What to See & Do in Merzouga
We love the seasonal Dayet Srji salt lake, where pink flamingos often gather against the backdrop of the sand dunes. The fossil beds scattered across the black hamada desert provide a fascinating, ancient counterpoint to the fluid landscape of the dunes.
Take a traditional sand-bath, a centuries-old Berber wellness treatment where you are submerged in the warm dunes for its therapeutic minerals. For a more kinetic adventure, try sandboarding down the 150-metre-high slopes or join a drum circle around a fire in a local nomadic settlement.
Stay in luxury amid a ruggedly mystifying terrain
Cross the palm-fringed reaches of the Anti-Atlas to reach the rolling, golden dunes of the Sahara
Your base for the next few nights is a luxury desert camp, a truly unique retreat where comfort makes itself at home in resplendent Berber-style tents.
By the time you reach camp at dusk, the distant dunes shift in colour once again beneath the deepening orange glow of the sun as it slips behind the Erg Chebbi, crossed by camel caravans that still arrive along ancient routes. Merzouga has long served as a gateway to trans-Saharan Africa, shaped by historic trade routes, nomadic passage, and a deeply unhurried desert culture, all illuminated by Morocco’s striking palette of colour.
Touched by the rosy light of sunset, your luxury desert tent has been thoughtfully prepared for your arrival.
Sleep beneath the Sahara sky
Where refined comfort meets the vast stillness of the desert
For the ultimate Sahara experience, only a luxury desert camp will do.
Blending splendid isolation with modern comfort, your tent sets the standard for desert lodges in Merzouga, and sets it confidently high. Inside, blush-toned Berber rugs soften the space, while layered canopies create warmth, texture, and calm. One wall can be opened to the night sky, allowing desert air and starlight to drift through as you sleep, with uninterrupted views across the dunes.
Positioned at the edges of the Sahara’s golden sands, the tents offer front-row access to the desert after dark. From bed, you can track constellations or spot elusive wildlife moving quietly across the landscape. When you step outside, a swimming pool offers relief from the heat, while evenings draw everyone together around the campfire. Stories are shared, drums may surface, and a carefully prepared gourmet dinner is served beneath a sky dense with stars.
Feel the desert's heartbeat
From camel trails to high dunes, Merzouga offers a full immersion into Sahara life
Merzouga really is the full African adventure.
From the moment of your arrival. you are placed directly within a true desert landscape. Warmly welcomed by your Berber hosts, it’s so much more than just a holiday, which you discover as you head into town to explore charming shops, walk the dunes for the best sunset tour, a sunrise camel ride, or sand-boarding from sky-high golden dunes of soft sand.
Our pick though? Start your first full day making the most of the cooler morning temperatures with a camel ride on along scenic routes where you can get an up close look at desert life.
Dine out in the Dunes
At the dazzling western entry point to the enormous Sahara Desert, you’ll be greeted with almost uncannily unreal desert views
Just a short walk from your luxury camp, dining in Merzouga can be an adventure in itself.
For an authentic Moroccan experience, lay out blankets on the soft sand. Southeastern Morocco is a true escape from reality in every sense – including taste. After all, why eat in a restaurant when you can dine lounging on plush velvet pillows, overlooking the Erg Chebbi dunes and the vast desert frontier stretching toward Algeria?
When you dine in camp, our chefs pride themselves on serving fresh, delicious, authentic Moroccan cuisine using local organic produce and hand-picked herbs. No matter how you spend your days, you can count on a delicious meal to begin and end them.
Come Away Transformed
The desert has provided a pilgrimage for many hundreds of thousands of pairs of feet that have come to explore the great swaths of desert wilderness that sit alongside a riot of culture and colour
The sounds of an altogether different daily life, the heady scents that fill the Merzouga streets, the spectacle of the African sunset from the back of your camel – there is no end to the intrigue that this corner of Morocco holds. This landscape lives and breathes the story of time.
Experience Moroccan Hospitality
Poured high from silver pots, tea sets the tone for welcome, conversation, and shared time in the desert
You will begin and end your day with frothing, warm mint tea, poured from a silver teapot above and aerated in the traditional way to balance sweetness and bitterness.
Tea carries significant meaning across Morocco: a gesture of welcome, a signal of respect, and an invitation to pause. It frames conversation, marks arrivals, and settles the moment into a shared pace.
Sitting cross-legged beneath the never-ending blue sky, the traditional Berber tents blend seamlessly into the surrounding expanse of the desert.
Cool off in a canopied poolside veranda
A stay at a luxury desert camp in Merzouga truly is a uniquely Moroccan adventure not to be missed
This intimate setting – in one of the most secluded and contrasting environments – in Africa offers a unique memory that is hard to surpass.
Offering an authentic connection with the land and people around you, without compromising on the luxury of the experience, canopied quarters look out onto the expanse that beckons from beyond. Tones of azure russet and gold bring the soul of the desert into your camp to give you a quintessential caravan experience.
Hot Air Ballooning in Merzouga
Before dawn, you begin a breathtaking ascent as you fly over the ethereal Sahara
Characterized by its golden seas of sand and towering ergs sculpted over the millennia by desert winds, there’s a certain magic to be felt here.
Your optional vantage point for the morning is a hot air balloon, a truly unique perspective where serenity makes itself at home in the vastness of the sky. Looking out over Erg Chebbi, named for the massive dunes that define its borders, stretch your eyes across this ocean-like landscape, eventually touching down on the desert floor wherever the wind takes you.The Sahara is known the world over for its shifting light and timeless beauty, so after your flight, you’ll join your private guide to explore further.
Go on a Camelback Quest
Rich in its long, winding history and shrouded with mystique, the Sahara has always held a magnetic quality
It’s not always about where you want to go, but how – and in the Moroccan Sahara, there's no better way than on the blanketed back of a camel, led by an experienced Berber guide.
The Sahara is known the world over for its star-studded night skies and shifting sands, so tomorrow, it’s an early start as you mount a camel and venture into the dunes. Serenely spectacular, the desert comes to life around you as the first hints of light flood through.
Return to camp, and you’ll then be welcomed back with a hearty, authentic breakfast of candied fruits, warm khobz, and honey-drenched Moroccan crepes. You will then join your private guide to explore further
A Tailored Exploration of the Erg Chebbi
Desert Discoveries
From the Gnaoua musicians of Khamlia to the seasonal Dayet Srji lake and the sprawling palm groves of the Rissani oasis, there’s a lot to see. Take your time, our guides will tailor your day to suit your interests. Then, to complement the sunrise of this morning, your day ends atop a high crest with panoramic sunset views as the dunes turn a deep crimson.
