A Complete Guide on Glamping in the Sahara Desert, Morocco

The Sahara Desert

Sahara Desert The mystical, magical Sahara is one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. It’s hard to really describe what it’s like staring out into dunes knowing there really is no end to them. The colors change throughout the day and the desert is somehow hostile and beautiful all at once. The trek out to the desert was also incredible driving through the Atlas mountains and seeing how the Nomads and Berber people live outside the cities. Here is the ultimate guide for having an incredible 4 day journey out to the desert, sleeping in luxury texts amongst the dunes, camel trekking, and meeting amazing people along the way.

Getting to the Desert

Hire a driver or rent a car? My husband and I like having our own autonomy on vacation so we have the freedom to do and see what we want at our own pace, which made our deliberation on how to get to the Desert camp a difficult one. We ended up hiring a driver after some research and we are SO happy we did. Through our desert camp (more on this below), we asked them about a driver and we hired Rachid and I cannot recommend him enough. Please request him if you end up following this itinerary! He is extremely knowledgeable and kind, and hopes to have his own Van and business someday so I want to support him - truly a great person and we had amazing discussions about our two countries & cultures. Rachid picked us up from our Riad in Marrakech and we headed on our way through the Atlas mountains!

Day 1 Marrakech to Ouarzazate: The journey to the Sahara has many amazing stops worth seeing and I highly recomend splitting the trek into two days. Going to Ouarzazate from Marrakech is about 4 hours if you beeline it there, but you would be missing out! We started our journey into the Atlas Mountains and loved seeing the countryside of Morocco. Our driver Rachid was Berber, and he taught us a lot about the Berber culture and showed us idyllic villages built right into the hills. We stopped for lunch at the UNESCO World Heritage site Ait-Ben Haddou which was breathtaking! It’s a traditional Ksar and one of the best examples of this type of architecture. Next up was a super fun place I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did, Atlas Studios. We did a tour of the “Hollywood of Morocco” which was really interesting and I love how much pride the locals take in the big blockbuster films that were filmed in Ouarzazate. Also our tour guide played a pretty cool part in Game of Thrones!

Night 1 Stay at Les Tourmalines: After a full day of sightseeing nothing was better than checking into Les Tourmalines kasbah. The infinity pool was just STUNNING with a beautiful view. We had a beer and hung out in the pool until sunset. We then got ready for a fabulous 4 course meal in their dinner tent and we loved conversing with Idriss the extremely kind grounds manager. The staff were exceptional at Les Tourmalines! After an equally amazing and filling breakfast it was hard to leave but the excitement of heading to the desert got us back on the road!

Day 2 Ouarzazate to the Sahara Desert: After a lovely night at Les Tourmalines we headed through the valley of roses and Rachid went out of his way to take us to the Todra Gorge which was a beautiful stop. We stretched our legs and walked our way along the river marveling at just how beautiful Morocco is. Our excitement really started building when we arrived in Merzouga, the gateway city to the Sahara Desert. There we met with a member of the Desert Luxury Camp who took our luggage and we headed to camp!

The Desert Experience

Desert Luxury Camp: Seeing the Sahara Desert for the first time really is amazing. The color of the sand is such a beautiful orange and the dunes eb and flow with the wind. I was blown away with how nice our private canvas tent was at Desert Luxury Camp- a huge king bed, AC, and running water! Definitely opt for two nights at the camp so you can do and see everything, we saw most people come and go only experiencing the desert for a quick nights sleep and they missed so much! We got our stuff settled then explored the surrounding area and got acquainted with all the amenities. There is even a huge pool at the camp in the middle of the desert! It felt amazing and was sheltered in a big tent to keep the sand out. We grabbed a few chairs and positioned ourselves towards the sunset and soaked in the sights. Next we ate dinner in the center of the camp under string lights and WOW the beef tagine was out of this world! The food just kept coming and coming so be ready for it! After we were completely stuffed everyone gathered around a bonfire and the camp staff played Berber music on the drums and we all danced and laughed with our fellow campers, such a memorable experience.

Pro tip: They do not have wine at the camp so pick some up before you get to camp! Moroccan wine is really good since it is a Mediterranean climate

Day 3 Desert Luxury Camp: This was my favorite day in Morocco! We woke up and were treated to a huge breakfast spread, then were told that since we were the only two at the camp for the day we could have an extra long camel ride just my husband and I! Our camel guide wrapped our heads to protect us from the sand, then we hopped on our cute camels and ventured straight out into the Sahara Dunes. It was magical being in the heart of the desert. We stopped halfway for some Berber whiskey (hot tea) and our guide lit a fire right in the sand and we just listened to the sounds of sand rippling in the wind.

Once we returned to camp (and could walk again, camel humps are no joke!) we were treated to a private little lunch spread under the shade. We ate then took a dip in the surprisingly cold pool, then read in one of the shaded areas around the camp. Once the sand wasn’t so hot to the touch, we decided to give sandboarding a try which was really fun! Be warned it’s so dry out there in the desert so stay hydrated. After doing some runs up and down on the board we were soooo hot and jumped in the pool again, this time the freezing water (yes I’m not joking it is really cold) felt great!

To top off an already incredible day, the camp set up an incredible private candlelit dinner in the dunes for our honeymoon! We were blown away by the set up and love they showed us. We ate under the stars and enjoyed every second of it. We also got to hear some local tribal music and then they built a little fire for us. It was the most amazing honeymoon we could have imagined! We did pay extra for this, but it was only $45 USD and worth so so much more! Are you ready to book now?!

Day 4 the Sahara Desert to Fes: We hit the road for our long journey to Fes with Rachid again and left the desert after breakfast. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains and we stopped at a great place for lunch. Rachid took a detour and we stopped at a little grove of trees that had monkeys! We also stopped at a little European inspired ski town where the King had a palace that was cool to see. Morocco really is a beautiful country with such diverse landscapes.

The End of the Journey

The 4 day journey from Marrakech to the Sahara to Fes was a once in a lifetime experience. I really hope this guide preps you for what to expect and prepare for your journey so you too can have an amazing time in Morocco!

What to Pack