What to Do in Merzouga: a Guide to the Area

On the dunes

The sunset camel ride is what brings most people, and it still earns its place: you set off with time, reach a high point and watch the sun drop onto the sand. You come back in the dark.

At sunrise it is the other way round: you climb a nearby dune and watch it come up. There are fewer people than at sunset and the light is better. It is what guests thank us for most as they leave.

And in between, sandboarding, which is easier than it looks because sand forgives far more than snow.

Guests riding camels with a Berber guide on the Merzouga dunes

Beyond the sand

This is the part almost nobody expects. Half an hour away by 4x4 there is an oasis with water, mines where marine fossils millions of years old are cut out of the rock, and nomad families still living in the area, where you stop for tea.

The village of Khamlia, a few kilometres off, is a Gnawa community, descended from people who came up from sub-Saharan Africa along the caravan routes. Their music, with metal castanets and drums, is one of the things people remember most from southern Morocco.

And if you come in spring, the lake at Dayet Srji fills with water and the flamingos arrive. It does not always have water, so ask before counting on it.

4x4 vehicle beside a water-filled oasis in the Merzouga desert

The places hardly anyone tells you about

Everyone knows the dunes. This is what surrounds them, and it is what turns a night into a stay:

Lake Dayet Srji and the flamingosWhen there has been enough rain, the flat ground west of Merzouga fills with water and the flamingos arrive. It does not always hold water, so ask before counting on it.
Khamlia and Gnawa musicA village of the Gnawa community, descended from those who came up from sub-Saharan Africa along the caravan routes. It is played in village houses, not on a stage.
The fossil minesThere was a sea here millions of years ago. You can see marine fossils set in the rock, and in Erfoud they are cut and polished.
The souk at RissaniSundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. One of the most genuine markets in the south, and not staged for visitors: people go there to buy, not to look.
Nomad familiesThey still live in the area. You stop for tea with them during the 4x4 excursion, with nothing staged about it.
The oasisWater and palm trees in the middle of nowhere, half an hour away by 4x4. It surprises people most because nobody expects it.

Everything you can do from here

Ordered from most asked for to most specific:

Sunset camel ride, included in your stay.
Sunrise from the top of a dune.
Sandboarding, with the camp’s boards.
4x4 trip: oasis, fossils, nomads and Khamlia.
Quad or buggy along the sand tracks.
Berber cooking class in Khamlia, by prior arrangement.
Evenings of Berber music by the fire.
The Rissani souk, one of the most genuine in the south, on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

What there is to do after dark

Almost every guide stops at sunset, and the desert at night is half the trip.

After dinner the fire is lit and there is live Berber music, played by the camp team. It usually ends with guests playing too, which is the part nobody sees coming.

And then there is the sky. There are no villages nearby and no lights from other camps, so a few steps away from the fire you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. If you want to climb a dune and take it in properly, say so and someone goes with you: at night every dune looks the same and it is easy to lose your bearings.

If the sky matters to you, check the moon phase before fixing dates. At new moon you see far more stars; at full moon you see fewer, but the dunes are lit silver and you can walk without a torch.

Berber musician during the evening show at the Merzouga camp

Questions about what to do

Is Merzouga in the Sahara Desert?

Yes. The Merzouga dunes, Erg Chebbi, are a Saharan erg in south-east Morocco: a sea of sand about 28 kilometres from north to south, with dunes up to about 150 metres high. It is the picture of the Sahara most people have in their heads.

What can you do in Merzouga in one day?

If you only have the day, what fits is the 4x4 excursion in the morning (oasis, fossils, nomads and Khamlia) and the camel ride at sunset. What you miss by sleeping elsewhere is the night, which is half of what people come to see.

Is there anything to see besides the dunes?

Quite a lot, and it is what almost nobody expects: the oasis, the fossil mines, the Gnawa village of Khamlia, the nomad families in the area, the Rissani souk on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the flamingo lake when it holds water.

When does the flamingo lake fill up?

It depends on the rain, usually late winter and spring. Some years it does not fill at all. Ask us before you come if it matters to you and we will tell you how it looks that week.

How many days do I need to do it all?

Two nights covers the main things: camel ride, sunrise, sandboarding and the 4x4 trip. With one night you get the sunset, dinner and the sunrise, which is already a good deal.

What is included and what is extra?

The sunset camel ride, sandboarding and the Berber music are part of your stay. Quad biking, the buggy, the 4x4 trip and the cooking class are extra: message us and we will give you a fixed price.

Is there anything to do in the summer heat?

In the hottest months the plan changes hour, not content: everything happens early morning or late afternoon. We close in July because the heat makes it impossible to enjoy.

Is there anything if I do not want to ride anything?

Plenty. The sunrise, the evening of music, dinner outside on the sand, and the 4x4 trip, which asks the least effort and surprises people the most.