The Merzouga desert: a camel tour and camping in the Sahara of Morocco!
Near the city of Merzouga, in the southeast of Morocco, lies the Erg Chebbi desert, part of the Sahara. Merzouga is the base for a desert tour by camel or by 4×4. Or how about a camping trip in which you sleep in a beautiful camp in the Sahara! In this blog, we tell you all about our experiences with a multi-day desert tour including a camel safari + overnight stay in luxury tents in the desert of Morocco!
The Erg Chebbi desert near Merzouga in Morocco!
When you think of Morocco, you naturally also think of the Sahara. This vast desert is located in the south of Morocco. One of the gates to this deserts is the city of Merzouga. Merzouga itself is not very special, you certainly don’t have to stay here long. However, this is the place from where you visit the Erg Chebbi desert (part of the Sahara).
In Erg Chebbi, you can do all kinds of fun activities. For example, it is possible to stay overnight in the desert while camping in a Berber desert camp. Or how about making a camel ride or explore the sandy hills on 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 desert trip? What do you pack for a desert trekking? We also share our experiences with 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 best for a camel ride combined with camping? We wondered that too! Because it is difficult to find good information about this, I try to answer this question with this blog.
Erg Chebbi vs. Erg Chegaga
As you can read above, we slept in the Erg Chebbi desert, which is located near Merzouga, all the way in eastern Morocco. A little more in the middle of Morocco is 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 in the beginning). In addition, you can not just drive to the Erg Chegaga desert. The last two hours you exchange your normal car for a 4X4 (four-wheel drive). This means that the Erg Chegaga desert is a lot more expensive to visit.
Because the distances here are much longer, we do not recommend doing a camel ride in Erg Chegaga, as you cannot go deep enough into the Sahara to reach high dunes. All in all, it sounds like the Erg Chegaga is a lot less interesting, but that is certainly not the case. Precisely because it is more difficult to reach, there are far fewer tourists here. So if you are looking for an experience where you feel completely alone, we recommend the Erg Chegaga desert!
Erg Chebbi desert
The Erg Chebbi desert is a popular area of the Sahara, bordering the city of Merzouga. Erg Chebbi is easy to reach, after a 10-minute camel ride, or 5 minutes by 4×4, you are surrounded by meter-high sand dunes. The dunes are quite high here, which creates beautiful pictures, and there are many different desert camps. These tent camps are very luxurious, true glamping in the desert! Due to the proximity of the city of Merzouga, the supply of running water and electricity is well arranged in this part of the desert. Keep in mind that you will always see other visitors in the Erg Chebbi desert. It is beautiful so a tourist attraction for a reason.
So which desert do you choose? Erg Chebbi vs Erg Chegaga?
I think when this is your first experience with the desert, it doesn’t matter which of the two you choose. Both will be fun! However, if photography is very important to you, then the Erg Chebbi desert might be a better pick
4 cool things to do in the desert of Merzouga!
If you travel to Merzouga, you mainly come for the Erg Chebbi desert. There are a number of options for exploring the desert. Below you will find the four best activities in the Erg Chebbi desert!
1. Take a desert trip by camel from Merzouga(day tour)
If for whatever reason you feel less comfortable with an overnight stay in the desert, it is also possible to take a camel day trip in the desert.
Tip: do this at the end or at the beginning of the day, otherwise it is much too hot! In addition, it is good to realize that if you will not spend the night in the desert, you will sleep in Merzouga. Scroll down for an accommodation tip in Merzouga!
2. Spending the night in a desert camp: a combination of glamping and a camel ride
You depart from Merzouga into the desert by camel. During a two-hour camel ride, you drive through the desert while the sun slowly sets. It is a magical sight. Once arrived at the desert camp, beautiful Berber tents are waiting for you. In this luxury glamping tents, you will sleep tonight. The next morning you return to Merzouga by camel safari. We chose this activity in the Erg Chebbi desert. Scroll down to read more about our experiences!
