A sunset camel ride into Erg Chebbi, then a night at camp where, on a clear moonless night, the Milky Way is plain to the naked eye.
This trip is built around the night. Erg Chebbi lies far from any city, so once dinner is over and the camp generator goes off, the sky above the dunes is truly dark. On a clear night without a moon you see the Milky Way, the bright planets and the constellations with your own eyes. There is no telescope and no guided session; you do not need either. The clearest and most comfortable nights for sitting out run from October to May.
An early start from Marrakech, over the High Atlas and through the Draa Valley to Merzouga. A camel ride carries you into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset. After dinner at camp, the night sky is yours once it is fully dark.
≈8 h · ≈560 km
Sunrise over the dunes if you want it, then breakfast at camp and a camel or 4x4 back to Merzouga. The drive home brings you to Marrakech in the evening.
≈8 h · ≈560 km
This is the quickest way from Marrakech to a really dark desert sky. You ride a camel into the dunes at sunset, eat dinner at camp and then have the evening under the stars. There is no telescope and no guided session; on a clear night you need neither, as the Milky Way, the bright planets and the constellations are all visible to the naked eye.
Erg Chebbi works because it is so far from anything lit. There is no glow from a city on any side, so on a clear night the Milky Way is not a faint haze but a band you can follow across the sky. Few places that dark are left within reach of most travellers.
The cost is the driving. Erg Chebbi is about 560 km and roughly eight hours from Marrakech each way, and the trip lasts two days: a long drive, a night at camp and a long drive back. The first day reaches the dunes for the camel ride and dinner; the second starts with sunrise and heads home. If you would rather break up the road, look at a 3 or 4-day desert trip.
Prices are per person: €518 travelling alone, €260 each for two, €191 for three, €160 for four, €139 for five and €121 for six. That covers return transport from Marrakech, the sunset camel ride, the night at camp, and dinner and breakfast. Lunch on the road is not included, though we stop for it, and travel insurance and tips are extra.
Two things are worth knowing. The moon matters more than the season, because a full moon washes out the faint stars, so if the Milky Way is why you are going, travel close to a new moon. And from autumn to spring the desert is cold at night, colder than most people pack for; the sky is best seen sitting still outside long after dark, so bring a warmer layer than you think you need. The trip is private, for one to ten people.
Every option below spends one night at the desert camp in Erg Chebbi, Merzouga. Extra days don't add nights in the dunes; they spread the driving over more days.
Driving each day
2 days / 1 night
Merzouga under the Stars, 2 Days from Marrakech
About 1,100 km by road
€260
per person, for 2 travellers
3 days / 2 nights
Marrakech to Merzouga, 3 Days in the Sahara
About 1,180 km by road
€380
per person, for 2 travellers
4 days / 3 nights
Marrakech to Erg Chebbi, 4 Days at an Easy Pace
About 1,180 km by road
€526
per person, for 2 travellers
Starts from: Marrakech — your hotel or riad
PrivateA guided day in Marrakech, then south down the Draa Valley to M'Hamid and across open desert to Erg Chegaga, returning by the dry lake of Iriki and the saffron town of Taliouine.
PrivateThe shortest way to a night in the desert from Marrakech: over the Atlas, past Aït Ben Haddou and down the palm groves of the Draa Valley to a camp near Zagora.
PrivateA private loop from Marrakech to the Erg Chebbi dunes: two gorges on the way out, a camel ride at sunset, a night at camp and a quieter road home.
PrivateFrom Marrakech up the Atlantic to Rabat and Asilah, across to Chefchaouen, Fes and Meknes, and home by the Middle Atlas and the Ouzoud waterfalls.
