A Marrakech honeymoon: desert days for two
Marrakech honeymoon days out for two: a sunrise balloon, a camel ride and dinner, a private table in Agafay, a buggy, when to go and what to wear.
For a Marrakech honeymoon, the days out of the city are the ones in the Agafay desert, 45 minutes by road south-west of the centre: a sunrise balloon flight, a camel ride and dinner at dusk, or an evening at a private table. Each takes a morning or an evening, so they fit between slow days in the riad and the medina.
This guide covers what a couple can do out there with us, how to space it over your stay, when to come and what to pack. For the landscape itself — a stony desert of pale folded hills, not sand dunes — start with the Agafay desert.
What can a couple do out of Marrakech on a honeymoon?
A balloon at sunrise, a camel ride and dinner, a private table, a buggy for two or a dinner with live music, each taking a morning or an evening.
| Outing | Time of day | Length | For two |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot air balloon flight | Sunrise | About 40 min in the air, around 4 h door to door | Shared basket, 19 passengers at most |
| Camel ride and dinner | Late afternoon into evening | 4 h | About an hour on camelback, then dinner under the tents |
| 2-hour quad, camel and sunset dinner | 4 pm (5 pm in summer) | 5 h | Two hours of quad, camels, dinner after dark |
| VIP pack | At the base at 4 pm (5 pm in summer) | 4 h 15 | Quad, camel, tea on a dune, dinner at a private table |
| Buggy | 10 am, noon or 4 pm (5 pm in summer) | 1 or 2 h | Two seats side by side, one price per buggy |
| Dinner and live music | 4 pm or 6 pm (5 pm or 8 pm in summer) | 4 h | No riding, nothing to drive |
Prices change through the year, so they are not repeated here: each outing’s own page gives the current one. You can pay on site in cash, or online with PayPal (a 30% deposit or the full amount), and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start.
How does the sunrise hot air balloon flight work?
About forty minutes in the air, and around four hours in all. Our hot air balloon flight is run by an approved partner operator, with its own pilot and ground crew, and these are its real terms:
- Pickup at your hotel or riad between 4:00 and 6:00, depending on the season, because the flight follows the sunrise. The exact time is confirmed the day before.
- At the take-off site, a tea or coffee while the crew fills the envelope with hot air from the burner.
- The flight: about forty minutes as the sun comes up over the plain. The balloon lands where the wind takes it, and the crew meets you there.
- A shared balloon: 19 passengers at most, seats sold per person. It is not a private flight.
- The transfer is required, since the take-off site is outside the city, and the booking adds it for you, priced per vehicle of six seats.
- Booking closes at 8 pm the evening before.
A balloon only flies in calm air, and the pilot decides on the morning. If the flight is cancelled for the weather, you choose another morning or cancel free of charge, and anything you paid online is refunded. That is the reason to book it for one of the first mornings of your stay: if the wind says no, there is still time for another try.
Can we have a sunset camel ride and dinner in Agafay?
Yes. The camel ride and dinner starts with mint tea on arrival, then about an hour on camelback while there is still light, the camels led in a line by a handler on foot. You are back at the camp before a Moroccan dinner served at low tables under the tents: soup, salads, a main dish and fruit, with mint tea and water.
There is nothing to steer and no experience needed: the handler has the camel kneel and helps you on and off. Each of you rides your own animal. The ride is not advised for pregnant women or people with back problems.
If the sunset itself is what you want, the 2-hour quad, camel and sunset dinner is the outing named for it: it leaves at 4 pm, or 5 pm in summer, and the exact time is on your confirmation. Once the sun has gone, the sky over the camp gets properly dark, because it sits away from the road.
Is there a private table for a honeymoon dinner in the desert?
Yes: the VIP pack in Agafay is the evening where you dine at your own table, in a quiet restaurant. It starts at the base at 4 pm (5 pm in summer) with one hour on a 350 cc quad, one quad per driver and no licence needed, then 45 to 60 minutes on a camel. The ride ends on a dune with a 360° view over the desert, where the welcome tea is served with dried fruit and Moroccan pastries. That dune is a natural dune of earth, not of sand: Agafay remains a stone desert.
Dinner starts with four salads, then a main course of your choice: lamb tagine with prunes and almonds, chicken tagine with olives and lemon, tanjia marrakchia, vegetable couscous, or pastilla, ordered 24 hours ahead. Seasonal fruit and a dessert follow, with a choice of five soft drinks and still water. The evening goes on with music and a fire show.
With the optional transfer, you leave Marrakech at 3 pm and are back around 9 pm (4 pm and 10 pm in summer). Tell us about a special diet when you book, not on the night.
What we do not do is promise a setting that no page describes. If you have something particular in mind for the evening, ask us when you book: we tell you what is possible. Some outings also list a photo pack, a video or a private group as options on request.
Can we drive a buggy together in the Agafay desert?
Yes, a buggy is made for two: you sit side by side, inside a roll cage, with a harness at each seat and a helmet each. It is priced per vehicle, the same whether one or two of you go, for one or two hours on the tracks.
The driver must be 18 or over and hold a driving licence; the passenger needs neither. You can swap at a stop if you tell the guide before setting off — as long as whoever takes the wheel has a licence too. No experience is needed: a briefing and a practice lap come first.
If neither of you has a licence, a quad needs none: one quad per driver, from the age of 16.
When is the best time of year for a Marrakech honeymoon?
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, and April and October the most balanced months: warm days, cool nights, little rain. The averages below come from the Marrakech Menara station over 1991–2020, with sunset on the 15th of each month.
| Season | Average high | Average low | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (March to May) | 24 to 29 °C | 10 to 15 °C | 6:40 to 7:20 pm |
| Summer (June to September) | 32 to 38 °C | 18 to 21 °C | 6:40 to 7:40 pm |
| Autumn (October, November) | 23 to 29 °C | 11 to 16 °C | 5:30 to 6:00 pm |
| Winter (December to February) | 19 to 21 °C | 6 to 8 °C | 5:30 to 6:20 pm |
Summer suits couples who plan around the heat: the balloon at dawn, the desert in the evening. Winter days are mild and sunny, but the desert is cold after dark. Morocco’s clock is GMT (UTC+0) and no longer changes, in summer or during Ramadan. Marrakech weather month by month gives every month in detail.
How should we plan our honeymoon days between Marrakech and the desert?
Keep to one outing per half-day, with rest in between. A pattern that works:
- A balloon morning: pickup before dawn, back at the riad about four hours later, then breakfast, a sleep and a slow afternoon.
- A desert evening: leave in the afternoon, ride as the light drops, dine under the tents, and be back in Marrakech at night.
- A city day with no fixed time: the medina, the souks, the riad’s courtyard.
Balloon and dinner fit into a single day, but it is a long one. A balloon the morning after a late desert evening means a very short night, so leave a quieter day between the two if you can.
Many medina lanes are too narrow for cars, so ask your riad where a driver should meet you — it matters most for a pickup before dawn. A return transfer can be added to any outing when you book, for a fee.
To put several things together, build your own day: choose the activities, the time of day, transfers and a meal, and we send you a price.
What should we wear and pack for the desert?
Dress for the time of day more than for the season:
- For the balloon: something warm, since it is cold before sunrise even in summer, and closed shoes. Getting into the basket means climbing over its side; tell us when you book about pregnancy or back problems.
- For a camel ride: closed shoes, sunglasses and something to cover your head.
- For a quad or a buggy: closed shoes and sunglasses, because the tracks are dusty. Keep your phone in a zipped pocket.
- For the evening: a layer, even in July, and a proper coat between November and March. You spend dinner sitting still in the open, and the plateau loses its heat quickly after sunset.
- In the medina: clothes that cover shoulders and knees are the respectful choice, for both of you.
