The Sahara Desert, with its unreal golden sand dunes, was the primary reason Morocco was on my bucket list. While Morocco boasts incredible history and stunning city architecture, nothing compares to the allure of its natural highlights. As a desert lover, visiting the largest hot desert in the world was a must-do. If you want to see the unreal golden sand dunes, you must be prepped to make the scenic 10 hour drive out all the way to the town of Merzouga.
Here's everything you need to know to make your desert adventure unforgettable.
Choosing the Right Morocco Desert Tour
When planning a trip to the Sahara Desert, there are several factors to consider to ensure you choose the right tour for your needs.
Location: Erg Chebbi vs. Erg Chigaga
There are two main dune areas popular for camping: Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga. The main differences are:
- Access: Erg Chebbi is easier to reach, while Erg Chigaga requires a 4x4 vehicle.
- Dunes: Erg Chebbi dunes are taller, reaching up to 525 feet, compared to Erg Chigaga's tallest dunes at just under 400 feet.
- Tourism: Erg Chebbi is more touristy due to its accessibility, whereas Erg Chigaga is more remote and off the beaten path.
If you’re insanely adventurous and have no fear of being in an isolated locale, Erg Chigaga would be a great option. But, if you’re like me and you’re a bit anxious but don’t want that to hold you back from experiencing an insanely beautiful place, go for Erg Chebbi!
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Travel Style: Tour Group vs. Private Tour vs. Solo
Navigating the roads from Marrakech to the Sahara can be challenging. It’s such a foreign place, the service is not great or non-existent in many spots, which I think would be difficult and uncomfortable to navigate alone. I wouldn’t recommend driving it alone. I’d choose between a group tour or private tour before I did it solo. Having a guide that is from the area made our experience so much better!
Duration: 2-Day, 3-Day, or 4-Day
The most popular durations for desert tours in Morocco are 2-day, 3-day, or 4-day. A 2-day trip is too quick in my opinion unless you’re already in Southern Morocco. I will say, two nights in the desert heat was a lot so I think a 3-day tour would be great too for a quick but immersive experience.
Itinerary: Where’s Next?
A lot of the tours can serve as part of your travel experience between big cities like Marrakech and Fez. You can opt to be picked up in one city and travel to the desert, then continue your adventure in the next Imperial City.
Comfort: Level of Luxury
A lot of the camps (from what our guide told us) can be pretty bare bones. The camp we stayed at features platform tents with running hot water, air conditioning at night, and locking doors. Plus, every meal was cooked fresh to order and so delicious. Our experience was definitely glamping!
You do have to access by 4×4 similar to the Erg Chigaga camps, as we went off-roading for a few miles, probably before we reached the camp in the dunes. Plus, it’s the only camp in Merzouga with a pool! I don’t do well with heat, which made me a little bit nervous about going to the Sahara in general. So, having access to an ice-cold pool during the day when the AC wasn’t running made me so much more comfortable with the trip as a whole.
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My Sahara Desert Experience with Desert Luxury Camp
I highly recommend doing a package tour with the camp as they take care of everything right from picking you up from Marrakech, taking you to the camp and then dropping you back to your next destination (Fes, Marrakech, etc). In the tour, everything is customizable; when you contact them you can let them know how many days you are interested for, where you would be picked and dropped from and you can also choose to make the entire 10 hour journey to the desert or you can even choose to split your journey along the way at one of incredible locations you would be passing. The total price would depend on how your particular itinerary looks.
Our driver Hassan picked us up from Fairmont Marrakech. He was extremely knowledgeable, professional, courteous, patient and also catered the tour towards how we wanted it based on where I wanted to make pitstops for all the photos! Ten hours might seem like a long drive, but with such a picturesque roadtrip time really flies! It is a spectacular and dramatic road that presents astonishing views of the snow topped peaks of the Atlas as well as many Berber villages along the way.
Overall we had an incredible journey to the Sahara with Desert Luxury Camp and highly recommend adding this to your Moroccan itinerary if you ever visit the beautiful country.
Merzouga, Morocco INCREDIBLE 3-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Tips for an UNFORGETTABLE Journey
Here’s a glimpse of our itinerary:
- Day 1: Pick up in Marrakech and 10-hour drive to Merzouga, stopping at Ait Ben Haddou at Ouarzazate and lunch at a kasbah in Draa Valley.
- Day 2: Full day in the desert - sunrise walk, camel rides, sandboarding, etc.
- Day 3: 10-hour drive from Merzouga to Marrakech.
Ait Ben Haddou
One place I was super particular to stop along the way is the incredible ksar of Ait Ben Haddou at Ouarzazate. This “ksar” or fortified village is an ancient traditional pre Saharan habitat made from earthern clay and is filled with beautiful kasbahs ( merchant houses ). Ait Ben Haddou is now a UNESCO world Heritage site and also a popular location for many movies and shows including Game of Thrones!
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Draa Valley
After this we passed the town of Ouarzazate to then cross the gorges and reach Agdz, where the palm grove of the Draa Valley lines. This is the longest river valley of Morocco that is lined with never ending date palm trees.
After lunch we made the drive straight to the desert and reached right after sunset to have an early dinner, entertainment by our very friendly camp hosts and then gaze at the ah-maz-ing night sky WOW! Nothing compares to the millions of stars, silence and peacefulness of the Sahara.
Desert Luxury Camp is set in a beautiful remote spot between sand dunes and gives the impression of being alone in the vast African desert while living like a nomadic king/queen! They also have a private camp and royal Camp option if you wanted something even more private/luxe. Our luxury canvas tent was is what glamping dreams are made of!
After a delicious Berber breakfast we headed off into the vastness of the dunes on a private camel tour with our Berber guide Mohammed. The vastness of the desert and the solitude and silence that comes with it was something that gives me all the feels when I think of it now - something you must experience at least once in your lifetime.
In the evening, we also tried our hand at sandboarding and boy it was such a freakin blast!
Todra Gorge and Dades Valley
After breakfast we left the camp to make our way back to Marrakech. On the way we stopped at Todra Gorge, a spectacular gash in the hills that surround Tinerhir. We stopped for lunch at Rose Valley and also made a quick pitstop at the beautiful Dades Valley. You can also opt to break your journey if you didnt want to make the straight 10 hour drive.
Luxury Desert Camps: What to Expect
Our exclusive camp will immerse you in the Sahara in absolute comfort: mouthwatering meals arrive with white-tablecloth service, and walk-in tents feature real beds covered by cozy, handwoven hill tribe textiles. Each tent has a washstand with a copper-plated sink, and the tent floors are layered with an exuberant mosaic of Berber carpets. For environmental reasons in the delicate desert ecosystem, every two tents share a spacious bathroom and solar shower tent.
Feel like a caravansary traveler of yore as we journey through the breathtaking beauty of the Moroccan Sahara, with its ochre dunes, cobalt sky, and jagged volcanic peaks. Our top-notch camp staff are personable and professional, and will make your stay unforgettable.
They’ll teach you to play ronda, Morocco’s most popular card game, and you can savor aromatic spices as you participate in a tagine cooking demonstration with the head chef. Then enjoy a magical Gnaouan musical performance-drumming and dancing are encouraged!
Considerations for Choosing a Sahara Desert Glamping Destination
When staying at a Sahara Desert Camp - even a luxury one! If you are visiting in the summer (which I did), note that your room may get quite hot if you don’t have A/C! I suggest leaving the doors open whenever possible to allow cool air to circulate. On the flip side, the Sahara Desert can get freezing cold - literally! - in the winter. If you are staying in the winter months, you’ll want to make sure your hotel provides warming options, whether that be electric blankets or radiators.
In terms of inclusions, each Sahara Desert glamping destination is different. Others provide breakfast but not dinner, and they may charge extra for pickups/dropoffs.
Here are a few highly rated Sahara Desert glamping options:
Erg Chebbi Camp
One of the best options for family travelers to the Sahara is Erg Chebbi Camp. The rooms are beautiful and comfortably appointed with en-suite private bathrooms. They also offer a nightly campfire with singing and traditional music. Guests raved about the kindness of the staff, the attention to detail in the rooms, and the tasty food at the on-site restaurant.
Tassili Luxury Desert Camp
First of all, it has air conditioning! I cannot emphasize enough how essential this is in the summer! Also, the hotel has free WiFi - yes, WiFi in the middle of the desert! This hotel offers dinner and breakfast included with each night of stay, plus a mint tea welcome (which they cheekily call ‘Berber whiskey’). With only 8 rooms, each is beautifully curated with gorgeously decor elements. However, the design is quite traditional Moroccan, so if that’s what you’re looking for, it won’t disappoint.
Essential Things to Pack for Morocco Desert Tours
When packing for Morocco, we considered the culture. But I asked the tour operator what we could wear while still being respectful as it is so very hot there. Essentially, summer clothes that are sort of modest are a-okay. While I wouldn’t wear shorts in other areas of Morocco, it felt fine here in the camp. At night and in the early morning around sunrise, it does get a little chilly, so layer up!
This is also a trip where a drugstore isn’t going to be just around the corner, especially if you stay in a camp like Desert Luxury Camp. So, come prepared with the essentials like a first aid kit and any medications you may need or want for a little extra security. Plus, make sure you have cash! You can only take out $200 at a time at Moroccan ATMs, so we stopped in Ouarzazate to make sure we had enough for tips, dune buggy riding (cash only), and other miscellaneous shopping things.
Here is a summary of what to pack:
- Summer clothes
- Layering clothes for night time
- First aid kit
- Medications
- Cash
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