agafay.infoIndependent guide to the Agafay Desert

reg stone desert

Agafay Desert map: where the stone desert lies

The Agafay Desert, Marrakech, Morocco is a plateau of stony hills south-west of the city, between Marrakech and Lalla Takerkoust lake. Wikidata puts its point at 31.48396,-8.19105, and the drive from Marrakech takes 40 to 60 minutes by road. The commune of Agafay belongs to the Préfecture de Marrakech, not to Al Haouz Province, and is made up of 56 douars (villages). The camps sit in the hills around it; Booking.com lists most of them under the area name El Karia.

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The map: from Marrakech to the lake

Map of the Agafay Desert, south-west of Marrakech, with Lalla Takerkoust lake to the southDrawn to one scale from Wikidata coordinates, north up. Marrakech medina, Gueliz and Menara airport in the north-east; the Agafay Desert point and the Agafay commune point in the centre-west; Tameslouht to the east of them; Lalla Takerkoust town and lake to the south; Oulad Mtaa and Amizmiz further south-west. No roads are drawn. AGAFAY DESERTstony hillsMedinaGuelizMenara airportAgafay commune pointTameslouhtLalla Takerkoustthe lakeOulad MtaaAmizmiz NDrawn mapAgafaysouth-west of Marrakech0510km05mistart pointtown or commune© OpenStreetMap contributors31°15′N31°30′N8°5′W8°15′W
Positions from Wikidata, one scale, north up. The desert and the commune are shown by their points: the desert has no line drawn around it here, and no roads are drawn.The medina dot stands for Jemaa el-Fna too, which is a few streets away.

Everything on the map is a point with a published position. Read it from the top right, where you start, to the bottom, where the lake lies. The faint grid runs every five minutes of latitude and longitude, and the bar in the box shows ten kilometres and five miles in a straight line, so you can judge how close the plateau sits to the city.

Where you start
The medina with Jemaa el-Fna, Gueliz and Menara airport, in the north-east corner. Pickups for most outings are in these parts of the city: see getting from Marrakech to Agafay.
The desert
The Agafay Desert point and, a little to its west, the point Wikidata gives for the commune of Agafay. The hills spread around both.
Towns around
Tameslouht to the east of the plateau; Lalla Takerkoust, Oulad Mtaa and Amizmiz to the south and south-west, all in Al Haouz Province.
The lake
Lalla Takerkoust reservoir, south of the plateau. Many quad and sunset outings stop there: the lake and what you can do there.

Where is Agafay Desert, exactly?

A desert of hills has no front door, so a map app needs a point. These are the two most useful ones, with a link that opens each in OpenStreetMap.

Agafay Desert (Wikidata)
31.48396,-8.19105 Open in OpenStreetMap
Lalla Takerkoust lake (Wikidata)
31.3387,-8.1411 Open in OpenStreetMap

To use one, paste the pair into the search box of your map app as it stands: latitude first, then longitude. The minus sign in front of the second number means west of Greenwich, so leave it in. The desert point is a single position for a whole area: use it to find the plateau, not as an address. For a camp, use the location it gives you when you book; most outings collect you in Marrakech anyway.

Which way you look

The High Atlas lies to the south and south-east of the plateau. Camp and quad operators describe the view in their own words:

  • The camp operator Scarabeo Camp states

    its Stone Camp has a view of the Atlas Mountains.

  • The quad operator Agafay Quad Marrakech states

    Agafay has an open view of the High Atlas.

  • The operator site Visit Agafay Desert states

    snow-capped peaks can show in the distance between December to March.

douar village

The commune of Agafay and its villages

On the map the desert is one name. On the census it is a rural commune, and the line between Marrakech and Al Haouz runs right past it. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Morocco's statistics office, counted it on 1 September 2024:

  1. Region

    Marrakech-Safi: 4,892,393 people

  2. Prefecture

    Préfecture de Marrakech: 1,571,580 people

  3. Rural commune, Cercle de Loudaya

    Agafay: 17,771 people in 4,213 households

  4. Villages

    56 douars in the commune; the largest, listed in Arabic as رجال احمر, has 3,240 people

The census lists the douar names in Arabic only, so spellings in Latin letters vary from one map to the next. Al Haouz, the province to the south with 642,815 people, holds the towns along the lake road.

Communes around the plateauPeople at the 2024 census, Haut-Commissariat au Plan
CommuneBelongs toPeople
Agafay Préfecture de Marrakech 17,771
Ait Imour Préfecture de Marrakech 14,603
Tameslouht Al Haouz Province 40,283
Amizmiz Al Haouz Province 13,840
Lalla Takerkoust Al Haouz Province 8,419
Oulad Mtaa Al Haouz Province 6,915

For scale: the medina of Marrakech alone, the Marrakech-Médina arrondissement, had 81,103 people on the same census.

Where the camps are

The camps are not gathered in one spot you can pin. Booking.com files them under its own area names: most under El Karia, a few under Ait Daoud or El Mjed, and some simply under Marrakesh. The drawing above marks only places with a published position, so these area names are not on it.

On 14 November 2026, the 22 Agafay stays linked from this guide showed Booking.com prices for the night of 14 to 15 December 2026, 2 adults, at USD 59 to 533 per night before taxes and fees. The camps compared side by side shows which is which, and the camps guide explains the comfort levels.

Around Lalla Takerkoust, the Ministry of Tourism's directory lists 12 classified places to stay and no camp among them: the tents are on the plateau.

Which road leads there

From Marrakech you head south-west out of the city onto the plateau. The drive takes 40 to 60 minutes by road. Official addresses use the road's own name: the Ministry of Tourism's accommodation directory lists a guest farm at kilometre 23 of the Route d'Agafay.

Most outings listed with partners include pickup in Marrakech. If you take a taxi or a hire car, get the exact location from your camp before you set off. The full choice of transport is on getting from Marrakech to Agafay, and the airport transfer page covers arriving straight from Menara.

Lalla Takerkoust lies further south of the plateau, which is why so many outings combine the two. Those outings, with their listed prices and durations, are on the Lalla Takerkoust page.

  1. Start Marrakech: medina, Gueliz or the airport
  2. Then south-west out of the city
  3. Plateau the Route d'Agafay into the stony hills
  4. Further south to Lalla Takerkoust and the lake
Stony ground and a dirt track crossing the Agafay plateau
Stony ground and a dirt track leading across the Agafay plateau.Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

What the ground looks like

A map shows a desert; the ground shows rock. The camel operator Camel Ride Marrakech states that Agafay is a reg (stone desert): a reg, a plain of stone and gravel, rather than an erg of soft sand. The camp operator Scarabeo Camp calls it "terre minérale au paysage lunaire", a mineral land with a lunar look.

So the map shows no dune field. If sand is what you want, Merzouga and Zagora are another, much longer trip, compared on the Agafay or Merzouga comparison. For the plateau's colours at the end of the day, see photographing Agafay, and the Agafay planner on the home page fits an outing to your free hours.

Questions people ask

Where is the Agafay Desert?

South-west of Marrakech, between the city and Lalla Takerkoust lake. Wikidata places the Agafay Desert at 31.48396,-8.19105, a single point for an area of stony hills. The drive from Marrakech takes 40 to 60 minutes by road, and most outings include pickup from your hotel or riad.

Is Agafay in Al Haouz Province?

No. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan lists the Commune d'Agafay under the Préfecture de Marrakech, in the Cercle de Loudaya, at the 2024 census. The neighbouring communes to the south, among them Lalla Takerkoust, Tameslouht and Amizmiz, belong to Al Haouz Province.

How many villages are in the commune of Agafay?

The 2024 census lists 56 douars in the rural Commune d'Agafay, with 17,771 people in 4,213 households. The largest douar has 3,240 people. The census gives the village names in Arabic only, so spellings in Latin letters vary from one map to the next.

Which road goes to the Agafay Desert?

The road out of Marrakech to the south-west, known in official addresses as the Route d'Agafay: the Ministry of Tourism's directory lists a guest farm at kilometre 23 on it. Operators state the drive takes 40 to 60 minutes by road.

Is the Agafay Desert made of sand?

No. Agafay is a stone desert of rocky hills and gravel plains, a reg rather than a sandy erg, as the operator Camel Ride Marrakech states. It has no sand sea of its own. For dunes, Merzouga and Zagora are another, much longer trip.

How do I find the Agafay Desert on a phone map?

Search for the Wikidata point of the desert, 31.48396,-8.19105, and your app drops a pin on the plateau; the lake sits at 31.3387,-8.1411. Both open straight from the links in the coordinates section of this page. For a booked camp, use the location the camp sends you, not the desert point.

Sources

  1. The Ministry of Tourism's accommodation directory lists twelve classified establishments around Lalla Takerkoust (all Al Haouz Province), none a bivouac or camping (14 November 2026): 12. Ministère du Tourisme, Annuaire des établissements d'hébergement touristique, search 'takerkoust'.
  2. Wikidata places the Lalla Takerkoust reservoir (Q86596400) at latitude 31.3387, longitude -8.1411. Wikidata, item Q86596400 (reservoir).
  3. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan lists the Commune d'Agafay as a commune of the Préfecture de Marrakech (Cercle de Loudaya), not of Al Haouz Province, in the 2024 census. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  4. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the legal population of the Commune d'Agafay at the 2024 census (reference date 1 September 2024) as 17,771. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  5. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan counts households in the Commune d'Agafay at the 2024 census as 4,213. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  6. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan douar file lists the rural Commune d'Agafay as made up of douars (villages) numbering 56. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, douars 2024 - Marrakech (xlsx), RGPH 2024, 1 September 2024.
  7. The largest douar of the Commune d'Agafay in the 2024 census (Arabic name رجال احمر, Rjal Ahmar fraction) has a population of 3,240. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, douars 2024 - Marrakech (xlsx), RGPH 2024, 1 September 2024.
  8. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Commune d'Ait Imour (Préfecture de Marrakech, Cercle de Loudaya) as 14,603. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  9. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Commune de Lalla Takarkoust (Province d'Al Haouz, Cercle d'Amizmiz) as 8,419. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Province d'Al Haouz, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  10. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Commune d'Amizmiz (Province d'Al Haouz) as 13,840. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Province d'Al Haouz, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  11. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Commune de Tameslouht (Province d'Al Haouz) as 40,283. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Province d'Al Haouz, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  12. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Commune d'Oulad Mtaa (Province d'Al Haouz, Cercle d'Amizmiz) as 6,915. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Province d'Al Haouz, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  13. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of Al Haouz Province as 642,815. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Province d'Al Haouz, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  14. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Préfecture de Marrakech as 1,571,580. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  15. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 legal population of the Marrakech-Safi Region as 4,892,393. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  16. The Haut-Commissariat au Plan gives the 2024 population of the Marrakech-Médina arrondissement (the medina) as 81,103. Haut-Commissariat au Plan, Population légale de la Préfecture de Marrakech, RGPH 2024 (xlsx), 1 September 2024.
  17. Wikidata places the Agafay Desert item (Q86301994) at latitude 31.48396, longitude -8.19105. Wikidata, item Q86301994 'Agafay Desert'.
  18. The operator Camel Ride Marrakech states that the Agafay is a stone desert, a reg rather than a sand erg. Camel Ride Marrakech, 'Is the Agafay Desert Worth Visiting?'.
  19. The camp operator Scarabeo Camp describes Agafay as mineral land with a lunar landscape set against the Atlas Mountains ("terre minérale au paysage lunaire"). Scarabeo Camp, home page (FR).
  20. The ministry accommodation directory lists a guest farm address on the Route d'Agafay at kilometre 23 km. Ministry of Tourism, Annuaire des établissements d'hébergement touristique.
  21. The camp operator Scarabeo Camp states its Stone Camp offers a view of the Atlas Mountains. Scarabeo Camp, FAQs.
  22. The operator site Visit Agafay Desert states snow-capped peaks can be seen in the distance from Agafay between December and March December to March. visitagafaydesert.com, Agafay Desert guide.
  23. The quad operator Agafay Quad Marrakech states Agafay offers an unobstructed view of the High Atlas. Agafay Quad Marrakech, quad page (FR).
  24. 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
  25. Camp prices for one night, and night cold. Booking.com search for Agafay, 2 adults, 1 room, night of 2026-12-14, prices as printed in US dollars; night cold: Marrakech (Menara) station mean daily minimum, 1991 to 2020

Photographs

  1. Agafay landscape (rocky hills, wide view). Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0