The Ultimate Guide to Desert Camps in Morocco

Morocco is one of the top adventure destinations in the world. It is vibrant, chaotic, beautiful, and surprisingly accessible for travelers who want something adventurous but not overwhelming. Whether a backpacking budget traveler or a honeymooning couple looking for a luxurious escape, Morocco has something to explore for every traveler.

However, there are also a few details of Morocco that surprised me. For example, you need to do some major research before booking an excursion to a desert camp in the Sahara. Because here's the secret:

There are many desert excursions in Morocco that are scams. And we were part of one.

As a travel blogger & photographer, I've encountered all kinds of experiences while traveling. I've slept on the streets of Croatia & under bridges in Spain. I've stayed in some of the most luxurious resorts around the world. I spent my first 8 years traveling on an extremely tight budget. So let's just say, it takes a lot to leave a bad impression on me.

In the past, I've done the Wadi Rum Desert Camp experience in Jordan, and absolutely LOVED it, which is why I also wanted to try this experience.

However, our Morocco Sahara Desert Camp excursion was probably the worst excursion I've ever experienced. And I think that's saying a lot after 58 countries and over a decade of travel.

Here is everything we did wrong and how to avoid the same mistakes:

Everything to Know About Desert Camps in Morocco (And How Not to Get Scammed) 

Do not book with Get Your Guide

I'll just get right to the point of what to avoid. Do not book with Get Your Guide for your desert Morocco camp experience. Specifically, do not book this exact tour:

3 Day 2 Night Luxurious Merzouga Tour w/ Camel & Quad Option

Here is a play-by-play on why it was the worst excursion I've taken in my career:

1. You will spend VERY little time at the desert camp, arriving after sunset and departing by sunrise. The "sandboarding" is about 10 minutes of last light before you're rushed into the camp. Your quad option is an overpriced $50 ride from camp back to the tour van, mostly done in the dark before sunrise the next morning.

2. You might click the link and think...interesting she says it's so bad, given that they have a 4.9 star rating on Get Your Guide. The company puts immense pressure on the guides to get 5-star reviews before the tour ends. The last day of our trip was spent with our guide hovering over everyone's shoulder and watching them leave the review. I declined to review three times, and it wasn't until the fourth and final time that he took the hint. In the end, about half of our group was pressured into leaving a good review, even though we all collectively agreed it was nothing like advertised.

3. It says "no commission stops" in the tour itinerary, which made our entire group laugh out loud by the end of the trip. There is a lot of time wasted stopping at cafes, rest areas, and shops every 1.5 to 2 hours, where there is a lot of pressure to buy goods and services. The three-day tour already had almost 18 hours of driving, so the number of forced stops made it nearly unbearable. I've been to a lot of places with buying pressure, and this was by far the worst.

4. You are forced to eat at specific restaurants for all meals, which are incredibly bland and expensive. Some of them are buffets, which host 10+ tour groups at a time, and the food runs out before everybody can eat. I've never seen people fight over subpar, stale bread so much before in my life.

5. The guides are young, overworked, and undertrained.

6. The camps were nothing like the photos. They were dirty, uncomfortable, and had very little effort put into them. And that's coming from someone who's slept on an abandoned mattress in Slovenia once.

The only good that came out of the tour was a few good friendships, where we all trauma-bonded over just how comical the entire experience was.

Commission stop number 8, knowing we were losing all daylight to be at camp

Our guide filling out the five-star review for someone in our group

How to Do The Desert Camps in Morocco The RIGHT Way

There are two ways to do desert camps in the Morocco the right way:

#1 Book a private tour

#2 Book your hotel first, and have them arrange your tour

1. Book a private tour

I do believe that the desert camp experience in Morocco can be as magical as they say, but you have to do it the right way.

If I could go back in time, this is exactly what I would do:

I would book a private tour to the desert camps.

Now, if you're thinking, "Yeah, that sounds great, but I'm a budget traveler and can't afford a private option."

Yes, you can. Here is how you do it: 

The average cost of a private desert camp in Morocco for two people is $350/each. This includes a private driver, higher-end hotels, and a more flexible itinerary.

However, the more people you get to go on the trip, the cheaper it becomes. If I were a young twenty-one-year-old solo traveler in Morocco, I would ask some people at my hostel if they would be interested in doing a private desert tour together.

When you get 4-6 people on a private tour, the cost comes down to $150-$250 per person, nearly the exact same we paid for our hot mess of a tour in a packed van.

2. Book your chosen desert camp, and have them arrange transportation & tour 

You can also individually book your own desert camp, so you can choose which one you get to stay at. The tour group-operated camps are the shittiest ones, while you can explore tons of nicer camps and hand-select the one you want to stay at yourself.

Here is a list of desert camps in Morocco

After you book, the camp will reach out to help arrange a private transfer or tour to the camp.

I had a friend who booked through Moonlight Desert Camp on her trip to Morocco, and said it was a great experience.

The Dos and Don'ts of Desert Camps in Morocco

DO go through a company where you can directly ask questions about the itinerary (how long you will have at camps, customization options, etc.)

DON'T trust online reviews, I hear there are a handful of other companies that skew their views in a similar style.

DO book private, not through a tour group.

DON'T feel the need to book way in advance. If you want to wait until you got to Morocco and met a few friends, a lot of private tours can book 48 hours in advance.

DO book your desert camp individually, and the have them arrange your private transfer and stops.

DON'T trust Get Your Guide in Morocco. Or in a lot of other places. Working in the industry, I've heard some not-so-great things about them over the years, which is why I kind of wanted to try them out in Morocco. I called it research! Safe to say it lived up to the disappointment.

DO stay two nights in Merzouga if you can. Stay one night in town at the edge of the desert, and one night at a camp inside the desert.

One of the 12+ forced commission stops on the drive, where there was always multiple tour groups just standing around waiting to leave

Desert Camps in Morocco: Don't Make Our Mistake

I wouldn't take back our mistake for the world, because now I get to write about it and hopefully stop others from making the same mistake!

Morocco, in general, is an incredible country with many lovely guides and experiences. We also did a private tour to climb to the summit of Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco, and we had a lovely time. The meals were fantastic, and we enjoyed our time there 1000% times more than our time in the desert.

And don't believe everything you see on the internet! Even my photos scream "basic influencer loves life on camel in Morocco."

and althought I did enjoy the camel ride the most out of any aspect of the trip, it was all incredibly sad and comical behind the scenes.

Enjoy Morocco!

ALL A LIE