My first look at the Sahara came from atop a fluffy camel as the sun breaks above the horizon, flinging cotton-candy hues across the sky above the wide expanse of the Chott el Djerid salt pan – the largest in the Sahara. As a morning person, I’ve seen a lot of sunrises and this one was truly something else: a profusion of pinks and purples streaking great lengths of the sky, emanating from an intensely glowing orange ball. It lingered, too, as did my camel who seemed to be taken by the show. Then we were off again, to break fast with a variety of local dates – some 300 types are grown in this region of southern Tunisia, thanks to the far-reaching oases of Tozeur and Nefta.

I’d arrived at Anantara Tozeur Resort the night before, landing long after the sun had set and the inky black of night…