Agafay Desert in Morocco: Everything You Need to Know for Your Desert Tour

What You Need to Know About the Agafay Desert Near Marrakech

The Agafay Desert is probably one of the lesser-known deserts in Morocco, even though it’s super easy and quick to reach.

It’s located just about 30 kilometers south of Marrakech, which takes roughly 40 minutes by car. Pretty much perfect for a desert tour or even just a day trip from Marrakech.

However, the Agafay Desert has one major downside: you won’t find towering sand dunes like in the Sahara here. The Agafay Desert is more of a rocky, gravelly desert.

That said, you’ll still find authentic desert camps, plenty of camels, and you can zip through the landscape on a quad bike. So you’ll still get a real taste of that desert atmosphere.

The Agafay Desert is a popular pick for people on a city trip to Marrakech who want to see the sights of Marrakech and only have a little time for a desert experience. It’s also great for travelers who don’t want to make the long journey to the Sahara.

Because beyond the Agafay Desert, there are two other deserts where you can do a desert tour in Morocco. The most popular is the Erg Chebbi Desert, home to Morocco’s largest sand dunes. But you’ll need at least three days for that, as it’s about an eight-hour drive from Marrakech.

And then there’s the Erg Chegaga Desert. You’ll need more time for that one too. The journey into the desert area in particular takes longer and is a bit more of an adventure.

The Agafay Desert on a Map

So you can see exactly where the desert is located, we’ve marked the Agafay Desert on a map. You can also see very clearly just how close the Agafay Desert is to Marrakech.

Cool Activities in the Agafay Desert

You don’t have to go all the way to the Sahara for fun and adventure in the desert. Seeing camels, riding quads, and chilling out at a luxurious desert camp — you can do all of that just as well on an Agafay Desert day trip.

The Agafay Desert even offers something you definitely can’t do in the Sahara: lounging by the pool, swimming while enjoying a sweeping view of the vast desert. That’s because only the Agafay desert camps have pools.

Here are a few cool activities to look forward to.

• Camel riding
• Quad biking
• Swimming in the pool
• Hiking through the desert
• Watching the sunset and sunrise
• Stargazing
• Making music together with locals
• Dinner show

Agafay Desert: Guided Tour or Go It Alone?

Whether you explore the Agafay Desert with a guide or on your own is first and foremost a matter of personal preference.

Guided tours into the Agafay Desert always depart from Marrakech. The advantage: you don’t have to worry about a thing and meals are usually included. You can choose between a day trip or spending a night in the Agafay Desert.

If you go it alone, you’ll of course need to arrange your own transportation and plan your activities on the ground. But in return, you get to call all the shots — what you do, when you leave, all of it.

If you’re only planning a day trip or at most one overnight stay, we recommend booking a guided tour. It’s the most relaxed option, and you’ll get to experience just about everything.

Since the desert camps in the Agafay Desert are quite pricey — even the simpler standard camps — guided tours usually offer much better value for money.

As a rule, you’ll also be picked up from your accommodation in Marrakech. We’ll now walk you through what guided tours into the Agafay Desert look like.

Alternatively, we’ll also cover how to plan your desert tour on your own. That’s especially relevant if you’re incorporating the Agafay Desert into a road trip through Morocco or want to stay more than two nights.

What a Guided Tour of the Agafay Desert Looks Like

On a guided Agafay Desert tour, once you’ve booked, you barely have to worry about anything — total relaxation! Cool activities and a meal are usually included.

Prices vary. If you’re just doing a quick day trip from Marrakech, you can find tours starting at around 50 euros — an unbeatable price in Morocco!

Longer day tours or a tour into the Agafay Desert with an overnight stay can cost significantly more. We recommend booking your tour online in advance — there are tons of great options out there.

We think these two desert tours from Marrakech are really awesome:

5-hour Agafay Desert tour with quad, camel ride & dinner show

8-hour quad tour in the Agafay Desert with lunch

One of the classic options is the 5-hour desert tour, which departs from Marrakech in the afternoon. You’ll be picked up from your riad in Marrakech and get to experience so much.

You’ll spend an hour riding a quad through the Agafay Desert, about half an hour on a camel across the rocky landscape, and enjoy a stunning sunset.

Later in the evening, you’ll be treated to a delicious dinner with Moroccan specialties at a typical desert camp, while you take in a cool dinner show.

If you feel like it, you can join the locals around the campfire and listen to live music. A great activity for your Morocco vacation.

If you’re lucky, the camp where you stop might also have a pool. Then you can cool off and, if time allows, kick back and relax — how cool is that!

You also have the option to spend a night in the Agafay Desert. The itinerary is similar to what’s described above, though the activities may vary a bit.

But instead of heading back to Marrakech in the evening, you’ll stay at the desert camp and get to enjoy the sunrise the next morning.

2-day Agafay Desert tour with overnight stay and dinner

You can also combine the Agafay Desert really well with a side trip to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco or with an overnight stay in the desert.

Full-day tour of the Agafay Desert and the Atlas Mountains with camel ride

What Your Self-Guided Agafay Desert Tour Looks Like

If you’re planning your Agafay Desert tour on your own, the big advantage is that you can plan everything yourself for the one, two, or three days you spend there.

Here’s what you’ll need to take care of:

• Getting there and back to and from Marrakech
• Booking activities on-site
• Without an overnight stay: possibly booking a day pass
• With an overnight stay: booking a desert camp

Getting from Marrakech to the Agafay Desert on Your Own

Whether you’re spending just a day in the Agafay Desert or staying overnight, you’ll need to sort out the journey there. You have three options:

• Rent a car and drive yourself.
• Head to a taxi stand in Marrakech and go by taxi.
• Book a ride in a minivan in advance through 12Go.

If you’d rather not rent a car for just one or two days, we recommend booking a minivan ride. It’s the most hassle-free option. Through 12Go, you can easily select your date and time.

Most of the time, you’ll even be picked up from your accommodation in Marrakech. And you can enter any Agafay camp as your destination — how convenient! Often, though, you’ll need at least two people for the minivan to run.

Prices vary, but they’re generally between 12 and 25 euros per ride per person. You should book your ride online at least two days in advance.

We don’t know exactly how much a taxi from Marrakech to the Agafay Desert costs. If you want, you can of course ask at the taxi stands in advance. If you go with a taxi, make sure to arrange your return pickup from the Agafay Desert directly with the driver.

By the way, every desert camp in the Agafay Desert is perfectly accessible by car. Some of the roads are gravel roads, but still very drivable.

Day Trip to the Agafay Desert Without an Overnight Stay

If you decide to do a self-guided Agafay Desert day trip, we recommend thinking ahead about what you’d roughly like to do. It’s best to already have a destination in the Agafay Desert picked out.

Our recommendation: a day pass. Some Agafay camps offer what’s called a day pass. With it, you can relax at the desert camp all day, use the pool, and even get lunch or dinner included.

Through the Agafay camp, you can also book popular activities like camel riding and quad biking. Prices are similar everywhere. A day pass with one meal costs between 45 and 55 euros. With two meals it’ll cost more.

Camel riding usually costs between 25 and 30 euros for half an hour, and a quad tour between 35 and 40 euros for one hour.

You can book day passes easily online, for example through GetYourGuide or, in some cases, directly on the Agafay camps’ websites. Some include transportation, though those cost a bit more.

These are the desert camps with day passes in Agafay that we think are really great:
Day pass at Agafay Pearl Camp with pool and lunch

Day pass at White Camel Agafay with lunch and dinner

Day pass at Le Bédouin Agafay Camp with lunch

Trip to the Agafay Desert with an Overnight Stay

An overnight stay in the desert is a truly special experience. Especially if you want to choose your own Agafay camp and/or stay more than one night, you should plan your desert tour yourself.

To do that, you just need to take care of two things: arrange transportation and book a desert camp in Agafay. Just like with the day pass, you can easily book additional activities directly at the camp once you’re there.

Tip: Some Agafay camps also offer their own transfer from Marrakech. After booking, it’s worth simply asking about it.

The Coolest Agafay Desert Camps

There are many great camps in the Agafay Desert. Here too, you can choose between more modest standard camps and luxurious camps.

The difference between the two types isn’t huge, though. The design of the luxury camps tends to be a bit more stylish, and they all have a pool. Only some of the standard camps do. But all camps include at least breakfast.

Unlike, say, the Erg Chebbi Desert, prices for Agafay camps are relatively steep. We’re not sure why that is. Even the standard camps start at 150 euros per night for a double tent.

Is a Desert Tour Dangerous?

Since the Agafay Desert is close to Marrakech and isn’t a vast sandy desert, we’d say that a tour into the Agafay Desert is really not dangerous.

That said, to stay safe in Morocco, you should prepare a little and follow a few basic rules.

Weather and temperatures in the desert as a hazard

One of the biggest hazards in the desert could be the weather. Especially in summer, Morocco — and therefore the Agafay Desert — can get really, really hot. At night, it barely cools down here either.

What that means for you: pack sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, a neck scarf, and loose, breathable clothing for daytime. Especially if you’re riding a camel in full sun.

In winter, on the other hand, it can get genuinely cold. You’ll then want a heavy jacket, sweater, socks, long pajamas, and a beanie.

Even in the rocky desert of Agafay, sand can be whipped up by strong winds and blow toward your face. To keep sand out of your mouth or eyes, make sure both are well protected at all times.

Camels and wild animals in the desert as a hazard

The camels in the Agafay Desert are used to being around people, so it should be safe to ride them through the desert. Always follow your guide’s instructions, and it’s best not to touch the camels without asking first.

Of course, the desert can also be home to wild animals like scorpions, lizards, snakes, insects, arachnids, or even wild camels. Your best bet is to steer clear of any animals, and if in doubt, talk to a guide or camp staff member.

Illness and injury as hazards in the Agafay Desert

If an animal does bite you, make sure to let a guide or staff member at your desert camp know right away. But also keep in mind that the Agafay Desert is only about 40 minutes by car from Marrakech.

Traveler’s diarrhea and cholera are other hazards, though honestly these can happen anywhere. Here too, following a few simple rules can significantly reduce your risk of getting sick.

• Don’t drink tap water — only drink water from plastic bottles bought at a supermarket.
• It’s also best to use bottled water for brushing your teeth.
• Wash your hands before eating.
• Only eat salad or raw foods if you feel confident about the hygiene standards. When in doubt, skip it.
• Before your trip, you can also get an oral vaccine against traveler’s diarrhea and cholera. Talk to your doctor about this first.

Packing List for the Agafay Desert

To make sure you can truly enjoy your time in the Agafay Desert, here’s a short packing list for your desert tour.

These are all things you’ll need in addition to the standard items for your Morocco vacation.

• A head covering: cap, hat, or scarf.
• Sunglasses
• Neck scarf to protect against wind and sand
• A thick sweater or fleece jacket, especially in winter
• Long, comfortable pants for camel riding
• Comfortable, sturdy sandals — sand will get stuck in sneakers forever
• Long pajamas, especially for an overnight stay in winter
• Thick socks in winter
• Beanie and gloves in winter
• Rain jacket, just in case
• Sunscreen
• Small towel and/or wet wipes
• Power bank
• Camera and/or phone — make sure to pack them in a sandproof case!
• Flashlight / headlamp
• Motion sickness tablets, in case the camel or car ride gets too bumpy
• Enough water or a bottle to refill (depending on whether it’s included in your tour)
• Plastic bag for trash

Frequently Asked Questions About the Agafay Desert in Morocco