Agafay desert dinner: which evening, when you leave, how cold it gets
An Agafay desert dinner is usually sold as an evening from the city: pickup, a short camel ride or the sunset itself, dinner with music and a fire show, then the drive back in the dark. The most-reviewed camel evening, Marrakesh: Agafay Desert Sunset, Camel Ride, and Dinner Show, costs USD 12 per person and runs 4.5 hours with no fixed start time: on 15 December you leave the medina by 16:01, the sun sets at 17:31 and you are back 20:31 to 20:51. The budget pick is Agafay Sunset: Camel Ride, Dinner & Fire Show at USD 9 per person; a dinner show without the camel, Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner, Music & Fire Show, costs USD 20 per person. Nights that month average 7°C (45°F) at the Marrakech station.
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Your evening, hour by hour
Pick a month. The clock shows the evening of a sunset camel ride and dinner on the 15th: when to leave the medina, when the sun goes down, when it is dark, and when you are back in Marrakech. The times follow the most-reviewed camel evening: the camel ride ends at sunset, the whole evening runs 4.5 hours from the medina and back, and the drive is 40 to 60 minutes each way by road.
Evening of 15 December 2026
- Leave the medina by
- 16:01
- Camel ride ends
- at sunset, 17:31
- Dark from
- 17:58
- Back in Marrakech
- 20:31 to 20:51
- Night low, Marrakech station
- 7°C (45°F) on average
| Month | Leave the medina by | Sunset | Dark from | Back in Marrakech | Night low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2026 | 16:01 | 17:31 | 17:58 | 20:31 to 20:51 | 7°C (45°F) |
| January 2027 | 16:22 | 17:52 | 18:18 | 20:52 to 21:12 | 6°C (43°F) |
| February 2027 | 16:50 | 18:20 | 18:44 | 21:20 to 21:40 | 8°C (46°F) |
| March 2027 | 17:11 | 18:41 | 19:05 | 21:41 to 22:01 | 10°C (50°F) |
| April 2027 | 17:31 | 19:01 | 19:26 | 22:01 to 22:21 | 12°C (54°F) |
| May 2027 | 17:52 | 19:22 | 19:49 | 22:22 to 22:42 | 15°C (59°F) |
| June 2027 | 18:09 | 19:39 | 20:07 | 22:39 to 22:59 | 18°C (64°F) |
| July 2027 | 18:09 | 19:39 | 20:06 | 22:39 to 22:59 | 21°C (70°F) |
| August 2027 | 17:46 | 19:16 | 19:42 | 22:16 to 22:36 | 21°C (70°F) |
| September 2027 | 17:09 | 18:39 | 19:03 | 21:39 to 21:59 | 19°C (66°F) |
| October 2027 | 16:31 | 18:01 | 18:26 | 21:01 to 21:21 | 16°C (61°F) |
| November 2027 | 16:04 | 17:34 | 18:00 | 20:34 to 20:54 | 11°C (52°F) |
The same evening, seen from the saddle, is on the Agafay camel ride page. A quad and camel evening starts earlier, because the rides before sunset are longer; the home page planner fits any of the outings to your own free hours.
Show dinner, quiet table or a camp's own restaurant
Three kinds of evening carry the name. They differ less in the food than in how many people share the camp, how you get home and what it costs.
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The shared show dinner
Pickup, sunset, dinner and a show in one price
A minibus collects you in Marrakech, the camp serves dinner, and music and a fire show follow. This is what most listings sell and what the bookings below are. It suits a first evening and a fixed budget. Expect other groups at the camp and a set menu.
Sunset camel ride and dinner from Marrakech, two sharing: USD 24, about GBP 18 or EUR 22
-
A quieter evening
Your own group, or fewer people at the table
The private sunset camel ride on Klook is for your own group and names no dinner or show, so ask what is served before you book it. The Viator evening below gives more time at the camp table than most and lower rates for children. Details of the private ride are on the camel ride page.
from USD 67.64 per person on Viator
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Dinner where you sleep
A camp night, with no drive back after dinner
If the meal is the point, eat at the camp you stay in and skip the late drive. The most-reviewed package with a tent, Agafay Desert Retreat, Tent, Dinner, Show & Pool, lists USD 53 per person with dinner, the show and the transfer. Booking.com lists the camps by comfort on the Agafay camps page and the top end on Agafay luxury camps; each stay's own listing says whether dinner is in the night price.
One night in a mid-range Agafay camp, two sharing a tent: USD 143
Agafay dinner evenings to book
Each picks you up in Marrakech, includes dinner, and brings you back the same night. The first three cover the choice most readers face: the plain dinner show, the lowest-priced with a camel ride, and a quad and camel ride before dinner. Prices as each partner listed them on 14 November 2026.
Dinner show at sunset, vegetarian option
Agafay Desert Sunset Dinner, Music & Fire Show
USD 20 per person on GetYourGuide, 3,560 reviews on 14 November 2026
Traditional Moroccan dinner with a vegetarian option, live music, a fire show, soft drinks, free time at the camp and an argan oil cooperative stop. The most reviewed evening here without a quad ride.
The lowest price, with a short camel ride
Agafay Sunset: Camel Ride, Dinner & Fire Show
USD 9 per person on GetYourGuide, 246 reviews on 14 November 2026
Tagine and couscous, a fire show, water and photos of the camel ride. Pickup from meeting points such as Bab Agnaou. The listing states alcohol is not permitted.
Quad and camel before dinner
Marrakech: Agafay Desert Quad & Camel Rides with Dinner Show
USD 23 per person on GetYourGuide, 47,709 reviews on 14 November 2026
Two riders share each quad. Vegetarian or gluten-free dinner on request, live music and a fire show. Licences and helmets are covered on Agafay quad biking.
Show the other 3 dinner evenings
Soup, tagine and couscous, no alcohol served
Agafay Desert Dinner, Camel Ride, Traditional Music & Fire Show
AUD 53.70, about USD 36 on Klook, 4 reviews on 14 November 2026
Dinner of soup, tagine, couscous and bread, live music, a fire show and a short dance show. Children from two pay the adult rate. The listing names a camel ride in its title but puts it under not included.
A longer evening with an argan stop
Marrakech: Agafay Desert Camel Rides, Dinner and Fire Show
USD 21 per person on GetYourGuide, 169 reviews on 14 November 2026
Camel ride, dinner and a dance show, by air-conditioned minibus. Its inclusions also name quad biking without saying whether it costs extra: ask before you pay.
Longest at the table
Agafay Sunset Camel Ride and Dinner Show
from USD 67.64 per person on Viator, 2 reviews on 14 November 2026
Hotel or riad pickup, photo stops in the desert on the way, Moroccan dinner with music. Lower rates for children.
More evenings, including quad-only and buggy outings, are on Agafay tours.
What is on the table
The listings agree on the core of the meal: a tagine, slow-cooked in its clay pot, and couscous, often with soup and bread to start and tea after. What they state differs in the details, and that is where a vegetarian or a coeliac guest should look before booking.
| Evening | Food named | Drinks named | Special diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner show at sunset (GetYourGuide) | Traditional Moroccan dinner | Soft drinks | Vegetarian option |
| Lowest price with a camel ride (GetYourGuide) | Tagine, couscous | A bottle of water; alcohol not permitted | |
| Quad and camel before dinner (GetYourGuide) | Moroccan dinner | Water | Vegetarian or gluten-free on request |
| Soup, tagine and couscous (Klook) | Soup, tagine, couscous, bread | Refreshments; alcohol not served | |
| Longest at the table (Viator) | Moroccan dinner | Lower rates for children |
The dinner show
The Agafay desert dinner show is the part of the evening after the meal: live music, often called Berber or traditional Moroccan music in the listings, a dance, and a fire show in the dark. It is a performance for guests, not a festival or a ceremony. Some camps add a campfire you can sit around once the show ends.
How long it lasts depends on the camp. The lowest-priced camel evening lists dinner and the dance show as 90 minutes together, drawn here to scale with the rest of its itinerary; the Viator camel ride and dinner show gives 120 minutes to dinner and entertainment.
Ask before taking close portraits of the performers. More on photographing the evening light is on Agafay photography, and what you see once the fires are out is on Agafay at night.
Drinks, alcohol and Ramadan
Do not count on wine with a shared desert dinner. Of the evenings here, one listing states alcohol is not permitted and the Klook dinner evening that alcoholic drinks are not served; the rest name tea, water or soft drinks. On Morocco's rules, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) states alcohol is sold in licensed venues, and drinking in the street or anywhere other than a licensed restaurant or bar is illegal and can lead to arrest. If drinks matter to you, ask the operator what the camp serves before you book.
During Ramadan the evening changes shape. France Diplomatie states that during Ramadan it is not possible to buy alcohol, and still less to drink it in public. The FCDO states that eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public in the daytime may cause offence, and Australia's Smartraveller states that most restaurants, cafés and delivery services do not operate during the day. None of the listings here states what changes in its own programme during Ramadan, so ask the operator when you book. The dates and the clock for the month are on Ramadan in Marrakech.
How cold it gets after dinner
6°C (43°F)the mean night low in January at the Marrakech (Menara) station
Agafay has no weather station of its own, so these are the Marrakech station's averages for 1991 to 2020. In winter it is dark from 17:58 on 15 December, so the whole dinner and show take place in the cold part of the evening; in June dark comes at 20:07 and the night low averages 18°C (64°F).
From November to March bring a warm layer for after sunset, even when the afternoon in Marrakech was warm. The Agafay weather page has the full year, and what to wear in Agafay the layers.
Mean night low by month, Marrakech station
- Jan6°C (43°F)
- Feb8°C (46°F)
- Mar10°C (50°F)
- Apr12°C (54°F)
- May15°C (59°F)
- Jun18°C (64°F)
- Jul21°C (70°F)
- Aug21°C (70°F)
- Sep19°C (66°F)
- Oct16°C (61°F)
- Nov11°C (52°F)
- Dec7°C (45°F)
Getting there, and back after dark
All the dinner evenings above include the transfer, so you only need to be at the pickup on time. Operators put the drive from Marrakech at 40 to 60 minutes by road, depending on where you are collected and the traffic. Their own figures vary: Toubkal Views states about 40 minutes from central Marrakech, agafay-desert.com about 40 minutes from city-centre hotels or medina parking, and the camp Scarabeo approximately 1 hour from the medina. The Moroccan National Tourist Office calls Agafay about 45 minutes from Marrakech as a day trip, without saying from where or how.
Listings that collect from riads state that riads inside the medina meet the driver at the nearest point a car can reach. Others use fixed meeting points: Bab Agnaou, Jardin Majorelle, Kubba Fatima Zohra near the Koutoubia, or a named hotel door. Your riad can tell you which is closest. The drive back is in the dark on the same road. With an early flight the next morning, plan on the later of the two back times in the clock above.
To make your own way, by taxi or with a driver, the Marrakech to Agafay page has the options and the Agafay map shows where the camps sit.
Five things to ask before you book
The listings answer most questions, but each leaves something out. These are the gaps that matter on the night.
- Where exactly is the pickup? A hotel door, a riad's nearest street or a fixed meeting point such as Bab Agnaou. Ask for the place and the time in writing once you have chosen a date.
- What is served, and can they cook for your diet? Two listings here name a vegetarian or gluten-free dinner; the rest do not say. Ask before you pay, not at the table.
- Is the camel ride in the price? One evening here names a camel ride in its title and lists it under not included; another names quad biking among its inclusions without saying whether it costs extra.
- What can you drink? Shared evenings serve tea, water or soft drinks, and two state they serve no alcohol. If you want wine with dinner, a camp you stay at is the place to ask.
- What changes in Ramadan or bad weather? No listing here says how its programme changes in Ramadan. All of them offer free cancellation until a day before; ask what happens if wind or rain stops the evening once you are booked.
The same questions, from the camel's side, are on the camel ride page, with the welfare checks to make when you arrive. Safety, licences and the official complaint route are on is Agafay safe.
Questions about dinner in the Agafay Desert
How much is a dinner in the Agafay Desert?
Shared evenings with transfer, dinner and a show are cheap for what they include. The dinner show evening on GetYourGuide costs USD 20 per person, and evenings with a camel ride run USD 9 to 28 per person there, as listed on 14 November 2026. Sunset camel ride and dinner from Marrakech, two sharing, comes to about USD 24 on the most-reviewed listing.
What time do Agafay dinner tours leave Marrakech?
It depends on the month, because the camel ride ends at sunset. On 15 December you leave the medina by 16:01; on 15 June by 18:09, in Morocco clock time. GetYourGuide shows the pickup when you choose a date. You are back in Marrakech a few hours after sunset, once dinner, the show and the drive are over.
Is alcohol served at Agafay desert dinners?
Usually not on shared dinner evenings. One listing here states alcohol is not permitted and another that it is not served. The UK FCDO states drinking outside licensed restaurants and bars is illegal and can lead to arrest. During Ramadan, France Diplomatie states alcohol cannot be bought. If you stay the night at a camp, ask the camp what it serves.
How cold is the Agafay Desert at night?
Colder than the city feels in the afternoon. Agafay has no station; at the Marrakech station the mean night low is 6°C (43°F) in January and 21°C (70°F) in July. From November to March take a warm layer for after sunset, since dinner and the show happen after dark.
What is the Agafay dinner show?
It is the entertainment after the meal: live traditional or Berber music, a dance and a fire show, performed for guests in the camp. Most shared dinner evenings include it in the price. On the lowest-priced camel evening, dinner and the dance show together are listed as 90 minutes.
Photographs
- A camel caravan at sunset. Photo: Schiplagerheide / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Sources
- Smartraveller states that during Ramadan most restaurants, cafés and delivery services in Morocco do not operate during the day. Smartraveller (DFAT), Morocco travel advice, Religious festivals, 29 July 2026.
- Decree no. 2.26.530 of 25 June 2026 returns Morocco's legal time to Greenwich Mean Time at 2:00 on Sunday 20 September 2026 by setting clocks back 60 minutes 20 September 2026 at 02:00. Kingdom of Morocco, Bulletin officiel (Arabic edition) no. 7521, 13 Muharram 1448 (29 June 2026), p. 3768: Decree no. 2.26.530 of 9 Muharram 1448 (25 June 2026) on legal time, 25 June 2026.
- The UK FCDO states alcohol is available in licensed venues, but drinking in the street or anywhere other than a licensed restaurant or bar is illegal and can lead to arrest. UK FCDO, Morocco travel advice, Safety and security, 19 August 2026.
- France Diplomatie states that during Ramadan it is not possible to buy alcohol, and still less to drink it in public. France Diplomatie (MEAE), Conseils aux voyageurs Maroc, Informations utiles, 15 September 2026.
- The UK FCDO states that during Ramadan eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public in the daytime may cause offence. UK FCDO, Morocco travel advice, Safety and security, 19 August 2026.
- The Moroccan National Tourist Office states that the Agafay desert is about 45 minutes from Marrakech as a day trip (the page gives no mode of transport or start point). Moroccan National Tourist Office (visitmorocco.com), Marrakech destination page.
- The camp operator Scarabeo Camp states the drive from the medina to its camp takes approximately 1 hour. Scarabeo Camp, FAQs.
- The camp operator The White Camel states its Agafay camp is 45 minutes from Marrakech (mode and start point not stated). The White Camel, Agafay Day Pass page.
- The operator Toubkal Views states the drive from central Marrakech to Agafay takes about 40 minutes. Toubkal Views, Agafay Desert Dinner page.
- The operator Camel Ride Marrakech states the Agafay Desert is roughly 40 km from Marrakech (not stated whether by road or in a straight line), about 45 to 50 minutes by car. Camel Ride Marrakech, 'Is the Agafay Desert Worth Visiting?'.
- The operator site Visit Agafay Desert states the Agafay Desert is around 40 km south-west of Marrakech (not stated whether by road or in a straight line) and 40 to 45 minutes from Marrakech depending on traffic and pickup location. visitagafaydesert.com, Agafay Desert guide.
- The operator agafay-desert.com states the transfer from Marrakech city-centre hotels or medina parking to Agafay takes approximately 40 minutes. agafay-desert.com, 1-hour Agafay buggy tour.
- Sunrise, sunset and civil dusk at Agafay, in Morocco's legal time. NOAA solar calculation for the Agafay Desert point (31.48396°N, 8.19105°W, Wikidata Q86301994), clock times in Morocco's legal time (time zone Africa/Casablanca; UTC+0 since 20 September 2026 under decree 2.26.530)
- Climate normals, Marrakech (Menara) station (Agafay has no station of its own). WMO climate normals 1991 to 2020 for the Marrakech (Menara) station, WMO 60230, published by NOAA NCEI; sunshine hours from the 1981 to 2010 normals
- Tour prices, times and the drive to Agafay. Partner listings on GetYourGuide, Viator and Klook with the date of each price, in the partner's currency; transfer times as the operators and the Moroccan National Tourist Office state them
- Leave-by times from the day-shape planner. The planner's rules over the partner itineraries' stated minutes, the drive to Agafay as operators state it (40 to 60 minutes) and the NOAA sunset at the Agafay Desert point in Morocco's legal time
- Headline costs. The price of the named partner listing each cost uses (the most-reviewed of its kind), with the date of each price