ArboursAbroad contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase using one of the affiliated links, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure Policy for more information.
Not going to lie here, we were both giddy with excitement that we would be visiting the Morocco Desert. Riding camels in the Sahara was something we had always dreamed of. So, it was definitely fitting into our travel plans in Morocco. We were so stoked about the camel trekking, we didn’t even pay attention to the other surprises the Morocco desert holds.
Heading from the Todra Gorge to Merzouga, the main place in the Morocco Desert to do a camel trek, we arrived just in time to jump on a camel tour straight away. We didn’t have any time to waste as we were racing the setting sun. But boy, how special that made our entire time in the Sahara. It meant that our first time really seeing the Morocco desert was camelback. And I still get the chills when thinking of that day. You can read more about our experience camel trekking in the Sahara here.
Spending More Time in Merzouga
While we were trekking across the Morocco desert, we both agreed we needed more time to really take this place in. The beauty of the desert is just unreal. So we booked a couple of nights in the town of Merzouga with nothing planned other than soaking in the Morocco desert and dunes a bit more.
We spent the next few days running around the sands of the Sahara, picked the windiest day to hike up to the top of Merzouga Dune, and chased down some camel tours heading out at sunset for some prime photography. This is a photo journal of visiting the Morocco Desert. However, don’t fret.. we couldn’t leave out sharing travel tips on visiting the Morocco desert… you can find those at the bottom of this post! Because trust us, you’ll want to book a trip right away after seeing the beauty of this place!
Camel Trekking | Morocco Desert Tours
When seeing photos of camel trekking in the Morocco desert, I always thought people captured those photos while on their tour. However, after our camel ride, we realized there’s no way to actually take good photos while on the tour — it’s a bumpy ride to the desert camp! After returning to Merzouga, we spent some time chasing down multiple desert tours to capture the photos below.
Erg Chebbi | Merzouga Sand Dunes
Erg Chebbi is the part of the Morocco desert that spans between Merzouga and the border of Algeria. Basically, Erg Chebbi is the fancy way of calling this part of the sand dunes. An erg is a span of sand dunes that are created due to extreme winds, blowing the sand into sand formations as we see in this area of the Morocco desert.
Sunset Over the Morocco Desert
The way the colors of the sand change from yellow to orange in the desert is truly something that will take your breath away. It’s as if the Lord paints a whole new picture right before your eyes. We recommend hiking up to the top of the Merzouga Dune for sunset, as this gives the highest view you can get of the Morocco Desert.
Hiking Up Merzouga Dune | Better Views than the Sahara Desert Tours
Hiking up the Merzouga Dune sounded like a great idea until we realized desert mirages are a real thing. Merzouga Dune is way further away than you expect from the town of Merzouga. With that said, we still 100% recommend hiking to the top! Just give yourself multiple hours to do so, pack both food and water, and even a flashlight for your walk back to your accommodation after sunset!
Merzouga | The Town Most Sahara Desert Tours Leave From
We really liked our time in Merzouga. It’s easy to get caught up in the tourism and get bothered by the people haggling you about doing a camel trek. However, we found that after telling the men haggling us that we already did our Morocco desert tour, they left us alone for the rest of the time! Merzouga is such an interesting town to see, as outside of the camel trekking madness, it’s really like a deserted village!
Visiting the Sahara Desert was such a dream!! We hope these photos share a little bit of that dream come true with you! We can’t seem to pick a favorite photo.. hence why there are so many of them!! haha.. So we’re dying to know, if you had to pick a favorite, which one would it be!?
Plan Your Trip to Morocco
After our time in Morocco, we realized there is so much misinformation online about visiting the Sahara Desert. It’s not the easiest place to get to, and in fact, takes more than 12 hours to reach from Marrakech.
So, we’ve put together actual itineraries for you to use for your trip to Morocco. Our itineraries include what transportation to book and when, the accommodation you’ll need to book and where to book it, and they all take into account the actual travel time it takes to get from one place to another!
Leaving the Sahara Desert
The tour bus company running buses to and from Merzouga is SupraTours bus company. Unfortunately, they do not have a website and have no way of purchasing tickets before getting to Morocco. You can however purchase your bus tickets for your trip to and from Merzouga in whatever city you fly to Morocco in!
MERZOUGA TO FEZ || If you’re traveling towards Fez after Merzouga, the bus leaves at 19:00. This means the day you check out of your accommodation you actually get the entire day in the desert too! This is an overnight bus, arriving in Fez at 6 am. Taking this bus is a great way to save on accommodation money for the night. Check out our time in Fez to see what we did at the early morning arrival.
MERZOUGA TO MARRAKECH || If you’re traveling towards Marrakech, the bus leaves early in the morning (I think at 7:00 am), meaning the day you leave you won’t get any extra time in the desert. You’ll be traveling through the Atlas Mountains, so be sure to bring something to ease your belly if you get motion sickness.
Also, take note that this is a 12+ hour ride, making it an entire day trip on a bus. We suggest breaking up this drive by visiting the Todra Gorge.
Where to Stay In The Morocco Desert (Merzouga)
We recommend using AirBnB when booking places all throughout Morocco, and Merzouga is no different. You pay through AirBnB, so there’s no bargaining prices or dealing with money with your host – and you can use your credit card to earn free stuff! Holla!
And…not only do you not have to deal with money, if you book an AirBnB with a kitchen, you can cook your own food too! There are shops in the town to buy produce and groceries and you can easily eat for less than 2 USD per day when cooking your own meals!
Hotels + Home Stays | You can find some great deals on hotels and bed and breakfast style accommodation here. Honestly, it may be better to go this route with how many extra fees AirBnB has these days!
Recommended Gear For Visiting The Sahara Desert
Travel Bag:
We always travel with this backpack. It doesn’t really look like a backpacker’s bag, has so many compartments to store and hide your belongings, and the zippers can connect to each other making it difficult for someone to just unzip the bag while you’re walking around.
Our Camera Gear:
All photos in this post were taken with this camera using mainly this lens, and occasionally this one. You can check out a full list of our camera gear here.
Water Bottle:
It’s actually safe to drink the water in Morocco. However, you can buy water for extremely cheap when buying big bottles! And, it tastes a bit better than the tap. Buying a big bottle and then refilling this water bottle each time you leave your accommodation will save you some cash! And the best part is, this bottle keeps liquids cold for 24 hours and hot for 6 hours – so your water will stay cold all day, or you could fill it with hot Moroccan tea to go!
More Travel Advice on Morocco
READ NEXT | Riding Camels in the Sahara
Being in the Sahara, in general, is such a dream, but man, our camel trek was something else. Check out our experience and tips on riding camels in the Sahara.
READ MORE | Marrakech in 3 Days
What scams to avoid, the best area to stay, and what to expect to pay for things in the big city of Marrakech!
EXPLORE MORE | Morocco Travel Page
Here, you’ll find all our Morocco posts on one big page! Scroll through and click on whichever posts you fancy most!
WATCH MORE | Morocco Videos
We videoed a lot in Morocco, and have put together a playlist of all the videos Jay’s put together. Get a feel for what it’s really like in Morocco here!
Test your chances.. check out if there’s an epic deal to Morocco now!
No better time to really put your dreams into action than by booking your trip to Morocco. Check out prices on flights to Morocco here. If you’re flying from the United States, we strongly suggest looking into flights at one of Europe’s cheaper hubs — Libson, Paris, Madrid, or even London in the UK. From there, you can book your trip to Morocco with budget airlines, allowing you to fly in and out of different locations in Morocco for a fraction of the cost!
Save + Share Here
