Camel Voyages is a venture designed for the discerning traveller who enjoys a unique experience!

The unrepentant individualist lady traveller Diana Fletcher, with her very own black camel stallion, would like to share her passion for desert voyages on camelback across the Tunisian Sahara. Diana hopes you enjoy reading about her adventures with her family and friends. 

To embark on a week’s voyage riding a camel across the vast Tunisian sand sea of the Northern Sahara is a humbling experience.  You quickly realise that without the local knowledge of your guides the Bedouin nomads, coupled with the resilience of their ships of the desert, the one-humped dromedaries, you would quite literally be lost at sea. 

But with Adel Saoud and his team at the helm, this is a mission made possible, where your hearts and souls will be filled with joy, enriched by the sophisticated simplicity of their nomadic way of life.

Sleeping under a sweeping canopy of stars, and, lunar calendar permitting, a full moon, the only sounds likely to break the overpowering silence are the sudden rise and fall of the wind, the distant haunting cry of a jackal, or your camel contentedly chewing the cud as he rests unburdened after his day’s toil, freed from the weight of his saddle and rider, not to mention the luggage and provisions needed for sheer survival.

The Bedouin rise with the sun, talking softly amongst themselves as they light a fire with kindling wood gathered the night before.  Flat unleavened bread, known as khobz, is kneaded and baked daily in the hot ash for breakfast – a ritual repeated at lunchtime. This, together with dates and goats milk, used to be the traditional desert diet but is now deliciously supplemented by dishes of soups, couscous, macaroni, and salads. The diet is vegetarian – the vegetables and fruit are fresh and seasonal, the sauces and spices sensational.  Bottled mineral water and Coca-Cola are in plentiful supply, but in deference to the Bedouin culture, alcohol is left firmly behind.

The days pass by all too quickly, seamlessly unfolding one into the other, the gentle rhythm of this timeless form of travel lulling you into a sense of calmness and wellbeing.  The Bedouin will sing for you, even songs about you.  They will cook for you, they will care for you.  They delight in sharing the treasures of their desert kingdom with you: the flora, the fauna, the white sands, the improvised shade from the midday sun, the welcome sight of a palm-fringed oasis in the middle of nowhere, the wells so vital for man and beast, the exchange of greetings with a passing shepherd herding his flocks of sheep and goats, the tiny mosques nestling like hidden gems in the dunes, the soft sugar almond coloured evening skies followed by a flaming sunset. 

One leaves with an overwhelming desire to return. Since Diana’s first visit in April 2007, she has returned many times and whether in autumn, winter, spring or early summer, each visit has been blessed with a unique charm of its own.

Please go to the ‘Gallery’ pages on this site to view photographs which perfectly illustrate what a Camel Voyage entails. 

Please note that all photographs and any text on this site are ©Diana Fletcher.

Also my thanks to ©Jeannie Lousada, ©Jacqui Edwards, ©Claire Heale and ©Russell Dadson for their contribution to the photo galleries on this site.

Other contributing photographers are ©Abdul Thompson and ©Josephine De Souza.

 

 

This site is designed and maintained by John Rawnsley 2014