Merzouga, the small desert town in Morocco is a real travel highlight and belongs to the fixed program of almost every round trip. This is the right place if you want to do a desert tour with camel trekking in Morocco, possibly also with an overnight stay in the desert! Because in this part of the country is the Sahara with the most spectacular sand dunes. The dunes of Merzouga, the so-called Erg Chebbi dunes can be up to 180 meters high here. The best way to experience this breathtakingly beautiful scenery is on the back of a camel. A fantastic experience, which you will not forget so quickly.
In this travel the guide we give you all the important information and tips about Merzouga in Morocco. In addition, we share with you our experiences, the most beautiful pictures and give you useful tips on accommodation, desert tours with an overnight stay, and camel trekking.
General info about Merzouga
With 500 inhabitants, Merzouga is a tiny town in southeastern Morocco and the people here live almost exclusively from tourism. The village is located directly on the edge of the desert, is quite spacious , and consists entirely of the typical clay buildings of the country. Most of the houses were built from 1980 onwards to meet the tourist demand for hotels, restaurants, and stores.
The desert of Merzouga is one of the most important sights in Morocco. Here the huge dunes of Erg Chebbi, up to 200 meters high, await you, a fascinating landscape formed purely by the wind. Thanks to its ideal location on the edge of the sand dunes, Merzouga is the perfect starting point for camel rides, jeep tours or other exciting excursions into the desert.
Arrival: From Marrakech to Merzouga
From Marrakech to Merzouga you drive about 560 kilometers, which is about 9-10 hours pure driving time. The roads are well developed and there are also enough gas stations on this route. This route can be covered excellently by rental car on your own.
The journey to Merzouga, in the desert of Morocco, is already a great experience. The drive goes over the imposing Atlas Mountains, further over the dreamlike road of the 1000 Kasbahs, and past the lush oasis of Tinghir. The further south you go, the more barren and dry the landscape becomes and you realize that you are getting much closer to the Moroccan desert.
In addition, there are some highlights on the way to the Sahara, such as Ait-Ben Haddou, Dades Gorge, and the Todra Gorge, should not be missed.
The journey continues to Erfoud, a small desert town that is considered the gateway to the Sahara. From there it is another 50 km to Merzouga. The last stop is the desert town of Rissani with its magnificently decorated city gate.
Travelogue Merzouga
In this travel report, we tell you about our experiences of camel trekking in Morocco. In addition, we share with you the collected impressions of an unforgettable desert tour with an overnight stay in a desert camp. Of course, we will also give you some tips about what kind of clothes are best and how much such a trip to Merzouga costs.
3 days tour from Fes to Merzouga and camel trekking
Arrived in Merzouga, we were warmly welcomed by the guys of the desert camp. There was delicious mint tea to welcome us, and we felt at home right away. After a delicious lunch that was freshly prepared for us, we immediately felt fit and alert for the upcoming camel trekking. Since everything was very well organized, we were able to leave our pastries in the room, take a shower and then in the late afternoon, we started the desert tour.
Leisurely we rocked on our desert boats into the Erg Chebbi and already after about 15 minutes, we reached the first dunes. These became higher and higher and more impressive and the sand glowed reddish-yellow in the evening sun. Soon we found ourselves in a sea of huge sand dunes. The camel ride was really breathtakingly beautiful.
Although the climb was not easy, from the top, we had a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view over the beautiful Erg Chebbi desert. We had never experienced anything so unique!
We stayed awhile at the degree of the dune to sit around, from there the incredibly beautiful sunset to witness. So deep in the Sahara, it seemed as if we were there all alone. Around us, it was so quiet, magical moments that should make our Morocco trip unforgettable.
After the sun had set, we descended to our desert camp where our guides, Youssef and Ismael were already waiting for us. We were surprised at the beautiful clean camp, designed with great attention to detail. The beds and the tents were brilliant, so much better than we would have expected in the middle of the Sahara. A little luxury in the middle of the deep desert of Morocco.
The dinner was also delicious! The tajine was the most delicious in all of Morocco. The evening became really funny and until deep into the night we sang Moroccan and Austrian songs at the campfire. For a long time, we stayed under the dreamlike starry sky and enjoyed the magical ambiance.
Jeep Safari
Well fortified, we continued exploring the next day during the jeep safari. Especially interesting was the Khamlia Village, where we heard the spiritual Gnawa music for the first time. Later we went to the black volcanic desert where our guide Hassan showed us how to find fossils and beautiful minerals by ourselves. We also visited a Berber family and the mines of Metis. Back to Merzouga we drove by jeep along the Algerian borders and had a fantastic view over the golden dunes of the Erg-Chebbi.
Hotels in Merzouga
Enchanted by these impressive experiences in the Sahara, we spontaneously decided to extend one night in the desert hotel riad Merzouga Dunes The hotel is located directly on the edge of the desert and has a fantastic pool and rooms with a view of the Sahara. After a tiring camel tour, the hotel was a wonderful place to relax and unwind.
Top desert camps when traveling by rental car
If you do a little research on the internet, you will come across a large number of tour providers. So it is not easy to find the perfect offer. In principle, we recommend simply looking at the reviews of the tours here. The course of the desert tours (camel ride, dinner, desert overnight stay) are very similar, only the equipment of the desert camps differ.
Jeep Safari
Well fortified, we continued exploring the next day during the jeep safari. Especially interesting was the Khamlia Village, where we heard the spiritual Gnawa music for the first time. Later we went to the black volcanic desert where our guide Hassan showed us how to find fossils and beautiful minerals by ourselves. We also visited a Berber family and the mines of Mefis. Back to Merzouga we drove by jeep along the Algerian borders and had a fantastic view over the golden dunes of the Erg-Chebbi.
Hotels in Merzouga
Enchanted by these impressive experiences in the Sahara, we spontaneously decided to extend one night in the desert hotel riad Merzouga Dunes The hotel is located directly on the edge of the desert and has a fantastic pool and rooms with a view of the Sahara. After a tiring camel tour, the hotel was a wonderful place to relax and unwind.
Top desert camps when traveling by rental car
If you do a little research on the internet, you will come across a large number of 2 days trips from Marrakech to Merzouga providers. So it is not easy to find the perfect offer. In principle, we recommend simply looking at the reviews of the tours here. The course of the desert tours (camel ride, dinner, desert overnight stay) are very similar, only the equipment of the desert camps differ.
I am an author of selfgrowth