This guide shares all you need to know about visiting Morocco’s Sahara Desert, including things to do, where to stay, and what to expect at a Merzouga luxury desert camp.
Erg Chebbi is a large expanse of windswept dunes that’s part of the Western Sahara Desert in the southeastern Moroccan town of Merzouga. Many come to experience the otherworldly color of the dunes via camel treks and luxury desert camps that offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Driving to the dunes was a wild experience because one minute, you’re on a rural, country highway surrounded by flat, arid land. Then, all of a sudden, you witness the bright orange and undulating dunes of the Erg Chebbi dune field on the horizon. It was so cool!
Visiting the Sahara Desert is one of those travel experiences that’ll stay with you, I promise. So if you’re planning a trip, here’s a guide to staying at a Merzouga luxury desert camp and what you need to know before going.
Read more: The Ultimate 10 Day Morocco Itinerary
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Table of Contents
Where is Merzouga + Is Merzouga worth visiting?
How to get from Marrakech to Merzouga
Best Morocco Sahara Desert Tours
Things to do in Merzouga
What to Expect at a Morocco Desert Camp
Best Merzouga Luxury Desert Camps
Where is Merzouga?
Merzouga is a small village located in the southeastern part of Morocco, near the border with Algeria. It’s the largest town along the Sahara Desert, and its major draw is the unreal sweeping Erg Chebbi dunes, some of the highest in North Africa.
Is Merzouga worth visiting?
Absolutely! In fact, Merzouga was a Morocco bucket list must for us, even with it being across the country and requiring a total of 15+ hours of drive time.
Merzouga has stunning Sahara Desert landscapes, including the breathtaking Erg Chebbi dunes and epic luxury desert camps. It was a no-brainer, coupled with the rare opportunity to go sandboarding and learn more about Amazigh (Berber) culture, all while in a beautiful destination.
How to Get to Merzouga, Morocco
Getting to Merzouga is a bit of a doozy, as it is one of the furthest tourist destinations in Morocco.
Rent a Car and Drive Yourself
Renting a car and road-tripping around Morocco are popular ways to explore this beautiful destination. However, Merzouga is quite far from the main tourist stops and does require many hours of driving (about 9.5+ hours from Marrakech and 7.5+ hours from Fes).
The road to Merzouga requires driving through rural Morocco, cutting through the prominent Atlas Mountains.
Join an Organized Tour
Joining an organized tour is another hassle-free way to reach Merzouga, which is what we did for our entire time in Morocco. An organized tour to Morocco’s Sahara Desert often includes transportation, guided activities, and your desert camp stay with the assistance of experienced guides.
You can book 2-3 day private tours to Morocco’s Sahara Desert from Fes or Marrakech for ultimate flexibility and convenience.
Or you can include it on a more extended private tour in Morocco, which we did for our trip with Morocco Countryside Tours! We booked a 12 day trip through them, including the desert, which was amazing.
Best Morocco Sahara Desert Tours
Here are some of the best tours to Merzouga desert camps to check out to ease your travel planning burden:
- From and back to Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Safari with Food
- From and back to Marrakech: 4-Day Private Atlas Mountains & Desert Tour
- From Marrakech to Fes: 3-Day Tour to Fez with Overnight Desert Camping
- From and back to Fes: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour with Merzouga Camp Stay
Read more: Marrakech Bucket List: 15 Unique Things to Do in Morocco’s Red City
5 Best Things to Do in Merzouga, Morocco
You can book these activities individually with your camp or once you arrive. Many of the camps include some or all of these activities.
1. Ride a Camel Through the Erg Chebbi Dunes at Sunset
Riding camels is a very popular thing to do in Erg Chebbi. Most camel rides leave from one end of the desert, timed perfectly to make a pit stop in the middle of the dunes to watch the sunset before continuing to your camp or back.
The rides typically take about 40-60 minutes and offer a mesmerizing way to admire the undulating dunes while riding a camel.
If you’re curious if riding camels is ethical like I was, this is a helpful read.
2. See the Windswept Sand on a Quad Tour
If camels aren’t for you or you’re seeking even more adventure, you can rent and ride ATVs through the dunes.
These rides can be booked any time of day either through the hosts at your camp or independently at any of the many quad tour providers you’ll see in Merzouga.
3. Witness the Famous M’Fis Ghost town and Local Kohl Mine
The M’Fis ghost town is a historic Berber town abandoned in the 1950s. Many organized tours in Morocco take guests to the town site where you can see traditional desert homes slowly falling into ruin.
Next to the ghost town is the Kohl mine, a stretch of land where Berber Kohl, a black mineral used as mascara, is mined.
4. Watch the Desert Pigeons of Khamlia Perform
Another popular thing to do in Merzouga is to see the Desert Pigeons of Khamlia perform. Not far from the Erg Chebbi dunes is a village where the Gnawa peoples, originally from sub-Saharan countries, were forcibly moved to Morocco because of the slave trade. Today, they maintain their own culture and perform traditional music for visiting tourists.
5. Experience a Sahara Desert Luxury Camp
The very best thing to do in Merzouga, hands down, is to experience a Sahara Desert luxury camp, which is why you’re here!
At a camp, you’ll likely get the chance to experience:
- Sandboarding
- Drum circle and dancing
- Roaring campfire in the sand
- Stargazing in the desert with minimal light pollution
Read more: 20 Best Souvenirs from Morocco You’ll Love
Even More Things to Do in Merzouga
If you have time and interest, here are more unique things to do around the Erg Chebbi dunes.
- Visit a nomad Berber village: Various camps are set up amongst the desert where nomadic peoples live with their families.
- See the Igrane Oasis: Stroll through a uniquely green and lush garden where locals grow dates, pomegranates, almonds, Alfa grass, figs, peppers, and more via designated plots of land that they can water using a natural irrigation system every 12 days for six hours at a time.
- Cool off at the pool: We had some time to kill so we went to cool off at the pool at Kasbah Le Berger, which offered day passes for a few bucks.
- See Flamingos Dayet Srji: Flamingos visit a nearby lake in the desert every spring.
- Try Berber pizza: Berber pizza is a large disc of dough stuffed with minced meat and various spices unique to the region. We tried ours at Café Restaurant Chez Ibrahim.
What to Expect at a Morocco Desert Camp
As promised, here are some things to remember when staying at a Sahara Desert luxury camp.
Morocco Desert Camp Tents
Most Merzouga desert tents are spacious, safari-style canvas tents set up in two rows facing one another. The camps usually have one large dining tent and a middle courtyard lined with lanterns.
Every tent and camp is slightly different, but you can expect to have:
- Twin or double beds as requested and pending availability
- Some camps have family tents for four people
- Private ensuite bathroom with hot showers, flush toilet, and a sink
- Bedside tables and other storage furniture
- Electricity for charging and working lights
- Private seating area outside each tent
Typical Camp Amenities
This is another one of those, depends on your camp, but some typical amenities you can expect at a Morocco desert camp include:
- Welcome Moroccan mint tea and snacks
- Half board, usually breakfast and dinner included
- A nightly campfire at the edge of camp
- Outdoor seating areas
- Free WiFi
Common Morocco Desert Camp Activities
Usually, with your booking, you’ll have access to some activities, depending on what you’ve paid for and the camp.
Camps/desert tours usually offer these activities to guests:
- Sunset camel ride (not always)
- Access to sandboards for independent sandboarding
- Traditional Berber music performance and dancing after dinner
- Nightly bonfire
- 4×4 Jeep transfer through the dunes to the camp
Some Cons of Staying at a Morocco Desert Camp
I had an incredible time visiting the desert and staying at a classic camp, but I’d be lying if I said everything was perfect.
Here are some things to keep in mind if trying to decide if to stay in a Sahara camp or not:
- Luxury or not, it is still camping: These desert camps are definitely elevated, but keep in mind it is still a form of camping, or glamping rather, and not like a regular hotel stay.
- Sand everywhere: This should be obvious as you’re in the Sahara Desert, but you will inevitably get sand everywhere inside the tent and find it in your belongings days after you leave.
- No A/C in the tents: Most, if not none, of the camps offer A/C, which means depending on when you visit and the temperature, the tents can be sweltering hot (even at night!). This was the case for us since we visited at the end of August.
- Not as quiet or secluded as you may expect: There are many, many desert camps in the Erg Chebbi dunes, some of which are right next to one another, dampening the feeling of being far out in the desert.
- At the mercy of the weather: This is the fact of life when spending time out in nature. On our first day at the camp, we were hit with high, high temps and high winds which made spending time outside difficult.
Read more: 25 Need to Know Travel Tips for Morocco
Best Merzouga Luxury Desert Camps
Most of the time, booking an organized tour to Morocco’s Sahara desert will include accommodation. So, if you care strongly about which camp you’d like to stay at but also want to book a Sahara tour, be sure to look into the specifics of which camp.
For DIYers who want complete control over where to stay in Erg Chebbi, here are some of the best Merzouga Luxury Desert camps to choose from!
A quick note on choosing a desert camp
From what I could tell while there and from the internet, many camps have similar names, similar amenities, and similar vibes. I wouldn’t get too caught up in indecision at all the options and trust your gut, the reviews, and your budget when booking. The base experience is nearly the same.
Our camp: Original Desert Camp
We stayed at the Original Desert Camp, a small and lesser-known Saharan camp operated by local Berber people who were friends with our tour guide.
Although the camp was selected for us as part of our Morocco private tour and it wasn’t as fancy as others advertised, I actually really enjoyed our stay at the Original Desert Camp for a few reasons.
It was a smaller camp with only six guest tents, providing a quieter and more intimate experience. As a lesser-known camp, it wasn’t fully booked, which meant it was just us and another couple, and we loved feeling like we had the entire place to ourselves.
Additionally, the staff at our camp were beyond friendly and it actually made it more fun that our tour guide knew them! Lastly, it was positioned further away from the other camps, nestled perfectly between two tall dunes.
This may change as the dunes move with the wind, but at the time, that was the lay of the land. We couldn’t see the other camps, and they couldn’t see us, helping add to that feeling of seclusion some of the other camps seemed to lack being so close to one another.
Berber Soul Luxury Camp ($)
Berber Soul Luxury Camp is an affordable desert camp that doesn’t sleep on having the classic camp amenities.
Although offered at lower nightly rates, you can expect upscale safari tents, actual bed frames and mattresses, ensuite bathrooms, and epic views of the dunes. And you get all this plus half board.
Desert Heart Luxury Camp ($$)
The Desert Heart Luxury Camp features safari tents with private bathrooms featuring a bidet. A special feature is the offer of yoga classes, if desired, as well as dome tent seating areas.
The camp owners have a Riad partner where guests can arrange to be driven to a nearby in-ground swimming pool to cool off and relax.
You can see more of their camp on Instagram @desert_heart_luxury_camp.
Sahara Majestic Luxury Camp ($$$)
The Sahara Majestic Luxury Camp offers a slightly more luxurious stay with plush linens and colorful tent interiors. Each tent also features a seating area and classic amenities like an ensuite bathroom.
The courtyard at this camp is unique, featuring lush, green trees that stand out starkly against the bright orange sands. Guests also enjoy the unique amenity of an above-ground swimming pool at the camp.
Peep more photos on Insta @SaharaMajesticLuxuryCamp.
Sunrise Sahara Camp ($$$$)
For a romantic and upscale camp experience, the Sunrise Sahara Camp delivers. Instead of safari tents, guests stay in photogenic geodesic domes with clear panels providing views of the desert.
There are only four tents at the camp, each with a private little deck that is spaced out to provide ample privacy. Guests enjoy solid floors, upscale furniture, and a private ensuite bathroom in every unit.
Learn more about their unique tents @SunriseSaharaCamp.