A Night in the Erg Chebbi Dunes: What to Expect at a Desert Camp
Sunset, dinner under the stars, music around the fire and a sunrise you will never forget. Here is what a night in a Merzouga desert camp is really like.
For many travellers, the night in the dunes is the heart of the whole trip. It is hard to describe the feeling of the Sahara after dark, the silence, the scale, the stars, but here is what an evening with us usually looks like.
Arriving as the sun sets
We head into the dunes in the late afternoon, when the heat softens and the sand turns gold, then amber, then deep orange. Reaching camp at golden hour, with the great dunes glowing behind you, is a moment most people remember for years.
Dinner under the open sky
Dinner in the desert is simple and generous, often a tagine cooked slowly, shared together. Eating outside, with the first stars appearing overhead, is one of the quiet luxuries of the Sahara.
Music around the fire
After dinner there is often traditional Berber music around the fire, drums, song, and the kind of unhurried evening that has all but disappeared from modern life. It is shared, not performed: an invitation into the culture rather than a show.
Sleeping in the desert
The camps we use are comfortable, with proper beds, bedding and blankets. On clear nights, many travellers choose to lie outside for a while just to watch the sky, far from any city light, the Milky Way is astonishing.
Sunrise over the dunes
Waking early to climb a dune and watch the sun rise over the Erg Chebbi is the perfect close to the experience. The desert is cool and utterly still, the light is soft, and for a few minutes the whole sea of sand seems to belong to you alone.
