7 DAYS STARGAZING DESERT TOUR FROM CASABLANCA TO MARRAKECH

Sahar Stargazing Experience

7 DAYS STARGAZING DESERT TOUR FROM CASABLANCA TO MARRAKECH

Seven days is the point at which the Sahara stops being an overnight stop and becomes part of the trip. This route holds two nights at Merzouga with a full day between them, which is enough time to get away from the camp, out into the stony hammada beyond the dunes, and into the villages where people actually live.

The rest of the route runs the length of the country. You begin on the Atlantic at Casablanca, take the capital at Rabat, and climb into the Rif for a night in the blue town of Chefchaouen. The road south passes Volubilis and Meknes on the way to Fes, where a full guided day is given to the medina. From there you cross the Middle Atlas and the Ziz Valley to the desert, and finish by tracking west through the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, past Ait Ben Haddou, and over the High Atlas into Marrakech.

Stargazing in the Merzouga Desert

Stargazing is one of the unforgettable experiences included in our Morocco desert tours. Rather than being a separate activity, it is part of your desert camp experience and takes place during your stay in the Erg Chebbi dunes, as outlined in your tour itinerary.

How Our Stargazing Experience Is Organized

After enjoying a traditional dinner at the desert camp, we gather together and take a peaceful 10-minute walk into the heart of the dunes. Away from any artificial lights, you’ll reach a quiet location where the night sky reveals thousands of stars in remarkable clarity.

Our experience begins with fascinating stories about the nomadic people of the Sahara and how they relied on the stars for navigation and orientation across the desert. You’ll learn about their traditions, legends, and their deep connection with the night sky.

Using a professional laser pointer, your guide will introduce you to the most prominent stars, constellations, and celestial objects visible above the Sahara. With virtually no light pollution, the Merzouga dunes offer one of Morocco’s most spectacular stargazing environments, making this a truly memorable part of your desert adventure.

Duration: 7 days / 6 nights

Start: Casablanca

End: Marrakech

Tour Style: Private

Stargazing Experience : Merzouga Desert

HIGHILGHTES:

– The Hassan II Mosque on the Casablanca shoreline
– The Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat
– The blue medina of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains
– The Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
– Bab Al-Mansour and the imperial architecture of Meknes
– A full guided day in the Fes medina
– Al-Qarawiyyin and the Chouara tanneries
– Ifrane and the cedar forest Barbary macaques
– The Ziz Valley palm corridor
– Camel trekking into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset
– Two nights in a luxury desert camp
– Two guided stargazing sessions in the dunes
– A full day in the Sahara with nomad families and Khamlia village
– Sandboarding on the dunes
– The Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley
– Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
– The Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres

TOUR Itinerary

Your guide collects you in the morning from the airport or your accommodation in Casablanca. The day opens at the Hassan II Mosque, built out over the Atlantic on a platform above the water and the largest in the country.

The road follows the coast to Rabat, where you visit the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V facing it across the esplanade. Lunch is taken in Rabat.

The afternoon turns inland and climbs into the Rif Mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen in the evening.

Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen

The morning is free in Chefchaouen. The medina is small enough to walk properly in a couple of hours, and the uphill path to the Spanish Mosque gives the view back across the town and the mountains behind it.

After lunch the road runs south to Volubilis, the most complete Roman site in Morocco, where the basilica, triumphal arch, and floor mosaics survive in place. A short drive on is Meknes and the monumental gate at Bab Al-Mansour. From there it is a straightforward run to Fes and your riad in the medina.

Overnight: Riad in the Fes medina

A full day in Fes with a local guide. The medina here has been functioning more or less continuously since the ninth century, and it is best understood on foot rather than described.

The morning covers the area around Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and recognised as the oldest continuously operating university in the world, along with the Al Attarine Madrasa and its carved cedar and zellige work. The Chouara tanneries follow, where hides are still worked in stone vats using a process that has changed very little in centuries.

The afternoon moves through the artisan quarters, where trades are grouped by street: coppersmiths, weavers, woodcarvers, ceramicists. A drive takes in the Royal Palace gates, the Mellah, and the Borj Sud fortress for the view over the whole basin the city sits in.

Overnight: Riad in the Fes medina

After breakfast the route climbs into the Middle Atlas, stopping at Ifrane and then the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live along the roadside. Lunch is taken along the route.

The afternoon carries you through the Tizi n’Tilghmt pass and down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga, arriving in the late afternoon. Camels and a guide are waiting. The trek climbs into the dunes and pauses on a high crest for sunset before continuing to the camp. Tea on arrival, a private tent, dinner, and Berber music around the fire.

Sunrise over the dunes, then breakfast at the camp. The whole day is given to the area around Erg Chebbi, travelling by 4×4.

The circuit takes in the stony hammada beyond the dune field, where the landscape flattens out into something harder and emptier than the sand most people picture. You visit nomad families living on this ground, sit for tea, and hear how water, grazing, and seasonal movement actually work here. Khamlia follows, a village with a distinct musical tradition rooted in its sub-Saharan heritage, where a live performance is part of the visit.

Lunch is taken locally. The afternoon includes the seasonal lake north of Merzouga, which draws flamingos and waders when it holds water, and time for sandboarding on the dunes before returning to camp.

STARGAZING EXPERIENCE – MERZOUGA DESERT

After dinner, we gather together and walk for about 10 minutes into the dunes to a quiet, dark location where there is no light pollution.

We begin with an introduction to the mythology of the nomads and explain how they used the stars they observed at night to navigate during the day.

Using a professional laser pointer, we guide you through the night sky, introducing the most important stars and constellations.

Overnight: Luxury desert camp, Merzouga

The final day runs west through Kalaat M’Gouna, the centre of the Roses Valley, where the fields turn colour in spring and rose products are made year-round.

At Ouarzazate there is the option of visiting Atlas Studios. A short distance on is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is built from packed earth and straw with walls thick enough to hold the heat out, and there is time to walk up through the ksar to the granary at the top.

From there the road climbs the High Atlas and crosses the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres. You descend into the Marrakech plain and are dropped at your riad, where the tour ends.

A final sunrise over the dunes and breakfast at the camp. You leave either by camel or by 4×4.

The route runs west to Tinghir, with a stop at the viewpoint over the palm oasis, then up the Todra river to the gorge, where the limestone walls rise around 300 metres above the riverbed. There is time to walk the gorge floor.

The day ends in the Dades Valley, with a stop at the viewpoint over the switchback road climbing the valley wall.

The final day runs west through Kalaat M’Gouna and the Roses Valley. At Ouarzazate there is the option of visiting Atlas Studios. A short distance on is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village on the old caravan route, with time to walk up through the ksar to the granary at the top.

From there the road climbs the High Atlas and crosses the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, descending into the Marrakech plain. You are dropped at your riad, where the tour ends.

– Private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel
– English-speaking driver, or a driver and a separate tour guide
– Guided walking tour of the Fes medina
– Six nights accommodation as listed
– Private room in hotels and riads, private tent at the desert camp
– Meals: 6 breakfasts and 3 dinners
– Camel trekking experience in the Erg Chebbi dunes
– Full day 4×4 desert excursion with nomad and Khamlia visits
– Sandboarding
– Two stargazing experiences in the Merzouga desert

– Lunches
– Drinks and beverages
– Entrance fees where applicable
– Tips

Please fill out the form below to contact us, and we will respond as soon as possible. For a faster response please send a WhatsApp: +212661144620 message or call us at +212661144620 . We look forward to connecting with you. Email: saharastargazing@gmail.com

How to pay for the tour?

Our payment process is simple and hassle-free. To confirm your booking, we require a small deposit, which can be easily paid via PayPal, bank transfer, or Wise at the time of reservation. The remaining balance is to be paid in cash to your driver or guide on the first day of the tour, in euros, US dollars, or the equivalent amount in Moroccan dirhams.

What currency is used, and how do I get money?

The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Credit cards are accepted in many hotels and larger businesses, but cash is needed in many smaller towns and markets.

Is it possible to customize the tour itinerary?

The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Credit cards are accepted in many hotels and larger businesses, but cash is needed in many smaller towns and markets.

What are the camps in the desert like?

You’ll spend the night in a traditional Berber desert camp featuring private tents. The camps offer essential comforts such as comfortable bedding, shared or private bathroom facilities (depending on the camp type), warm blankets, and a communal dining area for meals and relaxation.

Price & Booking Policy

As a staying guest of our hotel ,hotel KASBAH mohayut, we offer you a guided observation of the starry sky after dinner until midnight, seeing conditions permitting,
at 200
Dirhams per person.
As a non-staying guest of our hotel we offer a 3-course dinner with guided stargazing after dinner at 350 Dirhams per person. Only valid with a firm reservation and upon confirmation by hotel mohayut.
For passing through guests: Price: 350 Dirhams pp. Parking of the car and a guided observation after dinner for about an hour and a half .upon firm reservation confirmed by the hotel.
Occasional drive-by’s will not guarantee stargazing at SaharaSky.
Cancellations please 2 days before arrival date as confirmed by the hotel either by email to saharastargazing@gmail.com or by SMS to 0661144620 .

How Our Stargazing Experience Is Organized

Walk through the tranquil Erg Chebbi dunes under a sky filled with stars.
Witness the spectacular Milky Way in a pristine dark-sky environment.
Learn how Sahara nomads navigated using the stars for centuries.
Guided constellation and planet tour with a professional laser pointer.
Discover ancient Berber legends and celestial mythology.
Perfect opportunity for unforgettable night photography and astrophotography.
A romantic, peaceful, and unforgettable experience in the heart of the Sahara Desert.