Please note, Nick and Bobo´s camps can only be booked by email (we’re not on ANY internet booking sites). Having opened in 2010, we are the original Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. So please be aware of camps that are using names either identical or similar to ours!

nickg@desertcampmorocco.com

Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp (Nick & Bobo’s)

Offering you tranquility, luxury & friendly Berber hospitality in the middle of the desert

Welcome to Nick and Bobo’s camp. We have been operating our camps since 2010, bringing discreet, understated and simple luxury to your desert experience. Our ethos is to provide an experience which combines an unforgettable and fun desert adventure with simple luxury. Our camps are all-inclusive: all meals, all drinks, camel rides and activities (except quads) are included.

We have 3 camps. Our Main Camp which has 13 tents including 3 family tents, a Private Camp with 5 tents and our exclusive Private Nomadic Camp with just one tent (with no other camps as far as the eye can see).

Our most popular trip is the 4–day return trip from Marrakech. We can however arrange trips of any duration and also offer packages and trips that include nights in Marrakech, Fez, the coast and other parts of Morocco. For more information visit the packages section.

There is simply no end to the amount of information that can be provided! We have attempted to précis the most common queries in the question and answer section below:

Your questions answered

The Main Camp has 13 en-suite tents (including three family tents, which have an additional tent attached with twin beds). Whilst the camp is a sociable place, there are also many chillout areas where you can enjoy total privacy.

The first Private Camp has 5 tents, perfect for a small group or family looking for an exclusively private experience. It is located a 15-minute drive, or 1-hour hike from the main camp.

The Private Nomadic Camp has just 1 tent and is the perfect location for those seeking complete isolation in a pristine environment. It can also be used as a base for those wanting to undertake a longer trek in the desert. It is located 25 minutes from the Main Camp by 4WD, or 2 to 3 hours hike/camel ride. There are no other camps for miles around.

The tents in each camp are the same size. The service is the same too. Each camp has numerous chillout areas.

In each camp the tents are the same size and ensuite, tastefully and sensitively designed to make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible. The tents are spacious (over 25 sq m). Each has a king-size bed (which can be made into two singles). There are also ‘wall-to-wall’ plush rugs, a full-length mirror, bedside tables, solar-powered lighting, an armchair and ottoman and space to hang your clothes. Each item has been handmade in Morocco. We have also sourced high-quality individual sprung mattresses, percale cotton sheets, duck down duvets and offer you a choice of synthetic or duck down pillows. The beds are sumptuously comfortable.

Each tent has its own private bathroom with Western-style flushable toilet, dressing area and wash area. High-quality soap, shampoo, towels and ‘other goodies’ are provided. Please note that we operate a bucket wash system. We don´t have showers. We take water conservation seriously! Whilst there is an unlimited water supply for your bucket wash, it uses a fraction of a shower. Showers in the desert can be a very frustrating experience, with limited hot water, poor and inconsistent water pressure, and require noisy pumps. The bucket wash offers an amazing alternative. You will be surprised, even amazed, by how enjoyable the experience is.

Please note that the camp is fully inclusive – hence all meals, all drinks and activities (except quad biking) are included.

The cost of the main camp is 245 euro per person, and the private camps from 275 to 300 euro per person.

The private transport for a return trip from Marrakech costs 600 euro for a 4-day trip and 750 euro for a 5-day trip.

The total cost for our 4-day return trip from Marrakech, which also includes one night at a guesthouse en route to the desert and 2 nights in the desert, costs 1,700 euro for 2 people, although the exact price will depend upon which guesthouse is booked en route.

More detail can be found on our prices page, packages and most popular trips sections of the site.

Plenty! Camel trekking, sandboarding, guided walks, climbing the dunes, having lunch at our shaded area deep in the desert, visiting the families living in the desert and enjoying the evening's informal music and drumming around the campfire. None of the activities need to be pre-booked. You just decide what you want to do and when you want to do it, when at the camp. But to many, the ability to slow down, enjoy the vast empty vistas, and step back for a moment to think and reflect, is what makes the trip to the desert so memorable. For more information see our activities page.

The camps are not ostentatious. Luxury to us means looking after your most immediate needs: providing you with a great night's sleep; making sure you have a cold drink on a hot day, great food, and making sure you have an authentic desert experience.

Many people like to just unwind in the desert. We provide you with several chillout areas where you can read your book, play a game or just daydream whilst lounging in a hammock. If you are feeling restless, there are plenty of activities, some of which you can find detailed in our activities page.

Our aim is not to replicate a city 5-star hotel experience. We believe the level of luxury we offer is appropriate for the environment. It is after all a desert experience, an adventure. We don´t wish to sterilise it by concreting everything, having glass windows or 24 hour aircon. The trip is supposed to be unique, different, something you will remember and talk about with excitement forever.

Our most popular trip is the 4-day return trip from Marrakech with 1 night at a guest house en route, 2 nights at the camp and returning to Marrakech in one day. If you have more time available, the 5-day trip with 3 nights at the camp is popular, and for those with less time the 3-day return trip with 2 nights at the camp.

There is now also increasing interest in our 5-day trip from Marrakech to Fez (or vice versa) including 2 nights in the desert. One of the unique aspects of this trip is the fact that the route north of Todra Gorge is really off the beaten track, showcasing some of the best of rural Morocco.

We might be experts on the desert, but we also know a lot about other parts of Morocco too! We can therefore organise trips that not only include accommodation in Marrakech, but also trips to other parts of Morocco too. The website has package templates for the best of Morocco. But these are just templates and we can tailor-make your trip in accordance with your wishes.

A trip to Chigaga requires a 4WD vehicle. We are located 60km from M'Hamid through tough desert terrain. The vehicles we use are Toyota Land Cruisers, which are both durable and comfortable. Most of our guests choose to take one of our drivers; they are all experts, not just in handling the terrain but also navigating in sandstorms. The desert can never be taken for granted and local expertise is often required. But your driver is not just a desert expert, he is also your companion, someone who is good fun to be with and knowledgeable too. The trips are always private, so you may stop wherever you like en route. Whilst of course there is a need to depart reasonably early and arrive at the camp at a good time, there is also plenty of flexibility. Hence, for example, if you prefer to depart very early and make the most of your day, that is never a problem.

You can also choose to self-drive to M'Hamid and from there we would collect you in a 4WD.

Any trip in a 4WD leaves an environmental footprint. We have a responsibility to balance this out by making sure we do our bit for the environment. Therefore:

Electricity is provided through solar power only. We have a back-up generator for emergencies, but this is seldomly used.

There is limited air conditioning. Other than the fact that we believe that shutting the environment out detracts from the authenticity of the experience, to operate conventional AC is fuel-hungry and noisy. In extreme heat we have a few units that operate using water only and consume the same electricity as a normal light bulb.

Each tent is en suite with a bucket wash. Whilst we provide ample hot and cold water, the bucket wash uses a fraction of the water of a shower and is an unforgettable and enriching experience!

We are open from 1 September to 15 June. We are therefore closed from 15 June to 31 August due to the extreme summer heat. Temperatures often exceed 50º celsius, which is even too hot for the scorpions. Mankind is not designed to survive in such extreme temperatures!

Send an email to nickg@desertcampmorocco.com, and I will reply as quickly as possible, and certainly within 6 hours. It depends where I am! Please note that we are not associated with any internet booking agencies, such as booking.com, Expedia, etc.

Unfortunately, other camps use similar names to ourselves, so it can be confusing. We are simply Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp and have added “Nick & Bobo's” to help reduce the confusion and differentiate ourselves from others.

Our most popular trips
Our most popular trips

3, 4 or 5-day adventures from Marrakech

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5-day trip to Fez via the camp
Marrakech to Fez

4 or 5-day trip including the camp

View trip
Other trips

A few other trips to whet your appetite

View trips

A welcome from Bobo

A welcome from Bobo

We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Clinique to the camp to shoot a video for their latest product. Here it is:

Bobo and Romesh up to some mischief

Bobo and Romesh up to some mischief

Camel bonding

Mwah!

Sundowners on the dunes

Cheers!