Bambara Desert Camps

Sunset on a camel, lanterns glowing in the moonlight, and a tent full of Moroccan magic. Dinner by the fire, music under the stars, then coffee at sunrise over the dunes. It felt like time had stopped, and I’ll carry that moment in my heart. — Lisa Geisler Living · Design for Living

We booked through booking.com and joined all the activities. On arrival, they asked us to stop at a hotel site just off the road, then sent someone to pick us up and take us to their Merzouga base. There, Mohammed or Yousef talked us through activities like sunset camel riding and ATV rides. I thought the prices were reasonable. You can travel from the base to camp by 4x4 or camel. I recommend taking a 4x4 both ways. If you choose the sunset camel ride, they arrange a short ride before sunset. It’s worth doing because you get to see the real Sahara Desert, and we really enjoyed it. Some people in our group rode camels all the way from the base to camp, which took about two hours. That didn’t sound fun. The ATV ride was the next morning. It went from camp to the base and lasted about an hour. Dinner and breakfast were simple, chicken tagine, but okay. I expected better since the camp isn’t far from a major village.

Great camp, and we were lucky to get a luxury tent with AC even though we’d paid for a basic one. The staff were friendly, and both dinner and breakfast were delicious.

Camping out in the desert gives you solitude, great views, and a chance to get away from everyday life. Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp is our top accommodation pick for our Morocco self-drive trips. There’s good space, a proper desert camping experience, and good food, though the choices are limited.