How far ahead should I book New Year in Morocco?

As early as you can. Ideally, confirm your booking between June and September, when you can still choose your camp and riad. In October and November there are still places, but every week fewer camps with private bathrooms are left and flights go up. In December you can find something, but you're no longer choosing: you're picking from what's left.

Is New Year celebrated in Morocco?

Yes, although the Muslim religious calendar is different. 31 December is celebrated mainly by hotels, restaurants and camps in tourist areas, with special dinners and music. In Marrakech there are parties in hotels and clubs. In the cities, street life carries on like any other night, and 1 January is a public holiday.

Is it very cold in the desert on New Year's Eve?

Yes, at night. At the end of December days in Merzouga are around 18 to 20 degrees with sunshine, but in the early hours it drops to near zero. Dinner is usually in a large tent or by the fire. Bring a winter coat, a hat, gloves and thermal clothes to sleep in, and ask for a camp with a private bathroom.

Can I combine New Year in the desert with Marrakech?

Yes, and that's what most people do. You spend a few days in Marrakech before or after and go to the desert via Aït Ben Haddou and the Dades Valley. Our programme leaves Marrakech on 29 December and returns on 2 January, so it fits well with arriving on the 27th or 28th.

New Year in Morocco: Where to Celebrate NYE

To celebrate New Year in Morocco there are three options that work: a camp in the Merzouga dunes with a gala dinner, music and a fire; Marrakech, with special dinners in riads and parties in hotels; or a quieter night in the Atlas or on the coast. Whichever you choose, book early, because these are the most requested dates of the year and the good places fill up months ahead.

Every December we organise New Year's Eve for travellers from Spain and Latin America, and every year in November and December we get messages from people who can no longer find a camp. First we explain what each option is like and who we recommend it for. Then the part that really decides the trip: when to book and how price and availability change depending on the date.

New Year in the Merzouga desert

What the night of the 31st is like

The typical night starts with a camel ride through the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset. At the camp you're welcomed with tea and there's time to settle into your tent. The party begins with appetisers by the fire and carries on with a dinner of several courses: harira, salads, tagine, couscous or roast lamb, and desserts. After that come Gnawa and Berber music, drums around the bonfire and, at midnight, a toast under a sky full of stars.

On 1 January, those who can fight off sleep climb a dune to watch the first sunrise of the year. It's cold and hard to get out from under the blankets, but almost nobody regrets it.

Our New Year's Eve programme

Our New Year in the Moroccan desert trip lasts five days and leaves Marrakech on 29 December. On the first day we cross the High Atlas over Tizi n'Tichka, visit Aït Ben Haddou and sleep in the Dades Valley. On the 30th we pass through the Todra Gorge and reach Merzouga in time for sunset. On the 31st there's a 4x4 loop around the area, including the Gnawa village of Khamlia, a free afternoon to rest and the camel ride out to the camp for the party.

On 1 January we don't drive back to Marrakech in one go. We go through the Draa Valley to Ouarzazate, about 6 hours with stops, and on the 2nd we cross the Atlas again and reach Marrakech in the early afternoon, after about 4 hours. We do it this way because the direct return from Merzouga is 9 or 10 hours, and after New Year's Eve nobody enjoys that. You can do it privately or as a shared group with other Spanish-speaking travellers, which usually works out cheaper, and it can also be adapted to start from Fez.

If your dates don't fit that departure, the 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour or the 3-day Fez to Merzouga tour can be adjusted so your night at the camp falls on the 31st. From Fez, the route crosses the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the Azrou cedars and goes down the Ziz Valley. It's about 470 kilometres, a long day of 8 or 9 hours with stops, but it saves you a day compared with leaving from Marrakech.

What to know before choosing the desert

The cold comes first. Days are around 18 to 20 degrees, but in the early hours it drops to near zero. We explain this in detail in travelling to Morocco in winter.

The camp matters more on this night than any other. One with a bathroom inside the tent and good blankets changes the whole experience, and the higher categories usually have heating. We explain the types in sleeping in the Moroccan desert.

Some camps serve alcohol and others don't. If it's important to you, tell us and we'll confirm before booking.

The big parties are lively and can go on late. If you're travelling with small children or would rather have a quiet night, we'll suggest a small, out-of-the-way camp.

Couples, groups of friends and people travelling alone who want to start the year in a different way. Also a honeymoon, if the couple doesn't mind the cold. For families, it works when the children cope well in the car: it's two long days on the road to get there.

New Year in Marrakech

What the night is like

Marrakech is very lively at this time of year. Hotels and many riads organise gala dinners with a special menu and live music, and some restaurants and clubs in Hivernage and the Palmeraie party until the early hours. Jemaa el Fna square keeps its usual nightly atmosphere, with more people. The celebrating happens mainly inside hotels and restaurants, not in the street.

People with only a few days. With four or five days in total, going to the desert means spending two of them in the car, whereas in Marrakech you make use of all your time. Also families with small children, or older people who struggle with the cold and long hours on the road, because you sleep in a hotel or riad with heating. Take a look at our family tours.

So the trip isn't only about dinner on the 31st, during those days you can take the hot-air balloon flight at sunrise, about 45 minutes over the countryside with the snowy Atlas in the background, or a day trip to the Atlas via Imlil.

Agafay, the middle option

If you want a bit of desert without going far from Marrakech, the stony Agafay desert is about 40 kilometres away, less than an hour by car. It doesn't have big dunes like Merzouga, but ochre hills with the Atlas behind. Some camps organise a special dinner on New Year's Eve. If you'd rather spend the 31st in the city, you can do the dinner under the stars in the Agafay desert on another day, with a camel ride at sunset and back in Marrakech around half past ten.

New Year in the Atlas or on the coast

Some travellers don't want a party. For them the Atlas is a good option: a guesthouse or lodge in the Imlil valley, an hour and a half from Marrakech, with dinner by the fireplace, walks between Berber villages by day and snowy peaks. The night is cold and the atmosphere very quiet. Always ask whether the room has heating, because in many mountain houses only the communal lounge is heated.

The coast is the mild option. Agadir has the gentlest winter days in the country and hotels that organise a New Year's Eve dinner, and it works well for anyone who wants sun and a pool after a tour. Essaouira is smaller and quieter, with constant wind and fresh fish at the port. There's more information in the Essaouira guide.

Many people combine the two: Christmas in Marrakech and New Year's Eve in the desert, or the 31st in Merzouga followed by a few days' rest on the coast. You can get ideas from our Morocco in 7 days route.

Christmas and Epiphany in Morocco

Morocco doesn't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, but in hotels and the tourist areas of Marrakech and Agadir you'll see decorations and special menus. For many travellers that's exactly what they're after: sunny days, open medinas and an atmosphere very different from home.

If you stay until Epiphany (6 January), the first week of January is still busy because of the school holidays in Spain. From 7 or 8 January the country empties out, and it's a good time to tour the imperial cities with fewer people.

When to book New Year in Morocco

This is the part that generates the most questions. We sum it up as we see it every year, month by month.

June to September

This is the right time. You can choose your camp, including those with a private bathroom or heating, and the riad you like in Marrakech. Flights are still reasonably priced. People who book in summer nearly always get what they asked for.

October

There are still options, but the most popular camps start to fill their quota. That's why, on our programme page, we recommend booking before October. If you're reading this in October, don't put it off: write to us this week with your dates and we'll tell you what's left.

November

Trips can still be arranged, but with less to choose from. The camp that's still free may be bigger and livelier than you wanted, or in Marrakech you may have to accept a riad outside the medina. Flights are already expensive on many routes.

December

You can find something, especially for one or two people, but there's little room. Groups of four or more find it harder because they need several tents or rooms together.

How price and availability change

On our private tours the price is worked out in two parts: the vehicle with a Spanish-speaking driver, paid per day and shared between the travellers, and accommodation per person per night, with a Standard or Superior option. Children pay 3% less than an adult. That way of calculating doesn't change on New Year's Eve, but several other things do.

The first is the gala dinner. Camps charge a supplement for the night of the 31st because the dinner is longer and there's live music. In our New Year programme that supplement is already included in the price. If you're organising the trip on another route, always ask whether it's included.

The second is accommodation. Riads, hotels and camps apply high-season rates between Christmas and Epiphany, and many riads in Marrakech ask for a minimum stay of several nights on those dates. Because riads have few rooms, they fill up before large hotels.

The third is flights, which go up as December gets closer. It's the part of the budget that hits late bookers hardest.

The fourth is the availability of Spanish-speaking drivers and guides, whose diaries are also full on those days. By booking early, you secure the vehicle and driver for the whole tour.

Travelling as a group helps: because the vehicle is shared, four friends each pay less for transport than a couple does. If you're working out your overall budget, see how much a trip to Morocco costs.

What to pack for New Year's Eve in the desert

For the night of the 31st in the dunes we recommend a winter coat, a hat and gloves, thermal clothes to sleep in and thick socks. A large scarf works for the sun and sand by day. Something a little smarter for dinner, if you feel like it, although the camps are informal. And a head torch, a power bank, sunscreen and lip balm. The full list is in what to pack for Morocco.

Before you travel

Check the entry requirements for Morocco for your nationality well in advance, and make sure your passport has the validity required. Always check official sources before you travel. In winter, the Tizi n'Tichka pass can close for a few hours after snowfall; if that happens, we change the timings, so book your flight home for the evening of 2 January or, better, for the 3rd.

Book your New Year in Morocco

Tell us how many days you have, who you're travelling with and whether you'd prefer a party or peace and quiet, and we'll suggest a camp or accommodation and the route that fits best. Have a look at our events and festivals tours or write to us through contact.

New Year in Morocco: where to celebrate and when to book