Where to stay in the Merzouga desert
There are three places to spend the night, and they are less alike than they look. Here is who each one suits, including when the answer is not our camp.
The short answer
In the Moroccan Sahara, the highest dunes are at Merzouga: those of Erg Chebbi reach about 150 metres. If you want to really sleep there, among the dunes with no village around, stay in a desert camp. If you would rather have a room with a pool and the dunes in view, book a hotel or an auberge in Merzouga or Hassi Labied. And among the camps, the big difference is whether they sit in the Erg Chebbi strip, one next to the other, or out on their own.
Everything else — private or shared bathroom, heating, how many tents there are — is what separates a good night from a long one. Further down is what to ask before you book.
Merzouga, Zagora or Agafay?
Very different things are sold in Morocco as «a night in the desert». Agafay, an hour from Marrakech, is a stony desert with no dunes. Around Zagora the dunes are small: the big ones in that region are at Erg Chigaga, about two hours of 4x4 track from M’Hamid. Merzouga has the sea of dunes from the photos and, far from any city, a sky full of stars; in return, it is 10-12 hours from Marrakech by road, or about two from Errachidia airport.
If you have not chosen yet, we compare them honestly in Merzouga or Agafay and Merzouga, Zagora or Erg Chigaga. This guide is for those who have already chosen Merzouga and want to get the night right.
The three options, one by one
They are all within half an hour of each other. What changes is the night:
- Hotel, riad or auberge in the villageIn Merzouga or Hassi Labied, at the edge of the dunes. A room with a bathroom, often a pool, and the big dune in view. The most comfortable choice if you arrive after dark or travel with a baby, but you do not sleep in the desert: you look at it.
- A camp in the Erg Chebbi stripWhere most camps are: many of them side by side at the foot of the big dunes. The ride in is short and the landscape is the one in the photos. In return, at night you see the lights and hear the music of the camps next door.
- A camp set apartOutside that strip, with nothing but sand around. It takes a little longer to get there and there are usually fewer tents. It suits people who come for silence and the night sky. It is what we are: we are in Erg Znaigui, about 20 minutes from the centre of Merzouga.
The three, side by side
| Hotel in the village | Camp in Erg Chebbi | Camp set apart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You sleep among the dunes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Quiet at night | Depends on the hotel | Not much: there are camps next door | Yes |
| Bathroom | In the room | Shared or private, depending on the camp | Shared or private, depending on the camp |
| Getting there | By car to the door | Camel or 4x4, short ride | 4x4, a slightly longer ride |
| Best for | Babies, very late arrivals, anyone who wants a pool | The big dunes with little travel | Couples, families and anyone who wants to switch off |
A basic tent or a tent with a bathroom
The Berber tent of canvas and rugs is sold under the same name whatever is inside: from a shared tent with bathrooms at the far end of the camp to private tents with a real bed, a bathroom and a hot shower. What changes the night most is the bathroom and the temperature.
We compare them point by point, and say when basic is enough, in standard or luxury desert camp. Prices for each level are in how much it costs to sleep in the Merzouga desert.
How to choose the best desert camp in Merzouga: 7 checks
The best camp is not the same for everyone. These seven checks separate the good surprises from the bad ones:
- 1. Where it really isAmong the dunes, on the Erg Chebbi strip or set apart? A few hundred metres from a hotel? Ask for the location on the map.
- 2. A bathroom inside the tentWith a toilet and a hot shower. It is what you notice most at three in the morning.
- 3. Heating and air conditioningAnd when they run. In winter and summer, they change the night.
- 4. How many tentsSleeping among ten is not the same as among sixty.
- 5. What the price coversPer person or per tent? Are dinner, breakfast, the camel ride and the transfer included?
- 6. How you get thereIs there a 4x4 transfer both ways? Who carries the luggage?
- 7. What reviews sayThe score and the number of reviews on more than one platform, how recent they are, and what they say about noise, cleanliness and food.
Our camp, against the same 7 checks
So you can compare us with anyone else without taking our word for it, here are our facts.
| Check | Tassili Luxury Desert Camp |
|---|---|
| Location | Erg Znaigui, in the Taouz area, away from the camp strip, about 20 minutes from the centre of Merzouga |
| Bathroom | Inside every tent, with a hot shower |
| Climate control | Air conditioning and heating in every tent |
| Size | 10 tents |
| Price | Per tent per night, from €100, with dinner, breakfast, camel ride, Berber music and sandboarding |
| Getting there | 4x4 transfer both ways included, with your luggage |
| Reviews | 5.0 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, from more than 240 reviews |
Reviews checked on TripAdvisor on 4 October 2026.
How to read desert camp reviews
Look at volume and dates, not just the score: a 5.0 from twenty reviews says less than a 4.8 from three hundred, and last month counts for more than three years ago. Look for photos of the bathroom, and search the text for «noise», «cold» and «shared».
Compare platforms: when a camp scores well on TripAdvisor, Google and Booking at the same time, it is rarely an accident. Our own reviews, and where to read them in full, are on our reviews page.
Which Merzouga camp is best for you?
As a couple: a camp set apart, with a double tent and your own bathroom. Sunset from the dune and a night with no neighbours is what people remember.
With children: a family tent, so you are not split up, with the bathroom inside. The camel ride is optional and sandboarding is usually their favourite part. With a baby, or if you arrive late and tired, a hotel in the village may be the wiser choice; more in the desert with children.
Travelling alone: look for a single tent with no single supplement, because not every camp has one. More tips in travelling solo to the desert.
Short on time: one night is enough for the sunset, dinner and sunrise. If you can, stay two; we explain why in how many days in the desert.
How you get to your camp for the night
Hardly any camp can be reached by road all the way to the door: the last stretch is sand, covered by 4x4 or by camel. Ask whether the transfer is included, both ways.
Bring a small bag for the night. And arrive before the sun goes down: the sunset is a big part of the reason to come.
How to reach Merzouga from Marrakech, Fes or Errachidia airport is in getting here.
Where we are, and who we are not for
Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, our luxury desert camp in Merzouga, is ten private tents in Erg Znaigui, away from the area where the camps are concentrated. Every tent has its own bathroom with a hot shower, plus air conditioning and heating. Dinner, breakfast, the sunset camel ride, Berber music, sandboarding and the 4x4 transfer are included. We are open all year except July.
We are not the best choice if you want a pool, a late party or the cheapest camp: for that there are good hotels in Hassi Labied and simple camps in Erg Chebbi. If what you want is silence, a sky full of stars and a tent with a bathroom inside, see our tents, see the camp or read what our guests say.
Questions about where to stay
Can I sleep in the desert without booking a tour from Marrakech?
Yes. You can get to Merzouga on your own, by car, by bus or by flying to Errachidia, and book the camp directly. That way you choose where you sleep instead of taking whichever camp the tour includes.
Is it better to stay in a hotel or a desert camp?
It depends on why you are coming. The hotel is more comfortable; the camp is the experience: the sunset, dinner by the fire, the sky and sunrise among the dunes. Some people do both: one night in the camp and one in the village.
Is it cold at night in the desert?
From December to February, yes: around 4 °C and sometimes close to freezing. In spring and autumn nights are cool and pleasant. That is why it is worth asking about heating before you book.
How many nights should I spend in the desert?
One night is enough to live the whole experience. With two, you do not drive on the day in between and there is time for an excursion, or for doing nothing at all.
Is there wifi and phone signal at the camp?
There is wifi at the camp: it works for messages and email, but do not count on watching video. Mobile signal comes and goes.
4.9 / 5 · over 160 Google reviews
Ask us about your dates
Tell us when you are coming and how many you are. We will reply with availability and price, with no obligation, even if you end up staying somewhere else.
+212 661 614 125 · We always reply the same day.
Keep reading
- Luxury tents in the Merzouga desert Ten private tents in our luxury tented camp in Morocco, from €100 to €425 a night depending on occupancy. All with their own bathroom, a hot shower and air conditioning and heating.
- Our small family-run camp at Erg Znaigui, Merzouga A camp run by desert people, in the desert they grew up in.
- Tassili Luxury Desert Camp reviews: what our guests say We do not publish a review on our site that is not already on a public platform.
- How much it costs to sleep in the Merzouga desert Between the simplest camp and a tent with a private bathroom there is a wide price gap, and an even wider gap in what you actually get.