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An orange band of sunset under heavy cloud over dark, stony hills near Agafay

Agafay desert sunset: the time for your date, and when to leave

The Agafay desert sunset, over the stony plateau outside Marrakech, comes at 17:31 on 15 December and at 19:39 on 15 June, in Morocco's clock time, which has been UTC+0 since 20 September 2026. For a camel ride that ends at sunset, leave the medina by 16:01 in mid-December and 18:09 in mid-June. Put in your own date below.

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Sunset, dark and your leave-by time on any date

Dates from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028.

15 December 2026

17:31sunset in Agafay, Morocco clock time

Leave the medina for a sunset camel ride by
16:01
Leave for a sunset quad and camel combo by
14:31
Dark (end of civil twilight)
17:58
Sunrise, for a morning ride
7:24
Morocco's clock that day
UTC+0
Two ways to be riding at sunset, worked back to the time you leave the medina 15 December 2026: sunset at 17:31, dark at 17:58. For a sunset camel ride leave the medina by 16:01; for a quad and camel combo by 14:31. quad combo 14:31camel ride 16:01sunset 17:31dark 17:5813:0015:0017:0019:0021:00
Each lane starts at the latest time to leave the medina. Pale bar: the drive, on the slower time operators give. Terracotta bar: the ride, which ends at sunset. Gold: the afterglow until dark.
Sunset week by weekThe 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd of each month, in Morocco's legal time. Leave-by times are from the medina, on the slower drive.
DateSunsetDarkLeave for camel rideLeave for quad combo
1 December 202617:2917:5615:5914:29
8 December 202617:3017:5616:0014:30
15 December 202617:3117:5816:0114:31
22 December 202617:3418:0116:0414:34
1 January 202717:4118:0716:1114:41
8 January 202717:4618:1216:1614:46
15 January 202717:5218:1816:2214:52
22 January 202717:5818:2416:2814:58
1 February 202718:0718:3316:3715:07
8 February 202718:1418:3916:4415:14
15 February 202718:2018:4416:5015:20
22 February 202718:2518:5016:5515:25
The next nine months, March 2027 to November 2027
Sunset week by week, continued
DateSunsetDarkLeave for camel rideLeave for quad combo
1 March 202718:3118:5517:0115:31
8 March 202718:3619:0017:0615:36
15 March 202718:4119:0517:1115:41
22 March 202718:4519:1017:1515:45
1 April 202718:5219:1617:2215:52
8 April 202718:5719:2117:2715:57
15 April 202719:0119:2617:3116:01
22 April 202719:0619:3117:3616:06
1 May 202719:1219:3817:4216:12
8 May 202719:1719:4317:4716:17
15 May 202719:2219:4917:5216:22
22 May 202719:2719:5417:5716:27
1 June 202719:3320:0018:0316:33
8 June 202719:3620:0418:0616:36
15 June 202719:3920:0718:0916:39
22 June 202719:4120:0918:1116:41
1 July 202719:4220:1018:1216:42
8 July 202719:4120:0918:1116:41
15 July 202719:3920:0618:0916:39
22 July 202719:3620:0318:0616:36
1 August 202719:2919:5517:5916:29
8 August 202719:2319:4917:5316:23
15 August 202719:1619:4217:4616:16
22 August 202719:0919:3417:3916:09
1 September 202718:5719:2217:2715:57
8 September 202718:4819:1317:1815:48
15 September 202718:3919:0317:0915:39
22 September 202718:3018:5417:0015:30
1 October 202718:1818:4216:4815:18
8 October 202718:0918:3416:3915:09
15 October 202718:0118:2616:3115:01
22 October 202717:5318:1816:2314:53
1 November 202717:4418:0916:1414:44
8 November 202717:3818:0416:0814:38
15 November 202717:3418:0016:0414:34
22 November 202717:3117:5716:0114:31

How the leave-by time is worked out

A sunset tour is built backwards from one moment. The sunset camel rides sold from Marrakech put the ride in the last stretch of daylight, so it ends as the sun goes down, and dinner follows at the camp. The drive out is 40 to 60 minutes by road, as the operators give it, depending on traffic and where you start. The leave-by time above takes the slower drive and the longest ride the listings state, then counts back from sunset. Leave at that time or earlier and you are on the camel when the sun touches the hills.

The quad and camel combos need more daylight, because the quad ride comes first and the camel ride after it, both before sunset. That is why the second leave-by time sits a good deal earlier. On 15 December you leave by 14:31, on 15 June by 16:39.

If you book a tour, the operator sets the pickup, and these times tell you whether it is sensible. A pickup later than the leave-by time for your date is worth a question before you pay. If you drive yourself or take a taxi to a camp, the leave-by time is your own deadline. The hour-by-hour evening that follows sunset, with dinner and the drive back, is on the dinner in the Agafay Desert page; what the dark is like out there is on Agafay at night.

A camel caravan at sunset
Camels and visitors in silhouette against the sunset in the desert outside Marrakech.Photo: Schiplagerheide / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Why older guides give sunset an hour late

From October 2018 Morocco kept its clocks an hour ahead of Greenwich all year, apart from a month around Ramadan. A decree returned the country to Greenwich Mean Time on 20 September 2026 at 02:00, with the clocks going back an hour, and Morocco has stayed on UTC+0 since, with no summer time. Tour pages, blogs and video descriptions written before then give every sunset an hour later than the clock now shows.

The change shows on two evenings two days apart. On 19 September 2026 the sun set at 19:33 by the clock; on 21 September at 18:31. The sun did not move: the clock did. Your phone follows the change on its own, but a printed itinerary or an old screenshot does not.

In 2026 the clocks also went back for Ramadan, on 15 February 2026 at 03:00, and forward again on 22 March 2026 at 02:00. The finder uses the right clock for every date it covers. How evening tours shift around the meal that breaks the fast is on the Ramadan in Marrakech page.

Sunset by the clock

19 September 202619:33UTC+1

21 September 202618:31UTC+0

What the Agafay sunset looks like

Agafay is a stone desert of rocky hills and a broad plateau, not sand. The sunset is a long view west over bare ridges, with the low light turning the ground red-brown and the camps catching it last. The calculated time is for a flat horizon: if a ridge stands to your west, the sun drops behind it a little earlier, so walk up to the highest ground near your camp in good time.

Whether you get a clear disc, a band of colour under cloud, or a pale sun lost in haze is down to the evening itself. Dust in the air softens it; a broken sky after rain can make it. Nobody can promise the colour, only the time. After sunset the light lasts until the end of civil twilight, and that afterglow, when the hills go dark against a bright sky, is often the best part for photographs. The Agafay photography page shows the soft hours on a drawn day and covers drones and photographing people.

Agafay landscape (rocky hills, wide view)
Wide view across the stony Agafay plateau at the end of the day.Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Three ways to be out there at the right moment

The simplest way to see the Agafay sunset is from a camel, on a tour that picks you up in Marrakech and ends with dinner at a camp. Prices below are as each partner listed them on 14 November 2026; the operator sets the pickup.

  • Camel ride, dinner and a show

    Agafay Sunset: Camel Ride, Dinner & Fire Show

    On GetYourGuide at USD 9 per person, for 5 hours. Its itinerary: camel ride 15 minutes, food market visit 30 minutes, dinner 60 minutes, dance show 30 minutes. The listing shows 246 reviews. All the camel options, and how the animals are kept, are on camel rides in Agafay.

  • Quad first, camel at sunset

    Marrakech: Agafay Sunset Quad, Camel Ride & Dinner

    On GetYourGuide at USD 20 per person, for 6 hours, with a departure window of 14:00 to 16:00 that the listing ties to the season and the sunset. Compare it with your leave-by time for the combo. The listing shows 15,958 reviews. Other quad rides are on quad biking in Agafay.

  • Sunrise instead

    Camel Ride at Sunrise with Breakfast in Agafay Desert

    On Viator from USD 33.82 per person, with a start time of 6:00 and 2 reviews so far. That start suits winter, when sunrise on 15 December is at 7:24; on 15 June the sun is up at 5:28, so ask the operator for the summer start before you book.

Not sure an evening tour fits your day? The planner on the Agafay home page takes your free hours and tells you which outings fit. Every tour type side by side is on Agafay tours.

Questions people ask

What time is sunset in the Agafay Desert?

It moves through the year. On 15 December the sun sets at 17:31 and on 15 June at 19:39, in Morocco's clock time. The finder on this page gives the time for any date, with the time it gets dark. A clear sky is never certain; the time is.

What time do sunset tours leave Marrakech?

The operator sets the pickup, usually in the afternoon so the camel ride ends at sunset. Working back from sunset with the slower drive of 40 to 60 minutes, you leave the medina by 16:01 on 15 December and by 18:09 on 15 June. A quad and camel combo leaves earlier.

How long after sunset does it get dark in Agafay?

Not long. Civil twilight, the afterglow when the sky is still bright, ends at 17:58 on 15 December, after a sunset at 17:31, and at 20:07 on 15 June. After that the desert is dark away from the camp lights, so bring a torch for the walk back from the ridge.

Is Morocco on GMT or GMT+1 now?

Morocco has been on UTC+0 since a decree set the clocks back an hour on 20 September 2026 at 02:00, and the decree sets no summer time. Pages written before then give sunsets an hour later than the clock now shows. Every time on this page is in the current clock time.

Can I download the sunset times?

Yes. The weekly table above is in the page itself, and the same rows, with sunrise added, are on the guide's open data page for anyone planning a trip or a shoot. The times are calculated for the Agafay Desert's point and change by a minute or so between nearby camps.

Sources

  1. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) sunset on 21 March 2026 is, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC: 18:45 UTC. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 21 March 2026.
  2. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) sunset on 21 June 2026 is, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC: 19:41 UTC. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 21 June 2026.
  3. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) sunset on 23 September 2026 is, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC: 18:28 UTC. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 23 September 2026.
  4. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) sunset on 21 December 2026 is, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC: 17:34 UTC. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 21 December 2026.
  5. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) civil twilight ends on 21 March 2026, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC, at 19:09. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 21 March 2026.
  6. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) civil twilight ends on 21 June 2026, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC, at 20:09. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 21 June 2026.
  7. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) civil twilight ends on 23 September 2026, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC, at 18:52. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 23 September 2026.
  8. At the Agafay commune centroid (31.4872°N, 8.1971°W) civil twilight ends on 21 December 2026, per the US Naval Observatory in UTC, at 18:01. US Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications API (rstt/oneday), computed with tz=0 (UTC), 21 December 2026.
  9. 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.
  10. Since 20 September 2026 Morocco's legal time is Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0), as set by royal decree 455.67 of 2 June 1967 and restored by decree no. 2.26.530. 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.
  11. The IANA tz database (africa file) records that from 28 October 2018 until 20 September 2026 Morocco kept UTC+1 all year apart from a return to UTC+0 during Ramadan, under the 2018 decree (no. 2.18.855) that decree 2.26.530 repealed; offset UTC+1. IANA Time Zone Database, file 'africa' (Morocco commentary and Zone Africa/Casablanca), release 2026f, 27 October 2026.
  12. For Ramadan 2026 the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform announced the return to GMT by setting clocks back 60 minutes from 3:00 on Sunday 15 February 2026. Ministère de la Transition numérique et de la Réforme de l'Administration (MMSP), Retour à l'heure légale du Royaume (GMT), news release, 2 February 2026.
  13. The Ministry announced that at the end of Ramadan 2026 clocks went forward 60 minutes from 2:00 on Sunday 22 March 2026 22 March 2026 at 02:00. Ministère de la Transition numérique et de la Réforme de l'Administration (MMSP), Retour à l'heure légale du Royaume (GMT), news release, 2 February 2026.
  14. The IANA tz database release 2026c (8 July 2026) records that Morocco moves to permanent UTC+0 without daylight saving on 20 September 2026 at 02:00 (its africa source file cites decree no. 2.26.530, Bulletin officiel 7521 and MAP): 20 September 2026 at 02:00. IANA Time Zone Database, NEWS file (release 2026c) and 'africa' commentary, 8 July 2026.
  15. Wikidata places the Agafay Desert item (Q86301994) at latitude 31.48396, longitude -8.19105. Wikidata, item Q86301994 'Agafay Desert'.
  16. 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)
  17. 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
  18. 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

Photographs

  1. Agafay at sunset. Photo: Anual / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. A camel caravan at sunset. Photo: Schiplagerheide / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  3. Agafay landscape (rocky hills, wide view). Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0