Designer Tents in Morocco’s Rocky Desert

30 Mar 2026

You leave Marrakech thinking you’re heading into the desert. What you don’t expect is how quickly everything changes.

ADVERTISEMENT

The city noise drops away, the roads thin out, and then suddenly you’re in the Agafay, a wide, dusty stretch of desert that feels raw and empty, with the snow-capped Atlas Mountains sitting quietly in the distance like they’re judging your life choices.

Then Scarabeo appears.

A cluster of crisp white tents rises out of the landscape, looking less like a campsite and more like a carefully staged dream. It makes sense when you realise the place was created by a graphic designer and a photographer. Every angle feels considered. Every detail looks like it’s been placed there on purpose.

Inside, the tents are anything but roughing it. Queen beds, Berber rugs, local artwork, it’s more “desert set design” than survival situation. You’re here for the atmosphere, not the hardship.

Days move slowly unless you decide otherwise. You can sit, read, play a game of boules, or just stare at the desert and pretend you’re contemplating something important. Or you can go the other way entirely, hot-air balloons, paragliding, trekking, horse riding, all available if you feel like earning your sunset.

And sunset here is the main event. The light shifts, the desert softens, and suddenly everything feels cinematic.

Dinner follows, and it’s not subtle. Bread comes straight from an earth oven, and the kitchen leans hard into regional Moroccan flavours. It’s the kind of meal where you immediately regret not pacing yourself.

Nights stretch out under a sky that doesn’t hold back. There’s the option of an astronomy class, which sounds wholesome until you realise you’re lying in the desert staring up at more stars than your brain can process.

RELATED ⟶ THE BERBER MOUNTAIN OMELETTE

It’s not all polished. The Berber-style shower situation involves buckets of hot and cold water, which is charming until it isn’t. But that’s part of the balance, enough comfort to keep you happy, just enough reality to remind you where you are.

You’re not here to be pampered. You’re here to feel like you’ve stepped into a different time, just with a better bed.


To drop you into the desert with just enough comfort, and a lot of attention to how it all looks and feels.

Minimal, design-led desert camp with a slightly cinematic edge.

White canvas tent with a proper bed, Berber rugs and local artwork.

Watching the sun drop over the desert with the Atlas Mountains in the distance.

Fresh bread from the earth oven and big, generous Moroccan feasts.

Do nothing during the day, then make sunset and dinner your main event.

ADVERTISEMENT

More Stays

We Found New York. It Was Hiding in Melbourne.

The best escape doesn't always involve an airport. Sometimes all it needs is a boutique hotel, an exceptional bistro, and a bottle of Sicilian red.

You Can't Afford These Stays (But You'll Think About Them Anyway)

Private islands, castles and outback stations—these wildly expensive stays are less about reality and more about pure, unfiltered travel lust.

These Coastal Stays Are Worth Getting Salty For

From cliffside hideaways in Cornwall to beachfront suites in Mexico, these coastal stays put you right on the edge.