‘Nature is pleased with simplicity‘

Today we are telling you everything about our experience at Scarabeo camp in the wonderful Agafay desert. For our second trip in Marrakech, we wanted absolutely to visit the Moroccan desert. So we have decided to stay at to the beautiful Scarabeo camp, located in the Agafay desert. We stayed only one night but it was amazing, it is one of our best memory in Morocco! We had a magical and authentic experience at Scarabeo camp. The connection with nature, the locals, the animals. Everything was simply amazing. At less than one our of Marrakech, it was a total change of scenery. We were lost in the middle of the desert, with only the sound of nature.

Today, I’ll share with you everything about our magical experience in the Moroccan desert at Scarabeo Camp near Marrakech.

By the way, If you are planning to visit Marrakech soon, check out our complete Marrakech travel guide!

Where is located Scarabeo camp?

First of all, where is located the camp and how to get there?

The camp is located at only 35 kilometers from Marrakech, in the small rocky desert of Agafay. It is only 40 minutes driving from Marrakech. The camp setting affords stunning 360° views of the Agafay’s barren grandeur and beyond to the snow-capped Atlas mountains.

How to get to the Scarabeo camp in the Agafay desert?

The Camp: The staff of the camp can book a car for you. If you are 4 or less, you can book a 4×4 for 550MAD (55$). If you are more of 4, you can book a minibus for 670MAD (67$).

By Taxi: You can go to the camp by taxi for 400MAD (40$). The camp will send you a map with the instructions to find the camp.

By yourself: More and more people decide to rent a car for their Marrakech trip. The instructions given by Scarabeo Camp are clear and it is really simple to find the camp.

If you want to visit the Sahara desert you will also find amazing camps but you will have to spend 8 hours in a car to get there.

Let me tell you about our story!

The Scarabeo Camp picked us up in Marrakech in the morning. After 40 minutes admiring the beautiful landscapes, we finally arrived to the camp. The landscape was straight out of a movie! we were amazed by the beauty and the simplicity of this place! And we were really excited to visit around and see more of this place.

The camp staff welcomed us and they were very friendly. After a quick tour of the camp, the staff prepared us a Moroccan tea and some typical pastries in a Berbere tent. It is was unreal, drinking tea in front of the desert. It was a peaceful moment, disconnected to our life. We were feeling like time was stopped.

After the tea, we went to our tent. It was a tent with all the comfort we needed. There is a comfortable bed (twin or double beds), a shower, a traditional Moroccan lounge strewn. Just in front of the tent, there was a personal lounge where we could enjoy the view of the desert and on the Atlas mountains. This landscape still untouched by tourism are really simply amazing and peaceful. It was so relaxing to spend time there.

What to do in the camp?

The camp proposes several activities: quad tours, bike, dune buggy tour with a guide, relaxing massage, half or full-day trek with a mountain guide, or stargazing with an astronomy professor or yoga courses. Please don’t support animal cruelty: don’t ride camels. If you want more information about this, read our post about why you should never ride animals during your travels.

However, you can just take your camera and go to explore the desert! This is what we have done. We wanted to see more of this place and explore around. We have found incredible points of view on the Altas mountains and the dunes. It was absolutely gorgeous. Also, we have done an unforgettable encounter with a shepherd and their sheep. We have spent time with them and they were adorable! Also, we have met camels, we have also spent a moment with them and it was really cool! But we don’t ride animals so we just spent a few minutes to cuddle them!

After our little exploration, we decided to return to the camp to enjoy the campfire with the other people. The staff was playing guitar and we were all singing together around the fire camp. It was amazing. I’ll never forget these moments.

The magical evening at Scarabeo camp

During this moment, the moon just in front of us, appears in the middle of the sunset. We decided to go beyond the first dune to enjoy this incredible sunset and take photos of course! This moment was absolutely incredible. This was one of the most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen, the sky was pink, yellow, orange and purple. We loved watching the sunset together and take photos. It is an amazing memory!

When the night has fallen, we returned to the camp and went to the restaurant. The restaurant was so romantic. Guitar player, singer, candles… It was just so romantic! A perfect love atmosphere. There is a unique menu with a Moroccan soup, a vegetarian tajin, and an apple tart.

To end this day, we have been to our lounge to enjoy the stars. It was like a dream. This spot is famous for stargazing and we can understand why now!

When is the best time to visit the Agafay desert?

We have been there in January, so it was a little bit cold in the morning and night. But it was great during the day. I think the best time is between January and May to avoid the hot summer. The staff prepared for bed a fire in our tent for the night. We have spent a moment around the fire before going to sleep. And it was really warm all night. Check out our post about 5 reasons to visit Morocco in winter!

The morning was so peaceful. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise, the feeling when you open the tent is just indescribable. You see the desert and you just hear the sounds of birds. I have no words it was so peaceful.

After that, we have been to breakfast. There was everything we needed, Moroccan bread, jams, and orange fresh juice. We had breakfast in front of this view, it was amazing!

After breakfast, we decided to explore the camp again and make memories! Then, the driver arrived and bring us to Marrakech! You can ask the camp to organize your transfer to go back to Marrakech.

Are you planning to visit the Agafay desert?

Sincerely, we had an amazing experience at Scarabeo camp and we definitely recommend this experience! If you are planning to visit the Agafay desert, we hope this post will help you! 😉 have a great day my travel family! If you have questions let us know in the comments! Join us on Instagram for new adventures! @chiarabarrasso @jelafaille