Pueblo Touareg - Private Tents

“A camp where Japanese is spoken in the Sahara Desert.”

Originally, I couldn’t find this camp and was considering booking another camp (RIAD MADU), but since it was fully booked, I was introduced to this Pueblo Touareg - Luxury Camp. Since there were no reviews from Japanese people on Agoda for Pueblo Touareg - Luxury Camp, I believe it didn't show up high in the search results from Japan. Mr. Ammar at RIAD MADU, knowing that I was Japanese, seems to have introduced me to Mr. Salem from Pueblo Touareg - Luxury Camp, who speaks Japanese fluently. After the introduction, I read the reviews on Agoda and Tripadvisor thoroughly, and I found that most people rated all categories with full marks, so I promptly made a reservation through Agoda. Shortly after booking, I received contact from Mr. Salem, the co-owner and chef. I had questions about access and option prices in this unfamiliar place, and I received prompt and polite answers, which put me at ease. Since Mr. Salem wants many Japanese people to come, I am writing this review in Japanese. To convey the charm of the camp to Japanese people, I will briefly introduce Mr. Salem. Mr. Salem first came to Japan in 2007, studied at a Japanese language school for a year, and lived in Japan for about 12 years while working in cooking. As a chef, he has had a career of one and a half years at "The Peninsula Tokyo" and two years as a co-owner and chef at "Morocco Tajine". "Morocco Tajine" was thriving, but due to damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake, he had to sell the business to someone who could continue it. After that, he worked for eight years at the restaurant "Mercedes-Benz Connection" (now Mercedes me) which served French and Italian cuisine. After returning to Morocco, he operates Pueblo Touareg - Luxury Camp with his brother Moha, who is also a co-owner, incorporating the traditions of the Tuareg people, nomads of the Sahara Desert, and showcases his culinary skills there. Facility Condition/Cleanliness It's hard to believe that it's located in the middle of the desert about 20 km from the Algerian border; the toilets, showers, and sheets are all kept clean. We are advised to conserve water and electricity, but the water flow for the shower was more than adequate. Facilities and Equipment There are six tents for accommodation. While there are other camps with dozens of tents in the area, Pueblo Touareg - Luxury Camp has limited the number of tents to maintain a high level of service. The nights in the winter Sahara Desert can be very cold, but the restaurant tent has a stove, allowing for comfortable dining. Location It is about a 30-minute drive from the bus terminal in Merzouga, and there is ample distance from surrounding camps. I could see two other camps within sight, but they were more than a 30-minute walk away, so it was very quiet. Room Comfort and Quality Since there is no heating, the temperature drops significantly at night, but adequate blankets and hot water bottles were provided. Service They were always attentive to whether we were satisfied, regularly checking in on us. What is noteworthy, of course, is the food. Both dinner and breakfast were of the highest quality of this trip (from Paris to Fez, Chefchaouen to Merzouga). We took the CTM night bus from Fez to Merzouga. We arrived at 6:15 AM, but since we had arranged a pick-up in advance, Mr. Salem was there on time to meet us at the Merzouga bus terminal. From the bus terminal, we drove towards the camp in a 4WD, listening to the Tuareg musicians, Tinariwen, on the car audio as we sped through the dark desert before dawn. It felt quite strange to be able to speak Japanese so far from Japan in the Sahara Desert. After arriving at the camp, we were able to use our tent immediately since there were no guests the night before and the tent was available, even though it was before check-in time. After waking up, we had brunch in the dining tent. After that, there was plenty of time until the sunset camel trek in the evening, so we climbed a nearby dune. Though it looked close, the distance from the camp to the top of the dune was 2.6 km one way. That day, apart from us, there were only two families of four French guests, and dinner was served after the French family arrived. After dinner, we gathered around a campfire for songs and performances by the camp staff, followed by chatting. It was challenging to keep up with the fast-paced French of the French family, but Mr. Salem interpreted as needed. The next morning, we woke up slowly, explored the surroundings, and then had breakfast. After check-out, we had a 4WD tour driven by Mr