If someone asked me what is the best experience I had while in Morocco, I won’t hesitate to reply: camping in the Sahara Desert. If you ever plan a visit to the country, trust me when I say don’t miss this opportunity.
I had some difficulties when planning how to get there, what my options were, how to find camps etc. I had to scroll several websites and forums and such before just saying f*ck it, let’s just go and see. Now, I understand not everyone wants to venture into the unknown. Therefore, I thought to share my experience and hopefully, it’ll help you plan your stay in the Sahara Desert.
Also, don’t miss my post on 10 things to know before travelling to Morocco for more tips.
Where to?
First things first, where to go if you want to experience the high sand dunes that seem to come straight out of a movie? Your destination is: Merzouga. You might have some difficulties finding it in some map apps, so you can set your sat nav to Rissani.
As we were on a road trip around Morocco, we reached Merzouga independently with our car. However, there are many organised tours that leave from main cities like Agadir, Marrakech and Ouarzazate.
How does it work?
Whatever your agent/provider, the camping in the Sahara Desert experience always follows the same itinerary more or less. All desert camps are linked to one or more hotels at the foot of the dunes, which they use as a base camp. At these hotels, you can leave your car and your luggage. Some of them may let you use their facilities while you wait for the camping tour to begin. Sometimes the hotels are also used to serve you breakfast the morning after your camping night.
The tours usually start a couple of hours before sunset. You can choose among different means of transportation: camel, quad bike, buggy, 4×4 and so on. Whatever your transportation is, you will start your trek into the dunes (with a guide of course!) and usually stop in one or more spots to take pictures and look at the sunset.
Sunset over the dunes
I cannot describe in words how this makes you feel. Being seated on top of a high sand dune and looking at the sunset over an infinite sandy landscape, with the sand turning all shades of red and orange… it’s just magical. A moment to be treasured forever.
Getting to your camp in the Sahara Desert
After watching the sunset, it’s usually time to get to your camp. There are different types of camps, but we can divide them into two categories: standard and luxury camps. The main difference is that the luxury camp tents usually have a private bathroom. In the standard camps, you will have to share the bathroom.
Once at the camp, you will have a delicious traditional dinner, followed by dance, entertainment and sometimes even a bonfire. Don’t forget to lie down on the sand and look at the stars before going to bed!
Sunrise over the dunes
Every camping in the Sahara Desert experience will not be complete without an early start to be able to see the sunrise over the dunes. Again, you will have to experience this for yourself to understand how incredible this is!
Don’t worry, your 5am start will be rewarded once back to the base camp hotel, where a delicious breakfast will be waiting for you.
Where to book your camping in the Sahara Desert
My tip is: don’t book this kind of experience on websites like Groupon or Getyourguide, as they will charge you 3-4 times the price that you would actually get from a local agent. You can ask around or at your hotel reception, they’ll surely know someone who provides this kind of service! Also, you might want to check out my post on the 10 things to know before going to Morocco for more tips like this.
What to do the day after
If you want to stay around Merzouga the day after your camping, I recommend you visit Rissani. Rissani is a trading city that has served as a meeting point for centuries for all the nomadic tribes travelling around the Sahara Desert. But remember the sunscreen!!
