Chez Youssef

Top choice in Merzouga


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).