2-Night Sahara Camel Trek Expedition: Deep Desert Experience in Merzouga
🌟 Overview
This is not a sunset camel ride. This is a real desert expedition.
For two nights and three days, you leave the roads, the vehicles, and the phone signal behind. You travel by camel through the Erg Chebbi dune field with a Berber guide who was born in this desert and knows every dune, every well, and every nomadic family. You eat food cooked over an open fire. You sleep under more stars than you've ever seen. You learn how the desert works — how to read the sand, how to find water, how to navigate by stars.
The first night is a wild bivouac — carpets and blankets laid on the sand under the open sky, campfire crackling, absolute silence except for the wind. The second night is at a luxury camp with a hot shower and comfortable bed — the contrast makes both experiences even more powerful.
If you've already done the standard desert tour and want to go deeper, or if you've always dreamed of truly living in the Sahara — this is it.
Tour Highlights
- Real camel trekking: 4-6 hours of riding daily across dunes, rocky hammada, and desert plains — not a 45-minute sunset ride
- Wild bivouac night: sleep on Berber carpets under the open Sahara sky — no tent, no walls, just you and the stars
- Luxury camp night: hot shower, comfortable bed, campfire dinner with Berber music — the reward after a day of riding
- Deep desert: you'll reach areas where no tourist ever goes — just sand, silence, and sky
- Nomadic encounters: visit families who still live the traditional desert life — share tea, bread, and stories
- Desert skills: your guide teaches you Berber navigation (stars, sand patterns, wind direction), camel handling, and how to make fire in the desert
- All meals over open fire: tagine cooked in the sand, bread baked in embers, mint tea boiled on charcoal
- Sunrise & sunset from remote dunes: you'll be the only person on the horizon
Who Is This Trek For?
- Adventure travelers who want more than a standard tour
- Returning visitors who've done the 3-day desert tour and want to go deeper
- Photographers looking for untouched landscapes with no other tourists
- Nature lovers who want to understand how the Sahara works as an ecosystem
- Couples seeking an intimate, off-grid experience
- Anyone craving silence — the desert silence is the closest thing to meditation most people will ever experience
Who Should Choose a Standard Tour Instead?
- First-time Morocco visitors (do the 3-day tour first)
- Travelers with mobility concerns (the senior-friendly tour is better suited)
- Anyone uncomfortable with basic camping (the bivouac is beautiful but basic)
Itinerary
Day 1 — Merzouga → Deep Desert Bivouac
📍 15-20 km by camel • 4-5 hours riding
- 9:00 AM — Meet your Berber guide at your Merzouga hotel. He introduces you to your camel — you'll learn how to mount, steer, and bond with your animal over the next three days
- Load supplies onto the pack camel and set off into the Erg Chebbi dune field
- Ride south through the towering dunes — some reach 150 meters high. Your guide navigates without GPS, using sand patterns and wind direction
- Midday break in the shade of a large dune — lunch prepared by your guide (salad, bread, fruit, mint tea)
- Continue riding through varied terrain — golden dunes, dark rocky hammada, and flat desert plains
- Visit a nomadic Berber family — share tea in their desert tent, learn how they find water and graze their goats in this landscape
- Late afternoon — arrive at your bivouac site, chosen by your guide for wind protection and views
- Unsaddle the camels and watch them graze freely
- Sunset from a nearby dune peak — you'll likely be the only human visible in every direction
- Your guide prepares dinner over an open fire: traditional tagine cooked in a sand oven, fresh bread baked in embers, mint tea
- Night under the stars — your guide lays out Berber carpets and thick blankets on the sand. No tent. No walls. The Milky Way is directly overhead, close enough to touch. The silence is total — the most profound quiet most people have ever experienced
- Your guide points out constellations and teaches you how Berber nomads navigate by stars
Day 2 — Deep Desert → Remote Dunes → Luxury Camp
📍 18-25 km by camel • 5-6 hours riding
- Wake at dawn — watch the sunrise paint the dunes from your sleeping spot. Breakfast over the fire: Berber pancakes, jam, coffee, mint tea
- Saddle up and ride east through the heart of Erg Chebbi — the tallest and most dramatic dunes, with knife-edge ridges and deep valleys of sand
- Your guide teaches you to read the desert: animal tracks (desert fox, scarab beetles, sidewinder snakes), wind patterns, where water hides underground
- Midday break at an oasis or well — your guide finds shade, prepares lunch, and you rest with the camels
- Afternoon ride through black desert (dark volcanic rock) contrasting with golden dunes — surreal landscape for photos
- Optional: sandboarding down a steep dune
- Late afternoon — arrive at the luxury desert camp deep in the dunes
- Hot shower — after two days of desert riding, this feels incredible
- Comfortable bed in a private tent with en-suite bathroom
- Traditional dinner with campfire and Berber drumming
- Stargazing from the camp terrace or climb a nearby dune
- Overnight in luxury tent — heated in winter, USB charging available
Day 3 — Sunrise → Final Ride → Merzouga
📍 10-12 km by camel • 3-4 hours riding
- Sunrise from the top of the highest nearby dune — this is your last desert dawn, and after two days immersed in the Sahara, it hits differently
- Leisurely breakfast at camp
- Final camel ride back toward Merzouga — a relaxed morning through the dunes
- Your guide shows you how to handle the camel yourself — by now you've built a real connection with your animal
- Arrive in Merzouga by early afternoon
- Drop-off at your accommodation
- Say goodbye to your camel and your guide — by this point, they feel like family
Included & Not Included
- • Experienced Berber camel guide (born in the desert, speaks English)
- • Personal riding camel for the entire trek
- • 1 night wild bivouac camp (traditional carpets, blankets, open sky)
- • 1 night luxury desert camp (private tent, en-suite bathroom)
- • All meals: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners (cooked by guide over open fire)
- • Mint tea throughout the day
- • Mineral water supply
- • Sandboarding
- • Nomad family visits
- • Support vehicle for heavy luggage (follows at distance, not visible)
- • Pick-up and drop-off at your Merzouga accommodation
- • Traditional Berber cheche (turban/scarf) — yours to keep
- • Polished fossil souvenir from Erfoud
- • Transport to/from Merzouga (can be added — see combo options below)
- • Sleeping bag rental (€5 — or bring your own for bivouac night)
- • Tips for guide (appreciated)
- • Travel insurance
Duration
3 Days, 2 Nights
Group Type
Private
Transportation
4×4 or Minibus
Payment Methods
PayPal
Bank Transfer (IBAN)
Only 10% deposit required
Email:
[email protected]What Our Travelers Say
Real reviews from Google and TripAdvisor
We traveled to Morocco in a group of 6 adults, including my parents, who are already seniors, in the middle of summer. For my family it was a leap of faith to trust an agency we found online for the first time, but it turned out to be a wonderful surprise. Hamid, the trip organizer, was very kind and attentive both before and throughout the whole tour. It was a fully personalized tour - we got to do everything we wanted, from visiting the Sahara to enjoying the beach. He always looked out for our comfort, especially my parents': comfortable transport, well-timed stops at places with restrooms, beautiful air-conditioned hotels, and varied, plentiful food. Thanks to his organization we were able to enjoy the trip with real peace of mind. It was a great experience we would absolutely recommend.
Last week I did a self-drive trip from Fes to Merzouga, leaving the car rental, the riad in Merzouga, the desert camp, and the guided desert activities all in the hands of MerzougaWay and Hamid, and I can only say that everything was perfectly organized, right on time. Thanks to everyone at the riad we stayed at and the desert camp, as well as the guides who joined us for the 4x4 experience, Berber culture, and the camel transfer. Thanks to Hamid and MerzougaWay for that quad-bike ride back to the riad from the camp - what an experience, riding a quad across the dunes early in the morning. If you're thinking of traveling to Merzouga, I definitely recommend Hamid as the organizer of your adventure.
Excellent!! We loved the tour. Thank you Hamid for everything. Everything well organized, the guide Eljo (Elhousain) was very attentive, highly recommend. Everything super clean, we had a great driver, we felt very safe with him. Unbeatable desert excursion. Thanks MerzougaWay!
Trustworthy tour agency. I wrote Hamid what I wanted and he just made it happen. He arranged everything so quick and smooth. We had a 3-day Merzouga tour from Marrakech. Said was our guide and he made me and my wife very comfortable. He took us from our riad and carried us in his modern 4x4 Toyota to magnificent places. He gave us the confidence to ask him whatever we wanted to do and wherever we wanted to drive - like old friends. He is open-minded and respectful. I recommend asking the agency for Said to be your driver. In the 3-day tour you cross the Atlas mountains, stay one night in a perfect hotel in Dades with great food, then stay one night in Erg Chebbi dunes in a luxury glamp camp. One night wasn't enough for a real desert experience - if you have time, take two nights in the desert.
Unforgettable holiday. An 8-day itinerant tour in Morocco, including 3 days organized by Hamid - MerzougaWay: a route from Fes to Marrakech, spending a night in the desert and in Ouarzazate. Our guide Youssef, who drove us all along the way, was very professional and took us to try real experiences that not all tourists get to see. Breathtaking landscapes - Morocco amazed and fascinated us. We drove many miles but still traveled comfortably. Absolutely recommend it - they are a highly professional agency and managed to take us to unique places, like a Berber village in the desert where we were the only tourists. A spectacular, unforgettable experience.
Morocco from the heart with MerzougaWay. Heartfelt congratulations to Hamid, who organized our trip impeccably - present, correct, and extremely helpful. A special mention for our driver Ali, who was by our side through 3 intense days toward the desert: attentive, polite, discreet, and a genuinely good, nice driver. We found snow in the Atlas range and then sun in Ait Ben Haddou, visited women's cooperatives working argan oil and roses, saw the Dades Gorges, and finally reached the Sahara dunes by camel before sleeping in a tented desert camp. 3 intense and exciting days. Next time in Morocco I'll rely on you again, inshallah!
Read more reviews on
Ready to Start Your Adventure?
Contact us today and let's plan your perfect Moroccan desert experience
MerzougaWay Team
We are a passionate team of local guides dedicated to sharing the beauty and culture of our home, Morocco. Our journey began with a simple desire to offer authentic, memorable experiences that go beyond the typical tourist trails.
Complete Your Morocco Trip
Two more services from our team, based in Marrakech.
You Might Also Like
Discover more amazing tours in Morocco
3-Day Merzouga Desert Yoga & Wellness Retreat
4-Day Cultural & Desert Tour from Casablanca (Private)
Luxury VIP Sahara Desert Experience: Private Chef, Exclusive Camp & Butler Service
More Activities You'll Love
Explore more things to do in Morocco
Camel Ride in the Sahara Desert
Experience the timeless magic of the Sahara on camelback. Watch the sun set over Erg Chebbi's golden dunes on a guided camel trek.
Sandboarding on the Erg Chebbi Dunes
Surf the Sahara's golden dunes on a sandboard. No snow required — just a steep dune and a sense of adventure.
Sahara Stargazing Experience
The Sahara has zero light pollution and one of the clearest skies on Earth. A guided stargazing night in Merzouga is an astronomical experience you won't forget.