Agafay desert camps: a dinner or a night in a camp?

What is an Agafay camp?

An Agafay camp is a group of tents on the stone hills of the Agafay desert, about 45 minutes from Marrakech. There are dozens of them. The simplest have Berber-style tents and shared bathrooms. The most expensive have canvas suites with a private bathroom, heating or air conditioning, a big bed and sometimes their own plunge pool.

Almost every camp has a restaurant tent, a terrace facing the Atlas mountains and a fire for the evening, and many have a swimming pool. Most visitors never sleep there: they come for an afternoon or an evening and go back to Marrakech the same night.

Dinner, pool day or a night: what each costs

Prices are what the big booking sites listed in November 2026, rounded. They change with the season and the date, and drinks are often extra. Always read what's included before you pay.

A dinner evening: the desert without the night

This is how most people see Agafay. You leave Marrakech in the early afternoon, ride a quad or a camel across the hills, watch the sun go down, then have dinner at the camp with music and a show. You're back in your riad the same night.

In winter it's dark by about 18:00, so the stars come out while you eat. You get the sunset, the dinner and the starry sky without packing a bag or paying for a second room.

Our evenings work like this. The sunset camel ride and dinner costs 250 DH (about €23) per person, and the full desert evening, with a quad ride before the camel ride, costs 350 DH (about €32). Both include transport from our free meeting points in Marrakech, dinner, Gnawa music and a fire show, and you're back in the city at about 20:00 in winter.

Full desert evening350 DH · per personSee details →Sunset camel and dinner250 DH · per personSee details →Buggy rideFrom 1,200 DH · 2-seat buggy, 1 hourSee details →

A pool day in Agafay

Many camps sell a day pass: a sunbed by the pool, lunch and the view of the Atlas, usually from late morning to late afternoon. Expect about €25 to €70 per person, more with private transport.

It's best from April to October. In winter the days are mild, around 19 to 21°C, but an unheated pool is cold, so ask before you book. Our own trips focus on the evening.

A night in a camp: what you get

Sleeping in Agafay adds two things an evening can't: the silence of the desert once the day visitors have gone, and the sunrise over the Atlas. A night usually includes dinner and breakfast.

Simple camps

Berber-style tents with beds and blankets, often with shared toilets and showers. About €60 to €130 per person, usually with dinner, breakfast and sometimes transport from Marrakech.

Luxury camps

Large private tents with their own bathroom, proper beds, heating in winter, a pool and a restaurant, sometimes a bar. About €200 to €600 per tent per night, usually for two people. Transport from Marrakech is often extra, and drinks almost always are.

Book early for weekends and for the Christmas and New Year weeks: the best camps fill up first.

Sleeping in the desert in winter

Agafay is sunny in winter, but the nights are cold. From December to February the temperature can drop to about 5°C after dark, and lower on clear nights. If you sleep in a camp, check that the tent is heated and has hot water, and bring warm clothes for the evening and the early morning.

That's one reason many winter travellers choose an evening instead: they see the sunset and the stars, then sleep in a warm room in Marrakech. Read more in Marrakech in December.

Which should you choose?

Choose a dinner evening if…

• you want the sunset, a ride, dinner and the stars in one trip;
• you already have a riad or a hotel in Marrakech;
• you travel with children, or on a budget.

Choose a night in a camp if…

• the sunrise and the silence matter to you;
• it's a special occasion, like a honeymoon or a birthday, and the budget allows it;
• you travel in spring or autumn, or you don't mind a cold night in winter.

Choose a pool day if…

• it's warm, between April and October;
• you want a quiet day away from the medina, with lunch and a view.

What to ask before you book a camp

• Transport: is it included, and from where? Your hotel or a meeting point?
• Meals: are dinner and breakfast included? And the drinks?
• The tent: private or shared? Its own bathroom? Heating in winter?
• Times: when do you leave, and when are you back in Marrakech?
• Cancellation: can you cancel for free, and until when?

For everything else about the area, read our Agafay desert guide.

Agafay camps: your questions