Chez Youssef

Top choice in Merzouga

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Affable Youssef's simple pisé (rammed-earth) home offers four rooms arranged around a courtyard shaded by a single palm. The oasis-inspired decor is spare, but its spotlessly clean and the food is home-cooked. Also on offer are good-value camel treks and overnight stays in a peaceful camp far from the crowds (Dh600 per person), with a maximum of four people.

You can also arrange a six-hour 4WD tour, with stops at an Amazigh (Berber) village, a mine, a nomad camp, fossil sites and an oasis (Dh900 for up to six people) and Jeep tours with a BBQ lunch in the desert (for two/three/four people, Dh1250/1350/1500).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Erg Chebbi

    Erg Chebbi

    4.78 MILES

    Shape-shifting over 28km from north to south and reaching heights of 160m, the great sand sea of Erg Chebbi is extraordinarily scenic. The rose-gold dunes…

  • Tahiri Museum of Fossils & Minerals

    Tahiri Museum of Fossils & Minerals

    24.31 MILES

    For a good introduction to Morocco's fossils head to Brahim Tahiri's private museum. Scientifically important specimens are exhibited beside their lesser…

  • Ksar Abbar

    Ksar Abbar

    18.94 MILES

    About a five-minute drive south-west of the centre, along a dirt track behind the yellow shrine you’ll see the fantastic crumbling towers of this 19th…

  • Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim

    Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim

    18.17 MILES

    Around 2km south of the yellow shrine on your right, this ruin once called the ‘Alhambra of the Tafilalt’ was built around 1900 for Sultan Moulay Hassan’s…

  • Sijilmassa

    Sijilmassa

    21.24 MILES

    Little remains of the once-great city of Sijilmassa – just two decorated gateways and a handful of semi-collapsed structures. But go back to the 8th…

  • Ksar El Fida

    Ksar El Fida

    20.01 MILES

    This enormous, restored Alaouite kasbah (1854–72) served as the palace for the local qaid (chief) right up until 1965, after which it housed a museum of…

  • Ksar Tinheras

    Ksar Tinheras

    19.44 MILES

    For a glimpse in to life in a living ksar (fortified village), a resident is sure to find you and offer to show you around its warren of alleyways. It's a…

  • Zawiya of Moulay Ali Ash Sharif

    Zawiya of Moulay Ali Ash Sharif

    19.08 MILES

    About 2km to the southeast of Rissani is this cheery yellow shrine built to honour the Alaouite dynasty’s founder. The Islamic garden is open to non…

View more attractions

Nearby Merzouga attractions

1. Erg Chebbi

4.78 MILES

Shape-shifting over 28km from north to south and reaching heights of 160m, the great sand sea of Erg Chebbi is extraordinarily scenic. The rose-gold dunes…

2. Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim

18.17 MILES

Around 2km south of the yellow shrine on your right, this ruin once called the ‘Alhambra of the Tafilalt’ was built around 1900 for Sultan Moulay Hassan’s…

3. Ksar Abbar

18.94 MILES

About a five-minute drive south-west of the centre, along a dirt track behind the yellow shrine you’ll see the fantastic crumbling towers of this 19th…

4. Zawiya of Moulay Ali Ash Sharif

19.08 MILES

About 2km to the southeast of Rissani is this cheery yellow shrine built to honour the Alaouite dynasty’s founder. The Islamic garden is open to non…

5. Ksar Tinheras

19.44 MILES

For a glimpse in to life in a living ksar (fortified village), a resident is sure to find you and offer to show you around its warren of alleyways. It's a…

6. Ksar El Fida

20.01 MILES

This enormous, restored Alaouite kasbah (1854–72) served as the palace for the local qaid (chief) right up until 1965, after which it housed a museum of…

7. Sijilmassa

21.24 MILES

Little remains of the once-great city of Sijilmassa – just two decorated gateways and a handful of semi-collapsed structures. But go back to the 8th…

8. Tahiri Museum of Fossils & Minerals

24.31 MILES

For a good introduction to Morocco's fossils head to Brahim Tahiri's private museum. Scientifically important specimens are exhibited beside their lesser…