| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where? | Camps in the Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga |
| From Marrakech | About 560 km, 8 to 10 hours of driving: a 3-day, 2-night trip is the usual format |
| Best season | Autumn, winter and spring; summer is very hot |
| Best night | Moonless, clear sky, no sand wind |
Why the sky is so dark
Far from cities, with no street lighting and dry air, the desert sky is very dark: on a moonless night you see a great number of stars and, depending on the season, the band of the Milky Way with the naked eye. It is clearly darker than the Agafay desert, where the glow of Marrakech stays visible. We compare the two on our page about stars in Agafay.
Season and best nights
The night cold is felt from autumn to spring: bring warm clothes and a blanket. Summer is very hot by day, which makes the journey tiring. Choose moonless dates with a lunar calendar, and know that a sand wind can veil the sky on some days. For the season, see when to go to the Moroccan desert.
Choosing a camp
Camps range from the standard tent to the luxury camp with a private tent. For the stars, favour a camp well away from the village that switches off or dims its lights after dinner, and ask whether the evening includes time to watch the sky. Compare trips in our comparison of Merzouga in 3 days.
From Marrakech: the 3-day trip
The most common format is a 3-day, 2-night trip, with the road through the Atlas, one night on the way and one night at the camp: for example this 3-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga. If you only have two days, read Marrakech to Merzouga in 2 days: is it doable?. To hesitate between two deserts, see Zagora or Merzouga and desert from Marrakech.
La rédaction Marrakech Authority, information from October 2026.
