Even if you only have a weekend in Marrakesh, a camel ride in the desert is an easy and cheap option – here are 5 of the best camel rides from the Moroccan city.
(Photo: getyourguide.com)
Marrakesh is one of the world’s most exciting and accessible destinations. On the doorstep of Europe, this is an African city in all its glory, with dazzling colours, intense smells of cooking tagines and peppermint tea, and a frenzied pace. But just over half an hour away from the hustle and bustle are Berber villages, mountain landscapes and deserts that are the ideal setting for a camel ride. These treks are incredible value too; starting at just over 10 Euros, you could be sitting on a camel watching the sun set over the sand dunes – where else can you say that is possible?
Agafay Desert Sunset, Camel Ride, and Dinner
You get a lot of bang for your buck with this tour and at just four hours long it is a perfect excursion if only in Marrakesh for a weekend. A quick 40 minute drive out of the city (included of course) takes you to the sweeping dunes of the Agafay Desert, hundreds of acres of sandy, rocky nothingness. After a trip to a local argan oil cooperative (largely unnecessary but probably subsidizes the price of the trip a bit) your new transport is a well-trained camel. Follow an ancient Berber path through centuries-old houses and into the desert for tea and a dinner of salads, tajines, bread, and couscous. After dinner, watch a traditional show while listening to Berber music around the campfire. Then return to Marrakesh and ask yourself how it all cost less than 30 bucks. From €29.73.
Book at GetYourGuide
Merzouga 3-Day Desert Safari with Food
(Photo: getyourguide.com)
For something a bit more immersive, this three-day budget tour from Marrakesh travels to the edge of the Sahara Desert. You begin by crossing the High Atlas Mountains to the UNESCO Wolrd Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou, with a kasbah and fortified village that has been often used in Hollywood, including The Mummy and Gladiator, and on to Ouarzazate, otherwise known as the Gate of the Sahara. The second day is spent at Todgha Gorges before experiencing the Erg Chebbi dunes on camelback to catch the sunset. Reach your desert camp before nightfall and enjoy an authentic Moroccan dinner under the stars, with local nomads playing traditional Tam Tam drums. The last day is a transfer back to Marrakesh via lunch at a local restaurant. For the money this is incredible value. The only issue is the time needed to do it – it will be almost half of a week’s holiday, and a lot of that will be spent on the road. From €108.
Book at GetYourGuide
Overnight Sahara Tour to Zagora & Ait Ben Haddou
If the Sahara is on the bucket and spade list, but time is short, this trip could be the solution. It basically fits in a lot of the above three-dayer – such as the Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou and and Ouarzazate – but fits them into an overnight. Suffice to say, things can feel a little rushed, but you will get that sunset camel ride, dinner in the dunes and a typical Berber breakfast before hot-footing it back to Marrakesh. The price is not that different to a three day, so probably only one for those in a bit of a rush. From €85.50.
Book at GetYourGuide
Atlas Mountains Paraglide and Camel Ride Day Trip
(Photo: getyourguide.com)
If you are the kind of person who has been there and done that when it comes to camel trips in the desert – you know who you are – then this tour adds in an extra shot of adrenaline. After you’ve ticked off the local argan oil cooperative off the list, then soar through the sky like a bird strapped to a paragliding pilot over the Kik Plateau. This 15-minute paragliding flight will be captured on a GoPro to play back your screams to friends and family. You’ll even get Berber breakfast and lunch thrown in too and the day finishes with a 15-minute camel ride into the Agafay Desert. All in all, another great value tour. From €101.92.
Book at GetYourGuide
Agafay Desert Sunset, Camel Ride, and Dinner
As if camel tours from Marrakesh couldn’t get any better value, we’ve saved the best for last. This shoestring tour costs just 11 Euros and at five hours long includes everything you need for an Instagrammable sitting on a camel at sunset pic. The tour takes places at the Agafay Desert, just a short drive from Marrakesh in air conditioned comfort, where you ride a camel for 15 minutes down a Berber path and enjoy the sunset, Berber music around a crackling fire, Moroccan tea and dinner – all included. And just in case you were wondering, the local argan oil cooperative is thrown in too. Incredible value – you’ll probably save money taking this tour rather than hanging out in Marrakesh. From €11.25.
Book at Viator.com