mothers.

Of course we stopped.

A shepherd came over to talk to us. He didn’t want to be photographed himself, which we completely respected, but he was fine with us taking photos of the camels. He asked if we had any water and bread, and of course we gave him some.

Then we said goodbye and continued on our way.

And that was it.

No ticket booth. No tour. No booking form. No “authentic camel experience” sign.

Just a completely real, unpolished little moment in the middle of nowhere.

Why I’m glad we never booked a camel ride

This is not me saying no one should ever do a camel ride in Morocco.

If that’s something you really want to experience, I get it.

But for us, I’m honestly glad that our camel moments happened the way they did – unexpectedly, naturally, and without us chasing them.

Maybe that’s also why they felt so special.

Instead of paying for a polished version of the experience, Morocco just quietly dropped camels into our path when it felt like it.

One stared into our breakfast window.

Another time, an entire camel family appeared in the desert.

And somehow, those moments felt much better than anything we could have booked.

Final thoughts

Morocco is full of places that are beautiful, dramatic, and unforgettable.

But some of the best memories here are not really “places” at all.

Sometimes they are just tiny moments that happen between destinations. A random conversation. A warm gesture. A camel outside your van while you’re making pancakes.

And honestly, sometimes Morocco gives you the best moments for free.