The desert of Merzouga: a camel tour and camping in the Sahara of Morocco!
Near the town of Merzouga, in south-eastern Morocco, lies the Erg Chebbi desert, part of the Sahara. Merzouga is the starting point for a desert tour on a camel or in a 4×4. Or how about a camping trip where you stay in a beautiful camp in the Sahara! In this blog, we will tell you all about our experiences with a multi-day desert tour with camel safari + overnight stay in luxury tents in the Moroccan desert!
The Erg Chebbi desert near Merzouga in Morocco!
When one thinks of Morocco, one naturally thinks of the Sahara. This huge desert is located in the south of Morocco. One of the gateways to this desert is the town of Merzouga. Merzouga itself is nothing special, and you do not have to stay here for long. However, this is the place from where you can visit the Erg Chebbi desert (part of the Sahara).
In Erg Chebbi you can do all kinds of fun activities. For example, you can spend the night in the desert and camp in a Berber desert camp. Or how about a camel ride or exploring the sandy hills with a 4×4. In this travel blog, we tell you everything you need to know about the Erg Chebbi desert near Merzouga! How do you get to Merzouga and the Sahara? How do you book a camel tour and a desert trip? What do you pack for a desert trek? We also share our experiences of a two-day desert trip where we camped in the Erg Chebbi desert!
Which part of the Sahara do you visit in Morocco?
Which desert is the most beautiful or the best for a camel ride combined with camping? We asked ourselves the same question! Since it is difficult to find good information about it, I try to answer this question with this blog.
Erg Chebbi vs. Erg Chegaga
As you can read above, we stayed in the Erg Chebbi desert, which is near Merzouga, in the very east of Morocco. A little further in the middle of Morocco lies another desert, the Erg Chegaga desert.
Erg Chegaga Desert
The Erg Chegaga Desert is said to be beautiful. The sand dunes are less high here (especially at the beginning). Also, you can not just drive into the Erg Chegaga Desert. For the last two hours you will swap your normal car for a 4X4 (four-wheel drive). This means that visiting the Erg Chegaga desert is much more expensive.
As the distances here are much longer, we do not recommend a camel ride in the Erg Chegaga, as you cannot get deep enough into the Sahara to reach high mountains.
4 cool things to do in the desert of Merzouga!
Those who travel to Merzouga come mainly for the Erg Chebbi desert. There are a number of ways to explore the desert. Below are the four best activities in the Erg Chebbi desert!
- a desert trip on a camel from Merzouga (day trip)
If for some reason you feel less comfortable with an overnight stay in the desert, you can also take a day trip by camel in the desert.
Tip: Do this at the end or beginning of the day, otherwise it is far too hot! Also, it’s good to know that if you are not spending the night in the desert, you’ll be sleeping in Merzouga. Scroll down for an accommodation tip in Merzouga!
- overnight in a desert camp: a combination of glamping and camel ride
From Merzouga, you will set off into the desert by camel. During a two-hour camel ride, you ride through the desert as the sun slowly sets. It is a magical sight. Arriving at the desert camp, beautiful Berber tents await you and
Finally, it is also possible to book a desert safari online via our company. Contact Us
- Desert trip from Merzouga? Click here to get offer.
- Visiting the Merzouga desert from Marrakech? Click here
- Coming from Fez? Then click here to book a camel ride .
