The earthen ksar of Ait Benhaddou climbing its hill in afternoon light, palms in front and the granary on the crest

Couple questions: Weddings and celebrations

Can you have a wedding in the Sahara desert?

Yes, as a symbolic ceremony at a private desert camp. The dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga reward those willing to travel with a celebration under a sky full of stars. It is a long journey from Marrakech, about 560 km or eight and a half hours by road, so it suits a small party or guests who are happy to make the trip part of the wedding.

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Answered by the Morocco Honeymoons team. Checked October 2026.

The short answer

The great tiled courtyard of the Bahia Palace in Marrakech, a fountain at its centre under a blue sky — Bahia Palace, MarrakechPhoto: Val Traveler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

In more detail

A private camp can be taken for the occasion, with proper beds, rugs and en-suite tents, dinner on the sand and sunrise over the dunes. A candlelit table on the dunes with Gnaoua musicians is one of the most romantic set-ups Morocco has, for a wedding or a smaller celebration.

The distance shapes everything. Guests need transfers, and a drive that long is best broken with a night on the way. That makes a desert wedding more of a shared journey than a single day, which many couples love, but it needs careful planning and generous lead time.

Rolling dunes in low golden light, their crests lit and their hollows in shadow — Golden hour on the Merzouga dunes, Erg ChebbiPhoto: Mustang Joe, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

Season matters even more in the desert. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. High summer is punishingly hot inland, and winter nights at camp turn genuinely cold, so a winter celebration needs fire pits, heaters, blankets and a warm indoor space. If you want desert scenery without the long drive, the Agafay near Marrakech is the closer option.