Agafay desert camps: what to expect
Agafay desert camp: how the evening runs, what is served under the tents, what to wear against the cold, how to get there, and whether you can stay the night.
An Agafay desert camp is a set of tents pitched on the open stone of the Agafay plateau, 45 minutes by road from Marrakech, where you eat a Moroccan dinner at low tables as the light goes. Most people come for the evening and are back in Marrakech the same night; some camps on the plateau also offer rooms under canvas.
We run evening outings that end with dinner at a camp in Agafay. We do not sell overnight stays, so this guide describes the evening in detail and the night only as far as we honestly can.
What is a desert camp in Agafay?
A desert camp in Agafay is a dining place under tents, set on the stony plateau south-west of Marrakech rather than in the city. The one where our evenings end has low tables, benches and rugs under the tents, and the sides are closed when the evening turns cold. It sits away from the road — the last stretch is a track, not tarmac — so once the light has gone the sky is properly dark and you can hear the wind.
It is not a sand camp. Agafay is a stone desert: pale folded hills and dry riverbeds, with the High Atlas behind them. There are no dunes here. The Agafay desert page describes the place and everything we run there.
What happens during an evening at an Agafay desert camp?
The evening follows the same shape every time: tea, a seat, dinner, music, and the drive home. On the dinner and live music evening, it runs like this:
| From arrival | What happens |
|---|---|
| +0:00 | Welcome at the camp, mint tea |
| +0:30 | Places at the low tables under the tents |
| +1:00 | Dinner served at the table |
| +2:00 | Live music, during and after the meal |
| +3:30 | Groups gather at the camp |
| +4:00 | Boarding the vehicles back to Marrakech |
Nothing is queued for: dinner is served to the table. There is nothing to drive and no equipment, which is also why this is the evening that works for a group where not everyone wants to ride.
The dinner with live music leaves at 4 pm or 6 pm (5 pm or 8 pm from 1 April to 20 September); the other evening outings leave at 4 pm (5 pm in summer). If you want to arrive while there is still light over the Atlas, choose the afternoon departure: sunset moves from about 5:30 pm in December to about 7:40 pm in June.
What is served at dinner, and is there music?
Dinner at the camp is a Moroccan meal in four parts: soup, salads, a main dish — tagine or couscous — and fruit, with mint tea and water at the table. Drinks other than tea and water are not included.
If you have a special diet, tell us when you book, not on the night. Vegetarian and allergy requests go to the kitchen, and we confirm before the day what can be prepared.
Music belongs to the dinner and live music evening: it is played in the camp, a few metres from the tables rather than on a distant stage, and carries on after the plates are cleared. The VIP pack is different again — dinner at a private table in a quiet restaurant, followed by music and a fire show.
Evening visit or a night at the camp: which one?
The evening visit is what we offer, and it is what most people choose. You leave Marrakech in the afternoon or early evening, eat at the camp, and sleep in your own hotel or riad.
A night at a camp is something we do not sell. Some camps on the plateau offer rooms under canvas, but we do not run them, so we cannot tell you what they include or what they cost.
| Criterion | Evening at the camp (our outings) | Night at a camp |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Us | Other camps on the plateau |
| Length | Four to five hours, plus the drive | We cannot say |
| Where you sleep | Your hotel or riad in Marrakech | Under canvas |
| What we can confirm | Dinner, tea, water, guide, return the same night | Nothing — ask the camp directly |
If you book a night elsewhere, ask the camp in writing what the tent has, how the evening meal is served and how you get there and back.
Which of our outings end with dinner at the camp?
Several of our outings end at the camp table. What separates them is what happens before it:
| Outing | Length | Before dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner and live music | 4 h | Nothing — tea, then the table |
| Camel ride and dinner | 4 h | About an hour on a camel, led by a handler on foot |
| Quad biking and dinner | 4 h | Two hours on a quad, on the same site as the camp |
| VIP pack | 4 h 15 | A 350 cc quad, a camel ride and tea on a dune; dinner at a private table |
The five-hour quad, camel and sunset outing belongs to the same family: the ride comes first and dinner is served after dark.
The dune of the VIP pack, where tea is served, is a natural dune of earth, not of sand: Agafay is still a stone desert without sand dunes. Dinner in the Agafay desert sets them all side by side, each with its price and next free dates.
How cold is it at the camp, and what should you wear?
Colder than you expect, in every season. The plateau is open and dry, and it loses its heat as soon as the sun is down — while you are sitting still at a table. The figures below are Marrakech’s average night lows; out on the plateau the evening feels cooler still.
| Month | Average low in Marrakech | What to bring for the camp |
|---|---|---|
| December – January | 6 to 7 °C | A proper coat |
| March | about 10 °C | A proper coat |
| May | about 15 °C | A jumper |
| July – August | about 21 °C | A jumper, even so |
| October | about 16 °C | A jumper |
A few more things: closed shoes if a quad ride or a camel walk comes first, because the tracks are dusty; sunglasses for the ride; and clothes you do not mind getting dusty. The simplest tip: bring a layer you would not otherwise pack for Marrakech.
How do you get to an Agafay desert camp from Marrakech?
By road, 45 minutes south-west of central Marrakech, towards Lalla Takerkoust. The road suits any car; the last stretch to the camp is a track.
There is no public bus to Agafay. Without a car, you add a return transfer from your hotel or riad when you book, for a fee: it is not included in the price of the outing, and it appears as its own line. On the VIP pack, for example, the transfer leaves Marrakech at 3 pm and brings you back around 9 pm (4 pm and 10 pm in summer).
You can book without paying anything online and pay at the base, in cash — dirhams or foreign currency — before the start, or pay online with PayPal: a 30% deposit or the full amount. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, and anything you paid online is refunded.
Is a desert camp in Agafay like a Sahara camp?
No. The Sahara dunes, at Erg Chebbi near Merzouga, are about nine hours by road from Marrakech, and a trip there needs at least two nights away from the city. An Agafay camp is on stone, with no dunes, and fits into one evening of a city stay.
Neither is a lesser version of the other. If sand dunes are what you came to Morocco for, Agafay will not replace them. If you want open desert, a meal under a tent and your own bed the same night, Agafay is the one your calendar allows.
