A night among the dunes of Erg Chebbi

Erg Chebbi is a sea of sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara near Merzouga, in south-eastern Morocco, where the tallest dunes rise to roughly 150 metres above the stony plain. It is one of the few places in the country where you can see a true erg, and it changes colour from gold to orange and red as the sun goes down.

The most memorable way to experience it is to spend a night: leave Merzouga in the late afternoon by camel or on foot, climb a dune for the sunset, then stay at one of the camps on the edge of the erg. The silence and the night sky, far from city lights, are what most visitors remember.