Sahara Vision Quest and Camel Caravan

Intrepid soul seekers have ventured into the desert for millennia to fast and pray for guidance. In a landscape where endless horizons invite the soul's expansion, and starkness of detail pares away distractions, we are more intimately connected to the essence of life and spirit. And the Sahara, more than any other desert on Earth, evokes images of wildness, purity, fierce beauty, and allurement.

For twelve years, we have been offering our Vision Quest and Camel Caravan so Westerners can become part of the tradition of desert soul-seekers as they journey with the nomadic Tuareg people in the Sahara Desert of North Africa. 

This is the trip that will change your life forever.

THE VISION QUEST

A vision quest is the ancient and universal practice of withdrawing from your community and retreating alone to the wilderness, where nature gives you wisdom, insight, and guidance about where you've been  in your life, where you are now, and where you need to go.

Our Sahara quest unfolds in three phases: SEVERANCE, SOLO and INTEGRATION:

The SEVERANCE phase begins as soon as you make the commitment to participate in the journey and continues as we venture into the Sahara. It is a very personal process that is enhanced by the experiences and stories of the whole group, and it consists of fine-tuning your intention for the journey, peeling away old patterns and negative voices that could get in the way of your full participation in the experience, and clarifying how you can step more fully into who you are and what you love.

The heart of the vision quest is your SOLO, held in a place that calls to you. For three days and nights, inner and outer landscapes merge. Abstaining from food, company, and distraction, you feed your spiritual hunger. Enacting your own ceremonies, you heal old wounds and initiate yourself onto a new path.

Finally, we focus on INTEGRATION—ways you can nurture the insights you received during the solo. You return home with tools and practices that help you integrate your new outlook and sense of purpose, so you can bring your self fully into the life you choose.

THE CAMEL CARAVAN and THE TUAREG

The Tuareg, also called "the free ones," are the indigenous nomadic people of the Sahara. The group we travel with is known throughout the Sahara as a very noble tribe. The Tuareg have a matriarchal culture, a rich nature-based religion, and a worldview that is philosophical, poetic, and accepting of diversity.

On our caravan, we follow the ancient rhythm that nomadic Tuareg have followed for many generations. We rise before first light, eat a simple breakfast, and begin walking with our camels as the sun rises in the sky. At midday we stop at an acacia tree or beside a rocky outcropping that provides shade, and after lunch we rest for a while before continuing on. In late afternoon we arrive at our evening camp, where we continue the deepening processes of the vision quest, have dinner, and then sit around the fire with the Tuareg, singing, telling stories, or just talking quietly among ourselves.