Discover the nearest desert to Marrakech, where you can sleep in a tent in the middle of the desert. A unique & magical experience.

If you are traveling to Morocco, then visiting the desert is an experience you shouldn’t miss. Getting to the big sand dunes of the Sahara can be tricky and time consuming. Your flight will land in one of the main cities in Morocco (Casablanca, Fes, Marrakech or Tangier), and the journey from these cities to the desert is pretty long and you will need a couple of days to fully enjoy your desert adventure.

If you don’t have time to traverse mountain passes, you can take an overnight trip to the Agafay Desert: a rocky dry desert, surrounded by an arid, yet majestic landscape that resembles a moon crater just about an hour drive from the bustling city of Marrakech.

As it is a desert of rocks, you will not find high golden sand dunes, but you can definitely experience the feeling of being in a secluded desert, with a stunning view of the High Atlas. The sunrise and sunset here are amazing

The only type of accommodations available are tents, but it’s not like the Nomad tent you might imagine, inside it’s exactly like a hotel room in the middle of the city. We’re talking about a luxurious camping experience including a real tent with water, electricity, A/C, a decent shower, and a comfy bed.

You can stay in one if the many luxurious camps in the Agafay desert to enjoy a thrilling tent camping experience and have a private dinner next to a fire camp, under a beautiful starry sky.

Aside from the luxury desert camps, Agafay offers an ultimate serenity after dusk. For those who crave adventure, it’s the ideal destination for some fun excursions amid the rocky landscape: quad biking, buggy driving, horseback riding,riding a camel,.. are all possible in Agafay.

How to get there?

If you can’t drive by yourself to the camp you chose, you can ask your camp to come and pick you up from Marrakech, all the camps offer this service at an extra cost.

Here’s our selection of the best camps in this area :

• Agafay Luxury Camp:

AGAFAY LUXURY CAMP offers a relaxing experience, in beautiful untouched surroundings, with 18 luxury tents, that takes desert camping to a another level of luxury. The tents have all the modern amenities you’ll need. The swimming pool is simply fantastic . We stayed in this camp for one night, the highlight of our stay was the outdoor bathtub, you can even watch camels walking around while taking a bath, it’s cool right ?

• The White Camel :

The White Camel lodge is also located in the Oasis of Agafay desert. It’s the perfect spot that let you escape the city noise for a peaceful desert holiday. Settle into an air-conditioned, individually designed lodge suites, built with a touch of a traditional Berber architecture. The suites feature elegant Moroccan furniture and handicrafts in neutral tones, and a bathroom with a hot shower. If you are visiting during the summer, take a cool dip in the outdoor swimming pool, and if it’s winter, just relax in the terrace, and look out to the spectacular snow-capped Atlas Mountains.

• INARA CAMP :

Inara camp also offers a unique and authentic experience out of time. You can be picked up in Marrakech and dropped by the camp, to be welcomed with a fresh mint tea and a smiling staff. The atmosphere is this camp is beautiful, expect great views of the Atlas mountains, stunning sunsets and a great spot to watch stars at night.

There is other camping options, but these are the most popular one, and with the best reviews. Just keep in mind that these camping tents claims to be luxurious, and it shows on the price. The price per night is somehow reasonable, but we found that the meal prices are a little bit spicy, but the thing is , in this area, you don’t have a choice to have lunch or dinner elsewhere then at your camping. So be ready for this !

Many travelers also come to Agafay to take advantage of the natural scenery for photoshoots, we had an amazing photo session in Agafay desert, we took one of our favorite pictures in the Agafay luxury camp :