Agafay desert at sunset: what time to go
Agafay desert sunset time for every month, our fixed afternoon departures, when to leave Marrakech, what the light is like and how cold it gets.
Sunset in the Agafay desert comes between about 5:30 pm in mid-December and 7:40 pm in mid-June. The plateau is 45 minutes by road south-west of central Marrakech: allow for that drive. Our afternoon departures are fixed: 4:00 pm in winter, and 5:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September.
This guide gives the Agafay desert sunset time for each month, explains that the clock does not change in summer or during Ramadan, and covers what the light is like, which outings leave in the afternoon and how cold it gets once the sun has gone. For the landscape itself and everything else there is to do, start with the Agafay desert.
What time is the Agafay desert sunset, month by month?
The Agafay desert sunset falls between 5:29 pm and 7:38 pm, depending on the month. The times below are for the 15th of each month, at GMT (UTC+0), the time in Morocco since 20 September 2026, and match those in Marrakech weather month by month. The night lows are the 1991–2020 averages at the Marrakech Menara station.
| Month | Sunset | Average night low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17:50 | 5.9 °C |
| February | 18:18 | 7.6 °C |
| March | 18:39 | 10.3 °C |
| April | 19:00 | 12.4 °C |
| May | 19:21 | 15.2 °C |
| June | 19:38 | 17.9 °C |
| July | 19:38 | 20.6 °C |
| August | 19:15 | 21.1 °C |
| September | 18:37 | 18.6 °C |
| October | 17:59 | 15.7 °C |
| November | 17:32 | 10.7 °C |
| December | 17:29 | 7.3 °C |
Three things stand out. Sunset is latest in June and July and earliest in December, more than two hours apart. It moves fastest in autumn: nearly 40 minutes a month between August and October, against about 20 minutes a month in spring, so a date at the start of a month and one at the end can be well apart. And the table needs no adjustment for Ramadan: Morocco’s clock does not change.
Does sunset in Agafay come earlier on the clock during Ramadan?
No. Morocco has been at GMT (UTC+0) all year since 20 September 2026, with no change of clocks in summer or during Ramadan. The sunset times in the table are therefore the times on your phone throughout the year.
Our afternoon departures do not move either: 4:00 pm in winter, and 5:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September.
When should you leave Marrakech to catch the sunset in Agafay?
Leave Marrakech at least 45 minutes before you need to be on the plateau: that is the drive, south-west towards Lalla Takerkoust. The time you need to be there is the start time of your outing, and the meeting point at the base is at that time.
On our 2-hour quad, camel and sunset dinner, you arrive at the base for the welcome, the paperwork and helmet fitting, then a briefing and a practice loop; the quad ride starts half an hour after arrival and lasts two hours. The start at the base is the fixed afternoon departure: 4:00 pm in winter, and 5:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September.
That start does not follow the sunset: the sunset time in the table is given for information, and the departure is the same on every date of the season.
Getting there:
- By car: the road is fine for any car. Allow 45 minutes from central Marrakech.
- With a transfer: a return transfer from your hotel or riad can be added when you book, for a fee. It is not included in the price of the outing. The pickup is one hour before the start: 3:00 pm for a 4:00 pm start, 4:00 pm for a 5:00 pm start.
- By bus: there is no public bus to Agafay.
What is the light like at sunset in Agafay?
Low, warm and raking, and the ground is made for it. Agafay is a stony desert of pale folded hills and dry riverbeds, not sand dunes, and pale stone takes low light well. As the sun drops, the hills take on the colour people come for, and the High Atlas stands behind them, with snow on the tops into spring.
Once the sun has gone, it gets dark quickly. The dinner camp sits away from the road, so the sky is properly dark, and you can hear the wind.
If what you picture is orange dunes at sunset, that is the Sahara, near Merzouga: about nine hours by road, and at least two nights away from Marrakech. Agafay or the Sahara sets the two side by side.
Which Agafay outings leave in the afternoon?
Several of our outings leave in the afternoon, at fixed times that do not follow the sun. The sunset time above is given for information.
| Outing | Length | Departures |
|---|---|---|
| 2-hour quad, camel and sunset dinner | 5 h | 4:00 pm; 5:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September |
| 1-hour quad, camel and Moroccan meal | 4 h | 4:00 pm; 5:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September |
| Camel ride and dinner | 4 h | 4:00 pm; 5:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September |
| Dinner and live music | 4 h | 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm; 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm from 1 April to 20 September |
The 2-hour quad, camel and sunset dinner keeps “sunset” in its name, but its departure is the fixed afternoon one. Its order is quad first, then the camel ride, then dinner under the tents. Its shorter version, the 1-hour quad, camel and Moroccan meal, has the same departures and the same order, with one hour of quad instead of two, so four hours in all.
The camel ride lasts about an hour and begins about two and a half hours after the start: about 6:30 pm on a 4 pm start, about 7:30 pm on a 5 pm start. Set against the table above, that is within about twenty minutes of sunset in February, March and from May to August, and between half an hour and an hour after sunset in April and from September to January.
The camel ride and dinner is the shorter outing: mint tea on arrival, about an hour on camelback, then a Moroccan dinner under the tents. The other evenings end at the same table, after a quad ride or with live music.
For every one of them, the start time is the fixed afternoon departure, or the evening one for the dinner and live music.
How cold does it get after sunset in Agafay?
Cold, and quickly, in every season. The plateau is open and dry, and it loses its heat as soon as the sun is down. On an evening outing you also finish sitting still under a tent rather than moving about, which is when people notice it.
The night lows in the table give the scale: 6 to 7 °C on average in December and January, around 10 to 11 °C in March and November, and still 18 to 21 °C from June to August. Out on open ground after dark, it feels colder than the figures.
What to bring:
- In summer: a jumper, even in July.
- From November to March: a proper coat.
- For the ride: closed shoes and sunglasses; the tracks are dusty.
What to wear for quad biking in Agafay goes through the kit piece by piece.
How do you photograph the sunset in Agafay?
A few simple habits make the difference, with a phone as much as a camera:
- Put the sun behind your subject for silhouettes: camels and riders read well against a bright sky.
- Turn round. The light falling on the pale hills and on the Atlas behind you is often better than the sun itself.
- Keep shooting after the sun has gone. The sky holds its colour for a while after sunset.
- Protect your phone from dust. Keep it in a zipped pocket or a bag on the quad: the tracks are dusty and the dust travels.
- Never while driving. Stop first, or wait for the camel ride, where the handler leads the animal on foot.
Photos and video taken on site are not included in the price of the outing.
