My Experience Glamping at a Morocco Desert Camp

The Morocco Desert Camp Experience

First of all, my trip to the Sahara Desert in Morocco would not have been possible without the good people at Trablin and Visit Morocco. This excursion was included with the Trablin International Summit conference that I attended in Marrakech. Without them, I don’t think it would have been possible during this trip to have such an incredible Moroccan desert camp experience.

This review will describe the camp as well as my time spent while staying there. It is an all-inclusive desert experience, complete with amazing food and fun activities. All opinions expressed here are my own.

 

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I stayed with a fantastic group of people at the Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp in southern Morocco. They transferred us to Merzouga from Marrakech. The bus ride was SO LONG but I think it

After that, we switched to 4x4s in which to traverse the length of desert that leads to the camp. Kevin and I shared a double tent, and there were also triple tents available with twin beds.

morocco desert camp

The Tent

This was my first time at a Morocco desert camp (or just glamping in general) so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

 

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Our large canvas tent was kitted out with a king-sized bed, two nightstands with lamps, a small chair and table, an air-conditioning unit (which in November, we didn’t need), a actual Western toilet, sink and vanity, and a shower, complete with hot water. And there was electricity! I didn’t expect that and was pleasantly surprised.

We were easily able to keep our electronics charged at all times. This was very important for our group of travel bloggers and digital nomads!

 

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I could already tell that my time at this Morocco desert camp would be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

The Meals

The camp we visited was all-inclusive of meals, which were a group activity. There was a large mess hall-type tent with enough room to accommodate all of the camp’s occupants, and several tables pushed together to make a long table large enough for our group of about 15.

Dinner began soon after we arrived, which began with music and dancing with the staff. They played drums and sang lovely songs, and a few of us got up and danced. It was a great way to blow off steam after a long bus ride!

Video by Skye of Skye Travels

There were several courses to each meal, and dinner began with soup and continued with Moroccan tajine and two types of pasta, with veggies on the side.

Bottled water (aside from one bottle per day delivered to your tent) and bottles of wine cost extra. That didn’t stop any of us from enjoying a couple of bottles of wine, though! Dessert consisted of sweets which I couldn’t quite identify and didn’t particularly care for (I’m more of a salt lover). The dessert lovers were satisfied, however.

desert glamping morocco travel

After dinner we retired to our tent as we planned on checking out the sunrise in the morning. I took a shower and the water was thankfully very hot, as it was pretty cold in the desert in November. I did later hear that we were lucky with the hot water, as some of our friends did not have such good fortune with that.

It was cold in our tent, and although I saw an air-conditioning unit, I assumed it didn’t have heat and regrettably didn’t actually check to make sure. The bed was large, but I found it to be extremely firm, which is uncomfortable to me as I like a soft mattress. Fortunately, there was an extra comforter (for warmth) our tent’s trunk, so I actually slept on top of that and was much more comfortable.

A Full Day in the Desert

Our one whole day there was full of activities. We again ate breakfast in the community tent, and we drank tea or coffee as well as a large amount of breads and starches. The best part were the shakshuka-style eggs, which arrived in tajines. They were so tasty!

After breakfast we had some free time, so most of us used it to take photos around the camp. They then took us in groups in 4×4 SUVs, and driven around the desert. It wasn’t well-communicated beforehand exactly what we were doing, but we were happy for the excursion.

Desert camp ride dunes glamping Morocco travel
Photo by @luisillu

The first stop was at a viewpoint where we had a great view of the desert all the way to Algeria. After that, they drove us to visit with a nomadic Berber family and learn about their lifestyle. We had tea with the patriarch of the family and played with a cute little girl who was very interested in the group of Westerners visiting her home.

We then continued on, stopped briefly at a large seasonal lake to take in the view, then we were bouncing around the desert heading back to the camp. The group in my car was lucky enough to have one of the fun drivers, as he raced another driver through the sand, we swerved and bounced and had a grand old time hanging out the windows. To this day, I’m still finding sand from that drive in my clothes and bags.

Once we arrived back at camp, lunch greeted us in the dining tent. It consisted of a variety of Moroccan foods including salads and the ever-present tajine. After lunch we took some free time until we were to take our sunset camel ride on the dunes out behind the camp.

We used the time to take tons of photos for our blogs and social media. Luckily, the staff was very accommodating to us moving around their tea sets, lanterns, pillows, and even camels! They allowed us to bring a lovely small camel out to take photos with.

The Camel Ride

We then all met up, and they assigned camels to each of us. Each person mounted their designated animal and held on as they hoisted us into the air. The camels were tied together in lines of five, and they walked us single-file up to the top of the surrounding dunes.

It took about 15 minutes, through the beautiful pink dunes. Then we climbed the last peak on foot and stood to watch the cloudy sky get darker.

There were dark clouds and lightning in the distance, for our viewing pleasure. We had fun with the staff, as they even gave some of us “magic carpet rides”, where they pulled us down the dune on a carpet! It was a great experience to be able to enjoy time with them.

Back at the camp, we took time to regroup before dinner. I had sand literally in every crevice, so I decided to take a delightful (and luckily, hot) shower.

Dinner was just as elaborate at the night before, but this time even the chef came out to perform music. He and the rest of the staff looked like they were having the best time performing for us! We had the best time listening and dancing along, it was so much fun!

Desert luxury glamping Morocco travel
Photo by @luisillu

After dinner and dessert, it was time for bed. Because of our long day of amazing desert activities, all of us were really exhausted.We had to leave the next morning before sunrise for our very long trip back to Marrakech, so we wanted to get a good sleep in.

Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp was such a great surprise during my time in Morocco. I didn’t know what to expect going into the experience, but I loved it! The camp and its staff blew me away with their awesomeness. I highly recommend a trip to the Moroccan Sahara if you find yourself with a few extra days to fill.

Be sure to check out my fellow travelers!

Gloria at TheBlogAbroad.com, Megan at MeganSnedden.com, Megan of BohemianTrails.com, Skye of SkyeTravels.com, and Instagrammers and photographers Luis, Maja, Sandra, Lukas, Wes, and Julia, and my fiancé Kevin.

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