A Night at a Sahara Desert Camp: What to Expect

For most people the night in the dunes is the reason for the whole trip, and it is also the part they know least about before they arrive. Here is how the evening usually unfolds, and what is worth asking before you book.

Arriving

You reach the edge of the dunes in the late afternoon. Your main luggage stays in the vehicle with the driver; you take a small overnight bag. Then, as the light softens, you ride camels or walk into the dunes to the camp. The ride usually takes about an hour and a half, timed so that the sun goes down while you are among the dunes.

Riding a camel is easier than it looks and slower than you expect. If one of you would rather walk alongside, that is normal and the guides expect it.

The tent

A good desert camp is not a tarpaulin on the sand. At Sahara Garden Camp, where we stay on our Erg Chebbi trips, you sleep in a proper bed with blankets, in a tent with a bathroom of its own and a shower. In the cold months there is a heater.

Not every camp is like this. Many share bathroom tents between guests, and many have no heating. Neither is wrong for every traveller, but it should never be a surprise. Before you book any desert trip, ask three things: does our tent have its own bathroom, is there hot water, and is the tent heated in winter.

Evening

Dinner is served at camp, usually a tagine or couscous, with mint tea before and after. If you have dietary needs, tell us when you book and the cook will plan for them.

Afterwards there is often music by the fire: drums, songs, sometimes guests joining in. You are free to sit with it or to walk a few minutes into the dunes, where the noise falls away completely and the sky takes over.

The night sky

Far from town lights, the Sahara is one of the darkest places most of us will ever sleep. On a moonless night the Milky Way is plain to the naked eye. Around full moon the dunes are lit silver instead, which is beautiful in a different way. If the stars matter most to you, choose your dates around the new moon.

The cold

People are always surprised by how quickly the desert loses its heat. Once the sun is gone the temperature drops fast, and in December and January the nights can fall to a few degrees above freezing. Even in spring and autumn you will want a warm layer by the fire. In summer the night stays warm enough to lie out on the sand.

Practicalities

• Electricity: the camp has power, so phones and cameras can be charged.
• Wi-Fi: there is a connection, but it is slow among the dunes.
• Sleep: the camp settles early; bring earplugs if you sleep lightly.

Sunrise

The guides wake you before dawn. You climb the nearest high dune, slowly, because soft sand makes every step count, and watch the light come up over the erg. For many people it is the single best moment of the trip. Then breakfast, the ride back to the edge of the dunes, a shower at the hotel, and the road.

You can see the whole shape of it on our three-day trip to Erg Chebbi, or take a slower version over four days. If you have only two days, our Zagora trip reaches a camp in the Draa Valley and back. Travelling with children? Our four-day family trip breaks the driving into shorter stages.