Merzouga Camel Trek & Overnight Desert Camp at Sunset

1/21

Duration2d

GroupUp to 123456789

LanguagesEN · FR +1

PickupAt your hotel

Ride out at sunset, feed the camels, sleep under the stars in a real tent.

You ride camels ninety minutes into the Erg Chebbi dunes, spend a night in a luxury ensuite tent with dinner and breakfast included, feed the camels both mornings and evenings, watch the sunset and dawn from the sand, and try sandboarding if you want. The guide handles all the desert logistics, and you're back in Merzouga village by mid-morning on day two.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Camel ride and desert camp activities

Ride camels 90 minutes to desert camp
Climb dunes to watch sunset
Feed local camels
Enjoy sandboarding
Dine traditional Moroccan dinner
Listen to drum music by campfire
Stay overnight in luxury tent

Day 2 — Desert dawn and return to village

Wake early to see desert dawn
Shower and have breakfast in camp
Ride camels back to Merzouga village

The Experience

The camel ride to the desert camp takes about ninety minutes, and somewhere around the halfway point you stop noticing how sore your legs are because the dunes have swallowed everything else—the road, the village, the sound of engines. Your guide leads you deeper into Erg Chebbi, and the sand shifts color as the light moves. When you reach the camp, the tents are already there, fabric and wood rising out of the desert like they've always belonged. You have time to climb the nearest dune before sunset, and most people do, even though their thighs are already protesting.

Dinner happens around a fire, with drums playing and the sky doing that thing where it stops being blue and becomes something else entirely. The food is traditional—tagine, bread, tea—and it tastes different out here, maybe because you're eating it sitting on sand instead of at a table. After, you wander back to your ensuite tent, which has actual beds and a shower, so the "luxury" part isn't marketing. You fall asleep to the sound of nothing, which is louder than you'd think. In the morning, your guide wakes you early enough to catch the dawn from the dunes, then breakfast happens in camp before the camel ride back to Merzouga village. Some groups do sandboarding on the way—it's exactly what it sounds like, and the sand is nothing like snow.

The feeding camels part happens both days. You're not just riding past them; you're actually handling the animals, which changes how you think about the whole thing. The guides know the camels by name and temperament, and they'll show you how to hold the food so the animal doesn't mistake your fingers for dates. It's the kind of detail that sticks with you longer than the sunset photos.

What’s included

Your day includes camel rides from Merzouga village to the desert camp and back the next morning, one night in an ensuite tent at a luxury desert camp, dinner with drum music and a campfire, breakfast, soft drinks, feeding the camels, and sandboarding on the dunes. A desert guide leads both days, and all transport by camel is handled.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for back problems

Operated by Merzouga Experience

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want the Sahara without camping rough—the ensuite tent and hot meals take the edge off, which is what lets you focus on the camels, the dunes, and the quiet. Plan for two full days out of Merzouga, with physical activity both mornings and evenings; that's what makes the sunrise and sunset both possible.