Excursion Marrakech Desert Agafay Camp
This 2-day trip to Marrakech’s Agafay Camp could be perfect if you can’t visit the Sahara. You won’t see golden sand dunes here—it’s a stony desert. But you can enjoy a quiet desert experience with a breathtaking view of the High Atlas Mountains. Plus, it’s close enough to allow for a 2-day trip from Marrakech.
Only a 40-minute drive from Marrakech lies the desert of Agafay. lies the desert of Agafay. It isn’t sand dunes like the Sahara. Yet layer after layer of rock dunes instills a similar feeling of remoteness. Of nothingness. Only bothered by the occasional douar, local hamlets have mud houses. These homes appear to be returning to the adobe from which they originated over time. There is no living soul in sight, if not for the solitary camel grazing by.
It is one of the rare spots in Morocco where beauty shines through near-total desolation. Savvy travelers take a 4×4 day trip from Marrakech to the High Atlas Mountains. They can spend a night in the Agafay Desert on a 2-day private tour. Explore the varied landscape south of Marrakech. In two days, you can see the desert, the High Atlas, and the Kik Plateau. You can also visit local waterfalls and Lalla Takerkoust Lake. Each location has its own unique contrasts.
Start with the Ourika Valley, hike up into the High Atlas, and have lunch with a Berber family. Freshen up by the local waterfalls and watch the local cooperative turn argan into oil. Explore the 12th-century Tinmel Mosque. Enjoy tea by Lalla Takerkoust Lake. Have lunch at Richard Branson’s High Atlas retreat. You can also trek in the Atlas Mountains. And, after all the lushness of the High Atlas, have a little bit of desert.
Arrive in the Agafay desert by the afternoon. After settling in, enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner. Dine under the starry sky, out in the open. Stay overnight in an adobe bungalow or a white canvas tent. Then, explore the area the next day by foot, camel, horse, or mountain bike.
