A Night in the Agafay Desert
Back in February, Colin and I visited Morocco. After admiring the beautiful blue city of Chefchaouen, getting lost in the Fes medina, and seeing the palaces of Marrakech, we knew we wanted to end our trip with something cool and relaxing: A night in the Agafay Desert.
Never heard of the Agafay Desert? That’s okay, neither had I. Most visitors to Morocco head east to the much more well known Sahara Desert. Unfortunately, the Sahara Desert is quite far from the main cities of Morocco. From where we were in Marrakech, it would take us two days to get out to the Sahara.
So instead of spending long hours in a car and wasting a few days of our short trip, I decided to look for an alternative. And that’s how I found the Agafay Desert. This convenient option is only 40 minutes from Marrakech. Sure, it’s not the sand dune paradise you’d expect of the Sahara, but for desert newbies like us, we were happy with what we could get. If you don’t have time to get to the Sahara Desert, I definitely recommend this alternative.
After our three nights in Marrakech, we were picked up by our transfer and driven to the Inara Camp in the Agafay Desert for one night of luxury glamping before heading back home to Prague.
I had never been glamping before, but I knew it would be right up my alley. When we saw that this was an option in Morocco, and much more affordable than we thought it would be, we decided to splurge a little and go for it. By splurge, I mean we paid roughly $350 CAD for one night accommodation, dinner for two, breakfast for two and roundtrip transfer.
When we arrived at the Inara Camp, we were taken down to the common area: a set of plush benches around a fire pit flanked by tents that held the dining rooms and office areas. We were made to wait for a while, so entertained ourselves by walking around the camp, checking out the pool and the sleeping tents off in the distance.
Pretty quick, I began to get vibes of the elephant sanctuary we had stayed at in Thailand. Like that place, this camp felt a little bit too rich for us. Colin and I were going over our budget just to be there and were in no position to spend on extras like drinks from the bar or cool desert activities. Other guests, who arrived after us, were checked in first and more closely attended to. I couldn’t help but think their willingness to buy more was resulting in first class service.
It would have been awesome to drop another $350 on sand-boarding, camel rides and unlimited drinks by the pool. But that wasn’t realistic for us. So we were going to make the most of the $350 we had already spent. Finally, we did get checked in and brought to our new home for the evening.
Our tent was set back on a hill, overlooking the common area and pool. Inside was a huge comfy bed, an ornate desk, a small couch, a fireplace and a rustic (yet charming) bathroom set up. Outside we had a small patio with chairs and a lounger. All trip long we had been staying in cool riads and this accommodation was just as awesome. We dropped our bags and hung out on the outdoor lounger so we could take it all in.
As the sun started to set, Colin and I took a walk around the camp. We headed to the far edge of the hill to look out at where the desert met the Atlas Mountains. The view was incredible. Then we walked up to where the camels were kept. We weren’t planning on paying for camel rides, but we did want to take a look at them. It was hilarious to see the camels walking around with their knobby knees, spitting and making the strangest sounds. We got to see baby camels too, which was really special.
On our way back to our tent, we witnessed the most beautiful desert sunset. It had been a while since we were far enough away from a city where buildings didn’t block our view. The whole sky lit up in yellows, oranges and pinks. My iPhone 6 cell phone camera didn’t do it justice.
We were told dinner would be around 7:30, so we joined the other guests at the fire pit at that time. Unfortunately, instructions were hard to come by. We sat around for a while, until finally around 8:30 we ventured into a tent and a server beckoned for us to sit down.
Despite the slow start, dinner was delicious. Typical for Morocco, we enjoyed a yummy chicken and vegetable tajine. There were a few courses to our dinner, which made us feel even more glamorous each time a new dish was brought to the table. After the last bites, we headed back to our tent.
It was pitch black, but little lights on the path led us back to our tent. There, we found that someone had started a fire for us in the fireplace, and left some logs to keep us warm all night. But we weren’t quite ready for bed. Instead, we grabbed the comforter off the bed and brought it outside to our patio. We snuggled under the blanket on our lounge chair and looked up at the stars.
That was my favourite part of the Agafay Desert. I loved looking up and seeing all of the bright stars that our city lights usually hide. I loved curling up under the big comforter, because the desert actually gets cold at night in February. And I really loved talking to Colin. We had a big talk about our whole year abroad, what was working and what wasn’t, and what we wanted for our few months remaining.
In the distance, we heard some of the other guests laughing by the fire and the sounds of a dance show starting up. Part of me wanted to head back down to the fire pit and join them. I didn’t want to miss out on a show, especially since we were paying for it. But more than that, I didn’t want to leave the cozy comfort of being wrapped up in a blanket with Colin under the stars in the desert in Africa. So we stayed put. We stayed out on our lounger until our toes started to freeze, and then headed into our toasty warm tent to sleep.
The next morning, we were treated to a brilliant blue sky and sunny day. It was hot! I am so thankful we visited in February, as I can’t imagine dealing with desert heat in the summer. We headed down for breakfast and enjoyed another multi-course meal with plates covering the entire table. Being the cheapskates that we are, we actually took some of the leftover bread, meat and cheese from our table to make little sandwiches for lunch.
After we checked out, we still had a few hours to kill before our transfer to the airport. So we decided to hang by the pool. There was no wifi at the camp, a nice break from the outside world, so we spent our time reading, writing and taking quick dips in the water when we got too hot. We also ate our breakfast sandwiches when no one was looking!
In the early afternoon, we met our driver and headed out of the desert and towards the airport. It would have been nice to spend one more day at the Inara Camp in the Agafay Desert. It would have been great to stay unplugged a little while longer, see the sunset and the stars again, and maybe make it down to the fire pit for after-dinner social hour. But I was happy with the one night we did have. It was the perfect way to end our time in Morocco!
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What a great alternative option. I’m looking at my Africa trip for next year (fingers crossed) and would also be limited on time so wasn’t sure how to fit the Sahara in. This is awesome
Thanks, Emma! Yes, it’s a great option if you don’t have time to go all the way out to the Sahara. And a nice break from the city!
The sunset shots are spectacular even with your iPhone 6 🙂 I definitely would like to desert glamp sometime. Looks like a great experience!
Thanks! Lightroom had a lot to do with fixing those photos 😉 Hope you get to glamp in the desert one day!
This looks like such a magical place and something you wouldn’t expect to find in the desert.
It really was!
We did a desert safari in Abu Dhabi, but didn’t get to stay the night. It looks like a great experience.
I’d love to visit Abu Dhabi one day! Thanks, Jan!
Oh my gosh this looks absolutely magical. I’d love to do this at some point in my life – what a wonderful experience.
Thanks, Jenny! I hope you get to!
Hey! Would it be weird for me to do this solo?! Also, were you able to see the stars/Milky Way here? Thanks!
Hey Lisa! I don’t think it would be weird to go to this camp (or one of the others in the area) solo. We spent most of our time by ourselves, so I think as long as you don’t mind that, you’d be okay. The only time that might be a bit awkward is dinner, as everyone goes in together but you’d be sitting at a table alone. We also visited in February, which is the slow season, so maybe at a more popular time of year it’d be busier and you could meet people. All that to say, definitely don’t feel weird about going solo! I think I would have really enjoyed it as a solo trip.
We did see awesome stars. I don’t remember being able to make out the Milky Way, but I do remember the sky being very cool to look at.
What a lovely evening. It sounds just perfect, especially sitting under the stars and talking about your year. Beautiful post.
Thanks, Lannie! It really was an awesome and memorable trip.
This looks absolutely incredible! Would love to do something like this one day x
I hope you get to!
Wow, what an amazing way to stay in the desert. I would think glamping puts a unique spin of traveling through the desert. I can’t tolerate the heat at all, so something like this isn’t for me, but I do appreciate seeing the beauty of the area in your photos.
It really was a cool night! I think you might be okay visiting when we did, in February, as it wasn’t too warm at all during the day. And at night it was downright freezing!
Amazing photos – I’d love to visit Morocco x
Thanks! Hope you get to!
Oh wow it looks amazing xx
Wow, this looks amazing! I’d never heard of this place before either. I’ve never been glamping but I’ really not much of a camper and this place looks incredible, I’d love to do something like this x
Sophie
Thanks, Sophie! Yes, I’m not a big camper either so this is perfect!
This looks absolutely dreamy! I’ve never heard of the Agafay Desert before. I would much rather go there than spent 2 days traveling to the Sahara.
Also my favorite part was reading about taking the comforter and stargazing. That sounds perfect!
Thanks so much, Brooklyn! Yes, I had never heard of it before this trip too but really loved it.
I’ve never been camping or glamping. I’d like the luxuries and convenience of glamping more, but I’m sorry you couldn’t take full advantage of all of the activities due to cost. It sounded like a fun experience and it was really pretty!
Thanks, Hannah! Yes, it would be great to go back with a bigger budget and be able to enjoy more.
Wow! What an incredible place to go glamping! While I have tried glamping before, I’ve never tried it in a desert. I’ve also never heard of Agafay Desert either but you sounds like you had an amazing time. Would love to try it myself now 😉
Thanks, Justine! We definitely had a great time and I hope you get to try it one day too.
Ooooh, this has been on my must experience list for awhile now. I have pinned for future planning. I love the idea of camping in the desert, there is just something so dreamy and romantic about it. Love it! Thanks for the daydream escape.
I hope you get to do it, Renee. It’s such a fun experience! And thanks for pinning!
This looks like such a great, unique experience! And the sunset is just stunning, despite the photos being taken with a smartphone camera!
Sure, things like sand boarding or camel rides would definitely added to the experience but even without those extras it still sounds like it was pretty special. And totally worth it just for the views and scenery!
Thanks! Lightroom really helps those iPhone 6 photos 😉 And yes, it was definitely worth it even without the extra activities.
That looks incredible! I’ve been to the Sahara desert but we stayed in a hotel rather than camping. I’d love to camp but it’s definitely way out of my budget right now! I didn’t realise it was quite that expensive!
Thanks, Sarah! I think there are more budget friendly options and certainly options more luxurious than this. We splurged a little on this one night but it would be cool to do it again and make it to the Sahara some day.
I just made a reservation for August 6th 2021, I know it will be super hot but I got the full package. Will take some pictures.
That’s awesome! I hope you have a great time!
This looks so awesome! We have been dying to go to Morocco forever and the idea of glamping in the desert never even crossed my mind. Part of me only thinks of the Blue City or Casablanca but guess I am adding a new addition to trip planning what will probably be our first African country.
Now just need the world to get back to normal so we can make the trip a reality!
Thanks, Gus! I hope you do make it to Morocco one day. Chefchaouen was awesome so definitely head there. The blue is beautiful! I would also recommend Fes, as it’s such a different vibe with the giant medina. I’ve heard Casablanca is kind of boring, but haven’t been myself. Enjoy when you do make it!
I’m originally from Fes, the old city (Medina) is 1200 years old, but I love the blue city and the white city (Tetouan).
Very cool! We loved Chefchaouen and I’ve never heard of Tetouan, so thanks for introducing it to me.
I never heard of the Agafay Desert before I read this post, but now it is on my travel list. The camp you stayed at looks amazing, but I think my bank account started crying as I read this amazing post.
I’ve been dreaming of visiting Morocco for a while now and your description of the desert just made me want to book a flight today.
Thanks, Steph! I hope you make it to Morocco one day 🙂
This experience looks really wonderful. Never heard of it when there. One to add to the return trip.
Definitely one to add to the list!
What an amazing article, We actually offer this day trip to Agafay, but the way you described it is really fascinating! I love your blog and conceded me a follower! thank you for sharing your experience, and would be lovely to host you in Morocco next time
Thank you so much! We definitely hope to make it back to Morocco one day!