Sunset Camel Trek & Night in a Berber Camp

Overview

This is the night most travelers picture when they dream of the Sahara. In the late afternoon you climb onto a camel at the edge of Merzouga and follow your guide single-file into Erg Chebbi, the largest sand sea in Morocco. The village disappears behind the first ridge within minutes, and all that's left is sand, sky and the soft sound of the camels walking.

We stop on a high dune to watch the sun go down, then ride on to our camp, tucked between the dunes. Dinner is served in the main tent, the drums come out around the fire, and later you can lie on a blanket and watch the stars appear by the thousand. In the morning we wake you before dawn to climb a dune for sunrise, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast and a hot shower.

Highlights

• About 1 to 1.5 hours by camel into Erg Chebbi, led on foot by a local guide
• Sunset from the top of a dune, with time for photos
• Moroccan dinner, Berber drums and music around the fire
• A private tent for your group in our own camp
• Sunrise on the dunes before riding back

Step by step

1. Afternoon: meet in Merzouga

   Meet us at our guesthouse in Merzouga about two hours before sunset. Have a glass of mint tea, leave your big luggage with us (it stays safe and locked) and pack a small bag for the night. We'll help you tie a chech, the Berber scarf, against wind and sun.

2. Sunset camel ride

   Ride into the dunes behind your guide. Halfway, we stop on a ridge to watch the dunes change from gold to copper to violet as the sun sets. Then we continue to camp as the first stars come out.

3. Evening at camp

   Settle into your tent, then join the others in the main tent for harira soup, a slow-cooked tajine and fruit. After dinner our team plays the drums by the fire. Later, walk a few steps from camp and lie on the cool sand to see the Milky Way.

4. Sunrise and return

   We wake you about 45 minutes before sunrise to climb a dune near camp. After the sun is up, have breakfast at camp and ride back to Merzouga, where a shower and your luggage are waiting.

What the evening really feels like

The first thing most guests notice is the silence. Ten minutes after leaving the village, the last houses disappear behind a dune and the only sounds are the soft steps of the camels, the creak of the saddles and the guide humming as he walks. The sand changes colour as the sun drops: pale gold in the late afternoon, then orange, copper and, for a few minutes after sunset, a deep pink that photos never quite capture.

Halfway to camp we stop on a high ridge. You can climb a little higher on foot, sit in the cool sand and watch the shadows of the dunes stretch across the valley. Your guide will happily take photos of you and your camels, and if you want the famous silhouette shot of the caravan on the crest, just ask: he knows exactly where to stand.

By the time you reach camp the first stars are out. The fire is lit, the tea is brewing and the smell of the tajine reaches you before the tents do. Dinner is relaxed and unhurried, then the drums come out and the camp team plays and sings the old songs of the region. Nobody minds if you join in, or if you slip away to lie on the sand and look up.

Who this trip is for

This is the trek we recommend to almost everyone visiting Merzouga for the first time. It gives you the three moments people come to the Sahara for (a sunset on the dunes, a night under the stars and a sunrise from a crest) in one easy outing, without long days of riding.

It works well for couples, friends, solo travelers and families. Children usually love it; the youngest ride with a parent or on their own camel with the guide holding the rope. If riding isn't for you, you can walk alongside the camels or reach camp by 4x4 and still enjoy everything else.

• First-time visitors who want the classic Sahara experience in one night
• Travelers on a Morocco road trip who arrive in Merzouga by car or bus in the afternoon
• Families with children of most ages
• Anyone who wants a private tent without paying for a luxury camp

How the timing changes through the year

Everything on this trek follows the sun, so the times move with the seasons. In winter, sunset in Merzouga is around 17:30 and we meet you around 15:30; in June and July the sun sets after 19:30, so we leave later and you have more time to rest in the shade first. We confirm the exact meeting time when you book, using the sunset time for your date.

Sunrise follows the same pattern: we wake you about 45 minutes before it, which can mean 5:30 in summer or 7:00 in winter. After breakfast at camp you ride back in the soft morning light and are in Merzouga by mid-morning, in good time to continue your journey to the gorges, Fes or Marrakech.

Getting here and combining it with other trips

You can join this trek in several ways. If you are driving yourself, park at our guesthouse in Merzouga; your car and big luggage stay safe while you are in the dunes. If you arrive by the overnight CTM or Supratours bus, we can meet you at the stop, give you a room to rest and freshen up, and start the trek in the afternoon.

Many guests add a second experience the next day: a 4x4 tour around Erg Chebbi to meet a nomad family, hear Gnawa music in Khamlia and walk through Rissani market, or a short quad ride on the edge of the dunes. If you have more time, our Two Nights in the Sahara gives you a whole day in the dunes between two nights at camp.

Standard tent or luxury tent?

This trek includes a standard Berber tent: wool and canvas walls, rugs on the sand, real beds with clean sheets and thick blankets, solar lighting, and shared toilets and showers a few steps away. It is simple and comfortable, and it is how most of our guests sleep.

If you'd like more comfort, choose a luxury tent when you book. It is larger, with quality linen, sockets and a private bathroom with a hot shower and flushing toilet, and your luggage goes to camp by 4x4. Both tents are in the same camp, share the same fire and food, and look out on the same dunes.

A short history of the camel trails

Long before tourism, Merzouga and the oases of the Tafilalet were stops on the caravan routes that crossed the Sahara between West Africa and the Mediterranean. Rissani, half an hour north, was the great market town at the end of the road, where salt, gold, dates and cloth changed hands. The families of the region kept camels for travel, trade and milk, and many still do.

Today the camels you ride belong to families in Merzouga, and the men who lead them learned the dunes from their fathers. When you follow your guide in a line across the sand at dusk, you are walking a very old way of moving through this landscape, at the same unhurried pace.

Where you'll sleep in the desert

Your night in the dunes is at our own family camp in Erg Chebbi, about an hour by camel from Merzouga. Every group has its own tent.

Best time to go

Any month works in Merzouga. Spring (March to May) and autumn (October and November) are the most comfortable. In summer we start camel rides late in the afternoon and quad rides early in the morning, and in winter the evenings are cold, so bring a warm layer. Use the month guide and live weather on our home page to see what to expect.

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