Agafay Desert

Agafay is the desert for people who don't have time for the Sahara. After a 45-minute drive from Marrakesh the red walls and the mopeds are gone, and you see bare yellow hills all the way to the horizon, with the white peaks of the Atlas Mountains behind them. It is not a sand desert. If you expect dunes, you will be disappointed. If you want space and quiet after two days in the medina, this is the right place.

What you do there

Not much, and that is why you come. You arrive at a camp at the end of the afternoon, walk or ride a camel in a loop through the hills, and then sit on a cushion waiting for the sun to drop behind the Atlas. After that you eat a tagine by the fire and look at more stars than you see at home in a year.

The camps range from simple Berber tents to luxury lodges with a pool and a three-course menu. The simple camps are quieter and feel more real. The luxury camps are more comfortable, with private bathrooms and heating in winter. There is something to be said for both. Tell us what you want and we will pick the camp that fits.

If you want to do more, you can ride a quad or take an e-bike tour in Agafay. We are not big fans: the noise and the dust spoil it for the walkers. But it can be done.

The yoga and wellness days also use Agafay as a setting. You do morning yoga with a view of the mountains, have lunch and spend an afternoon doing nothing. That works better than three museums in one day.

Going to Agafay as a woman on your own

Agafay is one of the most relaxed places you can visit in Morocco. There is no medina to get through and there are no vendors, so nobody pays attention to you. You are in a camp with other guests and a handful of staff who leave you alone. That makes it a calm place to spend a night as a woman on your own.

Dress lightly during the day, but cover your shoulders and bring a scarf for the sun. From sunset on you need a sweater or cardigan, even in May. In winter the nights can drop to around freezing; good camps then have thick blankets and a stove in the tent. What else to bring is on the packing list.

The drive back to Marrakesh is in the dark. Soukayna drives, so that is nothing you have to think about.

Travel time and season

From the center of Marrakesh it is about a 45-minute drive, the last stretch on a dirt road. A late afternoon and evening are enough to get a good impression. A night in a camp is a nice way to end your trip, because from Agafay you are at the airport in an hour.

Go between October and May. In summer it is too hot to do anything during the day; then you leave around five and stay for the evening. Bring sunscreen, a scarf, a warm layer and a flashlight or a phone with a full battery. The camps have electricity, but not always in the tent.

The day trip with Soukayna

The day trip to Agafay is the easiest way to get here. Soukayna picks you up at your riad, drives you through the olive groves and villages south of the city, and takes you back to your bed after dinner. You don't have to arrange anything or explain anything.

If you want to combine Agafay with the mountains, you can go to the Ourika Valley or Imlil in the Atlas Mountains in the morning and drive on to the desert in the afternoon. If you are after sand and dunes, you need the Sahara and Merzouga, a three-day trip.