How to plan a Morocco desert trip

Forget any thoughts you might be harbouring about the Morocco desert being a dead expansive of dull sand and rock. There is a surprising amount of wildlife to be discovered if you know where to look, ancient tribal customs that have remained unchanged long into the twenty-first century, and the chance to unleash your inner Indiana Jones or Lawrence of Arabia with camel trekking and a range of adrenaline sports.

But it is, without doubt, this unique landscape that will hold your gaze, from rocky escarpments and picturesque lone trees to mighty dunes that seem to glow come sunrise and sunset. Clear of light pollution, the Sahara Desert Morocco is one of the best places in the world to take in the full splendour and enormity of the Milky Way; its night skies are emblazoned with 100 billion stars in a show like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.

Both Marrakesh and Fez are ideal gateways to the Sahara’s warm sands and even warmer traditions of hospitality. Spend just a short time in these southern cities and you’re sure to come across companies offering tours. Many undoubtedly offer perfectly adequate trips, but by walking in off the street it’s difficult to know the quality of exactly what you’ll be getting.

It’s therefore always worth having the names of a tour company with a well-established reputation. Get Your Guide, run well-recommended three-day Marrakesh desert tours from the city to Mergouza, a village situated among the Erg Chebbi dunes close to the end of the tar road, which incorporates a camel ride in the dunes, the impressive landscapes of the Dades Canyon, and a night in a desert camp.

If time isn’t your foremost factor and you would rather travel at your own pace than that of a tour group, then consider heading independently to Mergouza Luxury Tented Camp, a small set-up of just five large traditional haimas camel skin tented rooms alongside a chill-out lounge and restaurant, which is situated amid the tranquil orange-red dunes of Erg Chebbi.

The slowly shifting dunes of the photography books are to be found at Erg Chebbi, near the village of Mergouza in the southeast of the country, and Erg Chigaga in the far south, near the Draa Valley and border with Algeria.

The desert is such that you can do as much or as little as you like. The landscapes of drifting dunes, contrasting sharply against the blue sky by day and stars by night are endlessly fascinating, while riding a camel is perhaps the easiest way of getting even closer to the dunes and that true desert experience. Sunrise and sunset treks provide the most astounding colour palette (and more suitable temperatures), while the cuisine, music and hospitality of the Berber help unwrap some of the secrets of the desert.