Desert · Erg Chebbi dunes
Merzouga
Spend one night in a desert camp under the stars. The silence is the most memorable sound you'll hear.
Merzouga sits at the foot of Erg Chebbi — a 28km sea of golden dunes rising to 150m, the iconic Sahara of the imagination. Sunrise and sunset here are the two great spectacles of Moroccan travel. Most visitors ride camels into the dunes and sleep in a desert camp.
A short history
Merzouga was a caravan stop on the trans-Saharan trade roads. In 2006, exceptionally heavy rains filled the seasonal lake Dayet Srji nearby, bringing back birdlife and a temporary inland sea. The dunes themselves are shaped by the convergence of two wind systems.
The editor's guidance
Best for
- First-time visitors
Reconsider if
- Heat-sensitive summer days
The ledger
- Tier
- UNESCO · GOLD
- Match
- 92/100
- Best season
- Oct–Apr
- Why shown
- Editorial flagship · Written by the UseMorocco editors