Day tour
Agafay desert: sunset and dinner, 45 minutes from Marrakesh
An afternoon and evening in the Agafay desert: walk or ride a camel, watch the sun drop behind the Atlas and eat by the fire. You can stay overnight in a tent.
- Duration
- Afternoon and evening, about 6 hours (or with an overnight stay)
- Group
- 1 to 6 people
- Start
- Your riad or hotel in Marrakesh
- Price
- On request
What you will experience
- Silence 45 minutes from the city
- A walk through the hills or a short camel ride
- Sunset with the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop
- Dinner in a camp, with music if you like and without if you would rather not
- Overnight stay in a tent with a real bed, back the next morning
After a few days in Marrakesh you often want some silence. The Agafay desert is a 45-minute drive away: bare hills, a huge view of the Atlas Mountains and a sky full of stars at night. There are no sand dunes. Soukayna drives you there at the end of the afternoon. You walk or ride a camel, watch the sun go down and eat by the fire.
What the afternoon looks like
We leave around half past three. The road first follows the edge of the city, then passes olive groves and then runs through a landscape that is suddenly empty. At the camp you are welcomed with tea. Then you choose: an hour's walk with a guide from the village, or a 45-minute camel ride. Both go slowly and end on a hill with a view.
The sun sets behind the Atlas. In fall and winter you see the snow on the peaks change color. Then there is dinner in the camp: soup, tagine and fruit, with a few musicians by the fire if you want that. You can also ask for a table without music; some camps have a quieter corner.
Around half past nine Soukayna drives you back. If you stay the night, you have a tent with a real bed, thick blankets and your own bathroom. The next morning you watch the sun rise on the other side of the hills. You have breakfast, drive back to the city and are at your riad again around ten.
Who it's for
For anyone who wants an evening out of the city without a long drive. If you don't have time for the Sahara near Merzouga, this still gives you a desert evening. It also works well as a last evening for a group of friends. In the yoga and wellness retreat this evening is part of the standard program.
Good to know
Bring a sweater or a scarf, even in spring; once the sun is gone, it cools down fast. Closed shoes are comfortable on the stones. If you stay the night, a small bag with toiletries, something warm and a flashlight or your phone is enough. You can find the weather per month on our page about the best time to visit.
In summer we leave later, around five, because it is too hot to walk during the day. During Ramadan dinner starts after sunset. That is also when the camp staff eat.
When you book through the contact page, let us know whether you want to stay the night.
Step by step
3:30 pm: departure from Marrakesh
Soukayna picks you up. The drive takes 45 minutes; along the way the landscape changes from the edge of the city to bare hills.
4:30 pm: walk or camel
You spend an hour in the stony landscape, on foot with a guide or on a camel. Both are easygoing; the camels go at walking pace.
6:00 pm: sunset
Tea on a hill with a view of the Atlas. In the fall there is sometimes snow on the peaks already.
7:00 pm: dinner
In the camp you eat soup, tagine and fruit by the fire, with music from a few local musicians if you like that.
9:30 pm: back or stay
Soukayna drives you back to the city, or you sleep in a tent and watch the sun come up the next morning.
Included
- Private transport with Soukayna there and back
- Pickup at your riad or hotel
- A walk with a local guide or a camel ride of about 45 minutes
- Tea at sunset
- Three-course dinner in the camp
Not included
- Drinks other than water and tea
- Overnight stay in a tent (optional, price on request)
- Tips
- Travel insurance
Questions about this trip
Is Agafay a real desert?
It is a stone desert without sand dunes, with bare hills and a view of the Atlas Mountains. If you want dunes, you have to go to Merzouga, two long days of driving away. For an evening of silence close to the city, Agafay is just right.
Do I have to ride a camel?
No. Walking with a guide is just as good, and easier on the camels. Choose what you want.
How cold does it get in the evening?
In spring and fall a sweater is enough. From December to February nights can drop toward freezing; the tents then have thick blankets and sometimes a small heater. In summer it stays warm.
Are there toilets and showers in the camp?
Yes. The camps we work with have regular toilets and showers with hot water, including at the tents.
Also worth a look
Shall we plan your trip together?
Send a message with when you want to go, who you are traveling with and what appeals to you. You get a proposal back and you are not committed to anything.
You chat with Soukayna (English, French, Moroccan Arabic) or Bas (Dutch).