Sahara Sunset and Stars at a Private Erg Chebbi Dune Camp

Watch Erg Chebbi's dunes turn copper at sunset from a camp of your own, then stay out under one of the darkest skies on earth.

Dunes Far from Any City

Erg Chebbi is so remote that city glow hardly reaches it, and its sand mountains, some taller than 150 metres, feel truly vast as the light shifts over them. Camping privately, well off the route the day-trippers take, you watch dusk and darkness arrive with nobody else around.

As evening comes, the sand slowly changes colour, from the pale gold of noon to amber and finally a deep, burnished red just before the sun disappears, while lengthening shadows sharpen every curve along the ridges. Once that glow is gone, the heavens take centre stage: the Milky Way arcs overhead as a visible band, and when there’s no moon and no cloud, the stars number in the thousands rather than the few you see at home.

Tea, Fire and Silence

Glasses of mint tea arrive as the colours start to turn, and once night has fallen you dine on food cooked over flames, under the sky that has just put on the sunset. After dinner the crew slip away, so the night is genuinely peaceful rather than scheduled. People often linger outside for hours afterward, with nothing drawing them indoors as the air chills, the embers glow low and the stars take over.

Why a Camp of Your Own

On the busy Erg Chebbi route, you may share your sunset dune with several other parties, and their voices and lanterns drift across the sand after nightfall. Pitched away from all that, your own camp is reserved for your party alone, its team preparing and serving dinner before disappearing till breakfast, and your sunset spot picked for the finest view, not simply where a group tour happens to halt. Beds are proper beds, not basic tents.

Getting There and Staying Warm

The trip usually starts from Marrakech, over the High Atlas and down through the Dades Valley, a long day on the road before you reach the sand. Few places in the Sahara make a private camp this achievable, with dunes big enough to impress and skies black enough for serious stargazing. Temperatures fall sharply once the sun goes, however warm the day, so pack warm layers, and next morning you might ride a camel at dawn to a nearby crest where coffee is ready for you.

Out Of Office arranges the camp, the drive from Marrakech and when and where you’ll watch the sunset, as part of a wider Sahara route. Your specialist plans the journey, and our Morocco guide covers LGBTQ+ rights and travel advice.