You want to go bivouac in the Sahara desert to spend one or more nights? How is a bivouac in the desert? What should I know to participate in a bivouac? What should I expect? We explain how a magical holiday in the heart of the dunes with Desert Foum Zguid.
What is a bivouac?
We call bivouac a stay that will allow you to sleep in the desert in the middle of nature, far from the classic hotels to live an experience close to the life of nomads. We offer 2 types of equipment that will be able to adapt to your desires:
Fixed bivouac
It is a camp installed in a fixed way in the hollow of the dunes where there are several large tents equipped with beds. They can generally accommodate 2 to 4 people. The tents are arranged in a circle around the essential place: the campfire. Each camp is generally equipped with sanitary facilities and showers to offer the necessary comfort to travelers. A large tent serves as a dining room to eat away from the sun or the cool nights. You can therefore enjoy simple comfort, in harmony with the nature that surrounds you, for an exotic stay where we keep only the essentials!
Wild bivouac in tents
The wild bivouac in the dunes is a traveling camp that we will install as the course. During the trekkings and hikes in the desert, we leave with all the equipment that will allow to install each day the camp made of several small tents to sleep and from 1 to 2 large tents to install the kitchen and shelter in case of need. Tents, mattresses, blankets, kitchen utensils and food, all are transported by camels who accompany us throughout the stay as nomads for centuries. We always make sure not to overload our animals and treat them with great respect
Our bivouacs
At Desert Foum Zguid, we welcome you in several bivouacs, in the Erg El Mhazil and also in the Erg Chegaga.
Erg chegaga:
We call on quality partners who offer very clean bivouacs and where the welcome is impeccable. Located close to the highest dune in Morocco in the Erg Chegaga, your bivouac will delight you with its comfort and friendly atmosphere especially in the evening when all travelers meet around the fire to share a moment in music. A bivouac at Erg Chegaga is perfect if you want a comfortable stay and facing the unique decor of this huge dune.
Erg el mhazil:
This camp in complete privacy has several advantages: it is the closest from Foum Zguid, so you enjoy more time in the dunes and less time on the road. It is really quiet, no other camps nearby, you feel like you have a desert corner for yourself. Discover the charm of a bivouac with ease where the sandy sea stretches in front of you for moments of relaxation and absolute serenity.
How long for a desert trip?
- Sleep 1 night in the desert
If you have little time, it is possible to spend a night in the desert and return the next day. From Foum Zguid, it will take about 2h30 to reach the dunes, this allows you to arrive at the bivouac in the afternoon and enjoy the sunset over the dunes. You will then have a delicious traditional meal and a musical evening under the stars. This taste of the desert may make you want to go back for longer!
Our advice: sleep the day before in Foum Zguid or Zagora for a departure in the early afternoon to the desert.
Choose your bivouac for 1 night among our stays:
Sleep several nights in the desert-
Take the time to stay in the desert for several nights to enjoy all the calm without stress. The desert is lived to the rhythm of nature, so the ideal is to reserve at least 3 days to live a real disconnect.
If you want to live an even more intense adventure, then opt for trekking, in total immersion in the desert.
Our tip: check out our articles on the different possible routes to include the desert stay in your journey:
A stay in the desert with family, friends or groups?
Desert stays are for everyone because each tour can be adapted to your requests:
- The desert with children
There are all kinds of fascinating things to discover as a family in the desert: camel rides, 4x4 trips with the air of rally, the discovery of wildlife, the meeting with nomadic families, sand dunes as infinite playground, evenings around the fire, etc.
We will pay special attention to their well-being and safety. Prefer the warmer months: October to May.
- A desert holiday with friends
Live a beautiful experience with friends, whether you are sporty or not, you will find circuits and activities that will please everyone.
- Thematic stays in the desert (yoga, meditation, between women, etc.)
Are you a yoga or meditation teacher or any other practice around wellness and reconnection to yourself? The desert is the ideal place for a thematic stay where time will be fully devoted to your practice and the rest of the days can be dedicated to desert walking or relaxation for example. Do not hesitate to contact us to build together your tailor-made stay.
- New Year’s Eve in the desert
Spend New Year’s Eve in the desert for an unusual New Year’s party. Enjoy the festive atmosphere in the bivouacs or choose a quiet corner and away from everything to approach the new year in a quiet way.
How is a bivouac in the desert?
Our team will be there to welcome you from Foum Zguid or another city: Ouarzazate, Zagora, Marrakech, Agadir, etc. It consists of a guide and teammates who have all grown up in this region and know it perfectly to better share their culture and accompany you in this special environment that is the desert.
Then, you go on the tracks in 4x4 to reach your first place of encampment while passing by splendid landscapes and a surprising variety. Let yourself be carried away with confidence, the team takes care of everything for you!
You will spend one or more nights in the desert depending on the program you have chosen and the places we have told you about. If we promise to see the Erg Chegaga, we will take you there, no unpleasant surprises at home!
Wondering what to pack for a desert bivouac? We detail all this in this article: Prepare your suitcase for a stay in the desert
Activities to do in the desert
The desert, despite its appearance of total deprivation, is full of activities to do.
Among our favourites:
- Visiting the sites of cave paintings and engravings rocks: the marks of prehistoric life left on the rock by our distant ancestors, a moving testimony of this period of history.
- Oases: a break in the shade of date palms for tea, a picnic in the cool or simply admire the beauty of places where the plant mixes with the mineral
- The encounter with nomads: going to the desert also means going to meet its people to better understand its lifestyle and traditions. During our tours you can meet nomadic families accompanied by our guide, according to the program and the planned itinerary
- The camel ride at sunset: riding a camel is a must to do in the desert and it takes a magical dimension at sunset, in calm, facing the flamboyant colors of the dunes, time stops!
- An evening of music around the fire: music is an integral part of nomadic culture, a daily ritual. Our team will share this moment with you with enthusiasm.
- A hike in the dunes: whatever your sporting level, give yourself a walk in the dunes to appreciate the silence and discover all the small details of the desert.
- Drinking tea in the tent, gazing at the stars so bright in the desert, looking for fossils, sharing the tagine, baking bread in the sand, so many unforgettable moments to discover! You will therefore understand that to appreciate the desert and its riches you must take the time to live it.