Morocco is a vibrant country full of bustling cities but outside of the cities, the landscape is actually quite green. There’s beautiful landscape with ancient ruins, forests with monkeys and coastal cities along the Atlantic Ocean. And along the southeast side is where you can find the orange sands of the Sahara and go camping in the Sahara Desert.
Getting to see the Sahara Desert was one of the things I wanted to do most and one of my favorite things to see in Morocco. If you take a tour in Morocco, it’ll likely be on your itinerary unless your tour is more targeted to certain regions.
My tour took me all over and for the first part I was pretty surprised by how green it was. There are some beautiful areas in the north that look more like you’re in Italy than Morocco. I had assumed that it would be mostly dry and arid–much more desert-like than it actually is. That’s also because I thought the Sahara covered a lot more ground. It wasn’t until I pulled up a map that I saw it’s only on the very edge of the desert.
Where to Go
As you can see from the map above, the Sahara Desert is only located along the southeast part of the country. And Morocco is actually a lot bigger than it looks. A lot of the best things to do are pretty far away from each other and if you want to see the Sahara, you’ll put in some driving time.
Merzouga is one of the most popular tourist towns to visit. It’s directly east of Marrakech, but it’s about an 8.5 hour drive. The area is one of the more accessible and has taller sand dunes for a more dramatic landscape. It also has a lot of luxury camping options and tours available.
There are of course other desert towns to visit but all are a decent ways away from Marrakech and will take some time to get there. Some have a less dramatic landscape with the sand dunes and some are a little less accessible (you’ll need a 4×4).
Merzouga on the other hand is very accessible. As soon as we reached the sand dunes, our guide veered off the road and gave us a bumpy ride over the sand. It’s also where I took one of my favorite photos (the first photo on this post).
Getting to Your Luxury Camp
At the edge of the sand was where we checked in to our ‘hotel’. I’m pretty sure it was a fully functioning hotel with rooms and a beautiful outdoor seating area and pool. It would have been a great place to stay as well, but that isn’t where the luxury camping is.
From outside the hotel, we met our camels and took a camel ride through the dunes. It was a pretty decent ride–maybe 45 minutes to an hour. I’m not sure if we were being led the long way around (and the luxury camp really wasn’t that far away) or if it actually was that far away from the hotel part.
Either way, it was a great scenic ride though I was definitely starting to cramp up towards the end.
Luxury Camping in the Sahara Desert
Our luggage was waiting for us as we pulled up to the camp (proving that we were likely not far away from the road at all). The sun was just starting to set so we took off immediately towards the dunes to try and catch the sunset from the top.
From the top of the nearest dune, you could see a few camps in the distance so they are all relatively close. The tents are usually lined with a walkway in the middle and a dining area.
I expected a smaller room but the tents were pretty spacious. You can’t see it, but there was actually another twin bed in my tent and a small seating area too. I had my own bathroom and shower, though I couldn’t bring myself to shower since the desert got pretty cold at night and the water was cold as well.
For camping in the Sahara Desert, the setup was pretty nice. And I could have stayed another night out there easily, but we were off again in the morning.
Things to Do
I don’t know if I’m alone in this but I absolutely love visiting the desert. There’s just something about it–views, quietness, vastness…I’m not sure exactly what draws me to it, but I love it. And there’s some fun things to do while you’re there.
Take a Camel Ride
Number one on the list is to definitely take a camel ride. Riding a camel through the Sahara Desert was absolutely at the top of my list for Morocco. And definitely why I chose a tour that included the Sahara Desert.
Our ride was quite long and felt like we were actually going into the desert. (He could have been leading us in a large circle for all I know but it seemed like a decent distance.) If it were any longer, I think my legs would have stopped worked because they were definitely starting to cramp.
See the Sunset/Sunrise
We just barely made it to the top of the dune for the sunset but if you can convince yourself to wake up early enough, get up for sunrise. The sunrise was absolutely stunning with the sand dunes lighting up in the sun.
The sunset was nice, but there’s nothing like the sunrise in the Sahara. I was completely exhausted but forced myself up and I’m so glad I did.
Go Sandboarding
Our luxury camp offered sandboarding as an activity but it was more of a ‘here’s a board to take up with you’. I was a little confused at first because there were no straps on the board and no boots. I had previously gone sandboarding in Chile and was outfitted with boots, board and a helmet, so I was wondering what we were supposed to do with a board with no straps.
But I actually recalled my instructor in Chile telling everyone to just point the board straight and not turn. (Turns out turning in sand is much more difficult in sand than snow.)
So even without straps, you can just stand on it and go straight down, using it like a sled essentially ha. And you’ll need a dune that’s steep enough otherwise you won’t be able to get going.
Make sure you bring shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. I still probably have sand in mine.
Listen to Music Fireside
Most luxury camps in the Sahara Desert will have some sort of entertainment at night since there’s not much else to do once the sun goes down.
Ours had locals singing, dancing and playing the drums until the fire burned low. They’ll pull you up to dance and teach you how to play the drums too.
Go Stargazing
If you’re someone who likes to go stargazing, the desert is a great place to do it. You’re outside of main cities with limited lights around so the sky can light up more. You can climb up to a nearby dune to take in the stars.
I ended up calling it a night and didn’t end up going out at night, but it was also because I knew I would be getting up early for the sunrise. Another reason why it’d be nice to spend another night out here.
Take ATVs Out in the Desert
Another popular tour to do is an ATV tour across the dunes. If I would have had more time, I would have loved to do this because the dunes were really scenic from the camel ride and where our camp was. I’m sure getting out on an ATV let’s you go deeper into the desert to some fantastic views.
A lot of tours have this as an optional add-on and there are plenty of shops in the town that you can coordinate with as well.
Try Camel Milk
Within the town of Merzouga, there are several little shops to stop at where you can buy or taste camel milk. Our guide stopped off at one and we were given a small glass. Tasted a little interesting and our guide ended up buying some to take home with him.
Things to Know
- The desert gets hot in the day and cold at night and in the early morning. Make sure you bring some layers for the different temperatures!
- Scarves, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are things you will definitely want to have with you.
- Facilities will differ depending on which camp you choose, but mine had electricity, outlets, spotty wifi and a regular bathroom/shower situation.
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