The Moroccan Sahara is best visited at Merzouga, where the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi rise from the desert near the Algerian border. Most travelers ride a camel into the dunes at sunset, spend the night in a desert camp and watch the sunrise from the top of a dune. We recommend two nights in the Sahara, reached from Fes in about 7 hours with stops, or from Marrakech with a night on the way in the Dades Valley.
A night in the dunes is the moment most of our travelers remember longest. Here is what the Moroccan Sahara is like, how to get there, how long to stay and what to expect at camp.
Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga
Morocco has two main areas of high sand dunes:
- Erg Chebbi, at Merzouga. The most visited, with tall golden dunes, comfortable camps and good road access. This is where most trips go, and where our private tours stay.
- Erg Chigaga, near M’Hamid. More remote and wilder, reached by 4×4 across the desert. It suits travelers with extra time who want fewer people around.
The Agafay desert near Marrakech is a stony desert without sand dunes. It is great for one night close to the city, but it is not the Sahara. Read our comparison of Agafay vs Merzouga.
How to Get to the Sahara
From Fes. Fes to Merzouga is 468 km, about 7 hours with stops, through Ifrane, the cedar forest of Azrou and the Ziz Valley. A stop at the lake of Aguelmame Sidi Ali breaks up the drive. See our guide to the drive from Fes to Merzouga.
From Marrakech. The road crosses the High Atlas and passes Ait Ben Haddou and the Dades Valley. It is too long for one day, so plan a night in the Dades Valley on the way, and do not try to go to the Sahara and back to Marrakech in a rush.
Many of our routes go from Fes to the Sahara and continue to Marrakech, so you never drive the same road twice. Compare routes in our Morocco itinerary planner.
How Many Nights in the Sahara?
Two nights is ideal. With one night, you arrive in the late afternoon and leave after sunrise. With two, you have a full day to explore: the Gnawa musicians of Khamlia village, the market town of Rissani, a 4×4 trip around the dunes, or simply time to rest at camp.
What a Night in a Desert Camp Is Like
You usually arrive at the edge of the dunes in the late afternoon and ride a camel to camp as the sun goes down, while your luggage goes ahead to the camp. Camps range from simple tents with shared bathrooms to luxury tents with private bathrooms, proper beds and heating. Dinner is served in the camp, often followed by music around the fire, and the night sky is one of the best anywhere in Morocco. Wake up early to climb a dune for the sunrise.
Read our full Sahara desert camp guide and our desert packing list.
Best Time to Visit the Sahara
October to April is the most comfortable time. Days are pleasant, but nights from December to February can be close to freezing, so bring warm layers. In summer the desert is very hot by day, and activities happen early in the morning and late in the afternoon. See the best time to visit Morocco.
Where to Stay in Merzouga
We ranked these camps and hotels using guest review scores on Booking.com together with the number of reviews, checked in October 2026. The first four are tented camps in the dunes; the last two are hotels at the edge of the desert.
| Stay | Why we like it | Score | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merzouga Luxury Camp | Glamping tents right on the Erg Chebbi dunes, and the most reviewed camp in Merzouga. | 9.3 (2,156 reviews) | Check prices |
| Sahara Majestic Luxury Camp | Luxury tents with a sun terrace, a garden, a restaurant and a seasonal outdoor pool. | 9.6 (1,025 reviews) | Check prices |
| Luxury Traditional Tent Camp | Upscale traditional tents with a garden and a terrace, and family tents for groups. | 9.7 (642 reviews) | Check prices |
| Sahara Safari Luxury Camp & Activities | Luxury tents with a sun terrace, a restaurant and a bar, and desert activities arranged on site. | 9.7 (639 reviews) | Check prices |
| Auberge Les Roches | A hotel beside the dunes, with a palm-filled courtyard, a pool and a restaurant, for travelers who prefer a room to a tent. | 9.7 (445 reviews) | Check prices |
| Riad Madu | A riad in Merzouga with a pool, a restaurant, a bar and air-conditioned rooms. | 9.5 (240 reviews) | Check prices |
Not sure which camp suits you? Read our Sahara desert camp guide, or ask us: on our tours, we book the camp for you.
A Traveler’s Story: Three Days to the Dunes
While discussing Morocco’s most unique experiences with Ali, a charming staff member at my riad in Marrakech, he mentions camping under infinite stars in the dunes of the Moroccan Sahara. My eyes widen with wonder, and I pack my bags almost as soon as the words spill from his lips. He directs me to a reputable tour agency, where a knowledgeable representative reveals the details of the three day nomadic experience, and in the morning, Ali sees me off to the world’s largest hot desert.
In the company of 14 fellow travelers from across the globe, we board our minivan for the long and arduous drive. Our enthusiastic chauffeur, Mohamed, offloads to us his knowledge on the culture and history of the Berber, an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa. The vehicle meanders through the winding mountainous roads of the Atlas range, swapping the towering minarets and bustling souks of Marrakech for our first stop of Aït Benhaddou, a caramel coloured oasis and a fortified Berber village four hours southeast of Marrakech. The cluster of red mud brick homes appear golden in the glare of the afternoon sun, and as we disembark the minivan, we are greeted by a local guide who proudly tells us about the star appearances of Aït Benhaddou in the renowned Hollywood films of Indiana Jones, Gladiator, and Lawrence of Arabia. Our group of 15 adventurers weave through the collection of adobe dwellings in the village, most of which are small cafes and souvenir shops now, and engage with vendors who show us the techniques of traditional watercolour painting with the natural ingredients of saffron, tea and indigo. We learn that the pictures are only revealed above an open flame, a method in which the Berber practiced by writing secret messages to each other. We re-board the minivan at the conclusion of our tour of Aït Benhaddou, and travel half an hour away to Ouarzazate for a quick lunch stop. Cruising past two major film studios, Mohamed tells us that Ouarzazate is known as both the Gateway to the Moroccan Sahara, and as the Hollywood of Africa.
Day one of our journey to the Moroccan Sahara concludes with a night in a luxurious hotel in the Dades Gorges, and as I sink into bed for a restful night’s sleep, discover that the large glass windows in my room give way to a view of the surrounding dramatic landscape- a series of rugged rust red gorges carved by the Dades Gorges River originating in the High Atlas.
I awake the next morning to what I consider the main event of this three day excursion, as today we reach the village of Merzouga nestled on the edge of the Sahara, another four hour drive from the Dades Gorges. With one more stop in a Berber village, we learn about the production of the colourfully woven rugs that adorn the majority of the region’s souvenir stalls. When sweeping views of the majestic sand dunes of Erg Chebbi dominate the horizon in the late afternoon, we know we’ve finally arrived in Merzouga. We are greeted by an oven-like heat as we exit our minivan and ushered onto camels for our 1.5 hour trek to the campsite. I marvel at the windswept dunes of the Moroccan Sahara that stretch into forever, and when my camel stops, I find myself at the campsite where our sturdy white tents are already set up for us, furnished with plush mattresses and soft pillows. My new friends and I spend the evening reveling in the sublime natural landscape and racing down the hills of the dunes on a snowboard. When night falls, we settle into our dining tent for a hearty dinner of chicken tagine. Far away from civilisation and WiFi, we spend the hours before bedtime drumming to the rhythmic beats of traditional Berber music, and laughing to a game of charades on the woven rugs arranged outside our tents. We fall into silence in unison, and allow sleep to overtake us beneath a million twinkling stars.
By Vivian Chung. Follow her on Instagram.
Moroccan Sahara FAQ
In the southeast. The most visited dunes are at Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), and the more remote dunes are at Erg Chigaga near M’Hamid.
Fes to Merzouga is 468 km, about 7 hours with stops.
No. Merzouga is too far for a day trip. Plan at least three or four nights for a Sahara trip from Marrakech, with a night in the Dades Valley on the way.
Two nights, so you have a full day in the desert as well as the sunset and the sunrise.
No. Agafay is a stony desert about 40 minutes from Marrakech, without sand dunes.
Plan Your Sahara Trip
Every one of our multi-day tours can include the Sahara. See how many days you need in Morocco, our 10 day itinerary and what a private tour costs, or explore the best cities to visit in Morocco.
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