Agafay Luxury Camp: Morocco Desert Camp with Kids

A desert camp sounds like a dream straight out of One Thousand and One Nights, doesn't it? And it was! The Agafay Luxury Camp, around 45 minutes' drive outside Marrakech, is a stop on a Morocco round trip that you shouldn't miss as a family. We were travelling with our two children on our Morocco round trip, coming from the coast and heading towards Marrakech, and we wanted a place that combined a desert feeling, comfort and family-friendliness. The Agafay Luxury Camp delivered exactly that.

If you are planning your Morocco trip to combine the Atlantic coast, the vibrant medina of Marrakech and the vastness of the desert, this camp is the ideal stopover – without the long drives south to the Sahara.

The location: desert silence, very close to Marrakech

What makes the Agafay Luxury Camp special is the combination of a real desert feeling – red rocks, wide plains and silence – while still being less than an hour's drive from Marrakech. The camp sits on the Agafay Plateau, a stony desert right on the city's doorstep, surrounded by canyons, gentle hills and, on clear days, the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains on the horizon.

For us, it was the perfect break in our itinerary: after days on the coast and before the hustle and bustle of the Marrakech souks, we got a day of complete calm here, wide horizons and a starry sky like our children had never seen before. Anyone planning a Morocco trip that combines coast, city and desert shouldn't miss this stop. You don't even have to travel all the way to the Sahara.

The rooms: tents with hotel comfort

Instead of classic hotel rooms, at the Agafay Luxury Camp you stay in spacious, air-conditioned tents that look like traditional Bedouin tents from the outside but offer all the comforts of an upscale hotel inside. A private bathroom with shower or bathtub, bathrobes, a hairdryer and free Wi-Fi are all standard. If you want to treat yourselves, book a tent with its own terrace and private pool or an outdoor bathtub overlooking the desert – a detail we especially loved with the kids, because in the evening we could relax in the bathtub and enjoy the view.

The tents are spread across the extensive grounds, which ensures privacy but also means: pack sturdy shoes, because it can easily take a few minutes to walk between reception, the restaurant and your tent.

Food: Moroccan cuisine under the open sky

The Agafay Luxury Camp has plenty to offer when it comes to food. Breakfast and dinner are usually included in your stay and consist of a mix of Moroccan classics – tajine, fresh flatbread, salads, couscous – and international dishes for children. Dinner is often served with live music and traditional entertainment, which was the highlight of the evening for our kids: drums, dancers and a campfire under the open, starry sky.

Activities: desert adventures for the whole family

This is exactly where the Agafay Luxury Camp shows why it is perfect for families – there is something to experience for every age:

• Dromedary rides (no, not camels – dromedaries!) through the stony desert at sunset
• Quad bike tours across the plateau, a real adventure for older children and teenagers
• Hiking and mountain biking, if you want to explore the area actively
• Hot-air balloon rides, which can usually be added on in the early morning – an unforgettable experience if the children are old enough
• Pool time – the camp has several pools with sun loungers, ideal for a relaxed afternoon between excursions
• Stargazing and evening campfires, far away from any light pollution – this is where the desert shows its most beautiful side

Our verdict: the ideal and unforgettable stop on your Morocco route

The Agafay Luxury Camp is not a classic desert camp deep in the south, but the perfect compromise for anyone who wants to combine the coast, Marrakech and a desert feeling on their Morocco trip without spending days on the road. For us, that one night there was one of the most emotional moments of the whole trip.

If you are planning a Morocco route and Marrakech is on your itinerary anyway: build in this one day in the desert. It's worth it – special rather than standard, after all.

Frequently asked questions about the Agafay Luxury Camp

How far is the Agafay Luxury Camp from Marrakech? The camp is around 35 to 40 kilometres south-west of Marrakech, and the drive takes about 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. From Marrakech-Menara airport, you'll be there in roughly an hour. Many places to stay offer a transfer from Marrakech, which we can also recommend, as the last few kilometres are on unpaved tracks.

How long should you stay at the Agafay Luxury Camp? For a taste of the desert atmosphere, one night is quite enough, as we spent with our children – arrive in the afternoon, activities and sunset, dinner with a show, and one last look at the desert the next morning before moving on. If you want to really savour the peace and quiet and fit in several activities such as a balloon ride, riding and a quad tour at a relaxed pace, you can easily extend to two nights. Staying longer isn't really worth it for most families, as the range of excursions quickly starts to repeat itself.

Is the Agafay Luxury Camp suitable for young children? Yes, the camp works well with children. Things to bear in mind are the partly unpaved paths between the tents, the limited choice of children's dishes (ask in advance) and the fact that activities such as quad biking or balloon rides are usually only allowed from a certain age. Camel rides and pool time, on the other hand, work for almost any age.

Do you need a hire car to get there? Not necessarily. While the camp is easy to reach in your own hire car, most guests use the organised transfer from Marrakech, as the last few kilometres are on tracks that aren't always pleasant to drive in a normal hire car.

More from our Morocco trip: If you are planning to continue your route towards the Atlantic coast, take a look at our reviews of Alna Mogador and the Radisson Blu Taghazout Bay too – two more stops that combine perfectly with the Agafay Luxury Camp for a well-rounded Morocco round trip with the family.

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