The Merzouga Desert Camp
A night in a desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dune field: what a standard camp and a luxury camp give you, what the upgrade costs, and the camp nights that start in Merzouga.
Yes, you can camp in the desert in Morocco, and at Merzouga that is the point of the trip: the camps stand in or beside the Erg Chebbi dune field, and you reach them by camel at sunset. What separates them is mostly the bathroom. On Ando Travel Ltd’s trip a standard camp gives you a private tent and a shared bathroom; a luxury camp a tent with its own bathroom and shower. In the calendar below, the standard camp is Option 1, $117 on promotion, usually $134 (checked November 2026), and the luxury camp Option 3, US$196 on the same November dates.
From Marrakech: Merzouga 3-Day Desert Safari with Food
Option 1, the standard camp, US$117; Option 3, the luxury camp with its own bathroom and hot shower, US$196, on 12, 17, 24 and 30 November (checked November 2026). Two days on the road, a hotel night, the camp night.
Check dates →Merzouga: Overnight in a Luxury Camp with Dinner & Camel Trek
A camel ride out at sunset, a luxury tent with its own shower and bathroom, dinner, drumming and the ride back at sunrise. US$84 each for one night on 12 November, US$168 each for two nights (checked November 2026). The two-night option needs at least two people.
See the camp →Merzouga: Overnight, Luxury Desert Camp, Dinner & Camel Ride
Unique Sahara Tours LLC's camp night takes one adult: US$56 on 19 November, or US$192 for two nights (checked November 2026). Pickup from your accommodation in Merzouga; not for anyone over 80 or over 127 kg. Ask which bathroom comes with your tent.
See the camp →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The calendar above is the Ando Travel Ltd 3-day trip from Marrakech, with 15,541 reviews (checked November 2026).
Where the camps are
A night under the stars or in a bivouac, and long walks on the dunes: that is the Merzouga desert in the words of Morocco’s national tourist office. The village of Merzouga sits at the south-western edge of the Erg Chebbi, with Hassi Labied to the north and Khamlia to the south. The camps are out in the sand, and the trips get you there by camel. On Ando Travel Ltd’s trip a 4x4 takes you instead if you ask at least a day ahead; on the 2-day trip from Fes a van does, if a health problem rules out the camel.
Standard or luxury
| On Ando Travel Ltd’s 3-day trip | Standard camp, Option 1 | Luxury camp, Option 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Tent | Private | Private |
| Bathroom | Shared | Your own, with a hot shower |
| Meals in camp | Dinner and breakfast | Dinner and breakfast |
| One adult, 12, 17, 24 and 30 November | US$117 for the whole trip | US$196 for the whole trip |
Option prices for one adult (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The upgrade is US$79 for the one night it changes, and what it buys is a bathroom of your own: everything else on the trip, the hotel night, the camel rides, the meals, is the same. The other 3-day trips draw the same line: on MOROCCO TRIP’s trip to Fes the standard tents have shared bathrooms and the Deluxe tents a private shower and toilet, and on Fez to Anywhere’s round trip the standard camp’s toilets and showers are outside the tents. Note that “luxury” names the camp, not the trip: the luxury options are still shared tours, and a private tour is a separate, far dearer option, US$765 to US$1,285 for one adult on the trips named on this site.
For most travellers the standard camp is enough for one night. Pick the luxury camp if a bathroom of your own matters to you on a cold night: in January the nearest weather stations, at Errachidia and Ouarzazate, average about 2 °C after dark (1991-2020 normals).
Camp nights that start in Merzouga
If you are already in the area, you do not need the 3-day trip at all. The camp-only nights start in Merzouga: you meet the guide in the village, ride a camel into the dunes for the sunset, sandboard on the way, eat and sleep in the camp and ride back at sunrise. The Merzouga: Overnight in a Luxury Camp with Dinner & Camel Trek (morocco sahara exploration) gives each tent its own shower and bathroom, includes tea, dinner, breakfast, sandboarding and Berber music, and stores your luggage in Merzouga; drinks and lunch are extra. One adult can book the one-night option; the two-night option needs at least two people.
The Merzouga: Overnight, Luxury Desert Camp, Dinner & Camel Ride (Unique Sahara Tours LLC) takes one adult and picks you up from your accommodation in Merzouga; it is not suitable for anyone over 80 or over 127 kg (280 lb). Its description speaks of shared bathroom facilities while its inclusions list private bathrooms as available, so ask which you will have before you book.
More Ways into the Dunes
Merzouga Desert Trips with Open Dates
Desert trips from Marrakech, Fes and Merzouga with live availability. Which city a trip ends in, the camp in each option and the cancellation terms are shown before you book.
The Camp Night, from Marrakech
Ando Travel Ltd's 3-day trip: a standard camp in Option 1, a luxury camp with its own bathroom in Option 3.
Check dates