Tour nel Deserto

Not the real dunes. Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga are on the far side of the Atlas, which is why we run them over two to four days. The one-day desert experience near Marrakech is Agafay, a rocky desert rather than sand dunes — good for a sunset, but it is not the Sahara.

Merzouga sits beside Erg Chebbi, the tall classic dunes most people picture, and needs three days. Zagora is closer and doable in two, with smaller dunes. Erg Chegaga is the remote option, reached by 4x4, where you see far fewer other camps. Distance and solitude both rise in that order.

Our standard camps have proper beds with blankets, shared bathroom facilities and lighting; the luxury camps add private tents with hot showers. Either way the dunes are genuinely dark and quiet at night, which is what most people remember rather than the camel ride.

A small overnight bag for the camp — your main luggage stays in the vehicle — plus a warm layer, something to cover your head, sunglasses and sunscreen. Desert nights get cold outside summer, and people consistently underpack for that rather than for the heat.

No. The camel leg into the camp is short and entirely optional, and walking that stretch instead is common enough that guides expect it. The vehicle covers all the real distance; the camels are the last stretch into the dunes.