Things to do · Sahara
Far from city lights and high in dry desert air, the Moroccan Sahara has some of the darkest, clearest night skies in the country. From a dune top above Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga, the Milky Way arcs overhead and stars crowd the horizon. Here is how to make the most of a night under the desert sky.
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The Sahara combines almost no light pollution with very dry, stable air and few clouds, the three things stargazers prize most. Away from the villages there is little artificial glow, so the sky stays genuinely black and the stars far brighter than in town.
Erg Chebbi, the dune sea beside Merzouga, is the most accessible dark-sky base, with camps pitched directly among the dunes. Walk a short way from camp light onto the sand and the full sweep of stars opens up overhead.
Erg Chigaga, reached via M'Hamid in the Draa Valley, is far more remote, with fewer camps and almost no nearby settlement light. The greater isolation makes for some of the darkest skies you can reach in Morocco.
Autumn and winter bring the clearest, most stable nights, with crisp air and excellent transparency, though desert nights are cold so dress warmly. Spring is also good; summer is hot and can be hazier, with occasional dusty spells.
The single biggest factor is the moon. A bright full moon washes out fainter stars and the Milky Way, so aim for the nights around new moon, when the sky is at its darkest and the faint detail stands out best.
On a moonless desert night the Milky Way is unmistakable, a glowing band of countless stars arching across the sky. The galactic core is highest and most spectacular on summer nights, while winter shows a fainter but still beautiful winter Milky Way.
Bright planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars are easy to pick out, along with familiar constellations like Orion. With so little glow, you will also catch far more meteors streaking across the sky than you ever would from a city.
Some desert camps offer guided stargazing, with telescopes and a host pointing out planets, star clusters and the Milky Way. If astronomy is a priority, ask when booking whether a camp provides a telescope or an astronomy session.
To capture the stars you need a sturdy tripod, a wide, fast lens and a camera that allows manual settings. Use a high ISO, the widest aperture and exposures of around 15 to 25 seconds, and focus manually on a bright star.
Eyes take 20 to 30 minutes to fully adjust to the dark, so step away from camp lights and wait. Use a red-light torch rather than white light to keep your night vision, and lie back on a dune to take in the whole sky at once.
The desert has almost no light pollution, very dry and stable air and few clouds, the conditions stargazers prize most. Away from the villages around Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga the sky stays genuinely dark and the stars far brighter than in town.
Autumn and winter bring the clearest, most transparent nights, though they are cold so dress warmly. Whatever the season, plan around the new moon, since a bright moon washes out fainter stars and the Milky Way.
Yes. On a moonless night the Milky Way is clearly visible as a glowing band of stars arching overhead. The bright galactic core is highest on summer nights, while winter shows a fainter winter Milky Way.
Some camps offer guided stargazing with a telescope and a host who points out planets and star clusters, but not all do. If astronomy matters to you, ask when booking whether the camp provides a telescope or an astronomy session.
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