Standard or luxury desert camp in Merzouga: which one you need
We do not sell standard tents, so we can say it plainly: on some trips a standard camp is all you need. Here is what really changes, and when paying more is worth it.
The short answer
If you come in spring or autumn, do not mind sharing a bathroom and mainly want the sunset, dinner and the stars, a standard camp is enough. If you come in winter or summer, travel with children or as a couple, or stay more than one night, a private bathroom and climate control change the night completely.
What does not change with the level is what you came for: the dunes. What changes is how you sleep.
What is the same in both
The sunset from the dunes, the camel ride, dinner, music by the fire, the stars and the sunrise are the same at a standard camp and a luxury one. Nobody sells you better dunes for paying more.
So the question is not which is «better», but how much a good night’s sleep, at the right temperature, matters to you.
The five things that change your night
| Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom | Often shared, in a separate block | Inside the tent, with a hot shower |
| Bed | From a mattress on the floor to a simple bed | A proper bed with good linen |
| Heat and cold | Blankets; no heating or AC | Heating and air conditioning, at least overnight |
| Size and location | Large camps, often on the busiest strip | It depends: some luxury camps sit right next to others, some are set apart |
| What the price covers | Usually per person; transfer and activities sometimes extra | Usually per tent; check what is included |
This is what is typical, not a rule: every camp means something different by «standard» and «luxury». Prices for each level are in how much it costs to sleep in the desert.
Upgrading your camp on a tour: what you actually pay for
Most multi-day tours from Marrakech or Fes offer a standard camp and a «superior» or «luxury upgrade». Read the small print, because the labels mislead. On one of the most popular tour platforms, the standard camp has a private bathroom except in high season, when it may be shared, while on the superior one air conditioning costs extra.
Look for «or similar» next to the camp name: it means you do not choose where you sleep. And check the single supplement, which on those tours can be over €100.
If the tour suits you but the camp does not, you can book just the night with us and do the rest on your own. See Merzouga without a tour.
When a standard camp is enough
When you come between March and May or in October, when nights are mild and you need neither heating nor air conditioning.
When it is one night, you are travelling with friends or alone and you do not mind crossing the camp to the bathroom. For many people a night in the desert is an experience, not a hotel, and a standard camp delivers it.
And when the budget decides: a standard night can cost a fraction of a luxury one, and the sunset is the same.
When a luxury camp is worth it: by month and by who you travel with
From November to February, nights drop to around 4 °C and can get close to freezing. Without heating you get through the night rather than enjoy it. In June, August and September it is the other way round: nights stay at 21-25 °C, and inside a tent without air conditioning it is hard to sleep. Month by month in the best time to visit the desert.
With children, older relatives or as a couple, a bathroom inside the tent stops being a luxury: it means not walking out in the dark at 3 a.m. The same goes for a two-night stay, when you want rest rather than «an experience». Travelling with kids? See the desert with children.
What «luxury» does not guarantee
The label says nothing about these four things. Ask before you book:
- Where it isSome luxury camps sit right on the busiest strip of Erg Chebbi, with the neighbours’ music and lights. Location changes the night as much as the bathroom.
- How many tentsA ten-tent camp is not the same as a fifty-tent one, even if both call themselves luxury.
- When the heating and AC runAsk whether they run through the night or only for a few hours, and whether they cost extra.
- What is includedThe 4x4 transfer, the camel ride and dinner may be included or charged on arrival. Get it in writing.
What reviews say about each level
Reviews of standard camps keep returning to three complaints: the shared bathroom, the cold or heat inside the tent and noise from other groups. What people praise is the same as at luxury camps: the sunset, the people and the sky.
At luxury camps the common complaints are different: extras that were not clear and neighbours too close. So read recent reviews and look at where the camp is on the map.
Our camp: one level, no supplements
Tassili has no categories. All ten tents have the same: a private bathroom with a hot shower, a proper bed and air conditioning and heating from 20:00 to 08:00, with nothing extra for climate control and no single supplement.
We are in Erg Znaigui, in the Taouz area, away from the strip where most camps cluster. The price is per tent and includes dinner, breakfast, a camel ride, music, sandboarding and the 4x4 transfer. See our tents, what each level costs locally in how much it costs to sleep in the desert and how to choose in where to stay in the Merzouga desert.
Questions people ask
Is a luxury desert camp worth it?
In winter, in summer, with children or as a couple, nearly always, for the bathroom and climate control. In spring or autumn, for one night, a good standard camp can be enough.
Do standard camps have shared bathrooms?
Often, yes, in a separate block, though some standard camps have private ones. Always ask, especially in high season.
Is air conditioning extra?
At some camps and on some tours, yes. Not with us: heating and air conditioning are included, from 20:00 to 08:00.
Can I swap the camp on my tour?
It depends on the agency, so ask when you book. The alternative is to travel independently and book the night directly with the camp you choose.
Is there a single supplement?
On many tours, yes. Not with us: the single tent is €100 a night, everything included.
Will I hear other camps at night?
That depends more on location than on level. On the busiest strip you hear music and generators; at a camp set apart, only the wind.
4.9 / 5 · over 160 Google reviews
Is luxury worth it for you?
Tell us your month and who you are travelling with, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it or a standard camp will do.
+212 661 614 125 · We always reply the same day.
Keep reading
- Where to stay in the Merzouga desert There are three places to spend the night, and they are less alike than they look. Here is who each one suits, including when the answer is not our camp.
- How much it costs to sleep in the Merzouga desert Between the simplest camp and a tent with a private bathroom there is a wide price gap, and an even wider gap in what you actually get.
- Luxury tents in the Merzouga desert Ten private tents in our luxury tented camp in Morocco, from €100 to €425 a night depending on occupancy. All with their own bathroom, a hot shower and air conditioning and heating.
- Best time to visit the Merzouga desert Short answer: October to April. The long answer depends on whether you mind the heat or the cold nights more.