Can you go camping in Morocco?

Yes, camping is very much a thing in Morocco, and it comes in a few quite different flavours. At one end you have proper organised campsites — campings, in the French — dotted near the big cities, all down the Atlantic coast, and at desert gateways. These are the backbone of Morocco's huge campervan and overlander scene; every winter a small migration of European motorhomes rolls down to the coast and the south. They offer marked pitches, electric hook-ups, toilets and showers of varying quality, and often a little café, for a very modest nightly fee.

The coast is the heartland of self-drive camping. The Atlantic strip from Asilah down past Essaouira, Agadir and the surf villages to the far south is lined with campsites, and surfers and van-lifers cluster there for the breaks and the laid-back scene. Inland, you'll find campsites near the Atlas trailheads and the desert towns, which double as bases for trekkers and as the spot to park before heading into the dunes. If you're touring in your own vehicle or a rented campervan, you can string a whole trip together pitch to pitch.

The other kind of camping is the guided overnight, and this is where Morocco shines. Sleeping in the Sahara — whether a simple bivouac or a luxury tented camp — is essentially organised camping, with the logistics, the tents, the food and a guide all arranged for you. The same is true in the High Atlas, where multi-day treks like the route up Toubkal or across the M'Goun involve camping or staying in mountain refuges, with mules carrying the gear. For most visitors, this guided version is how they 'camp' in Morocco, and it's wonderful.

On wild camping — pitching a tent off-grid outside a formal site — the honest position is that it's broadly tolerated, especially in the remote desert and mountains, but it isn't a clear legal right, and you should always ask the local landowner or nearest household for permission, which is almost always granted warmly and often comes with an invitation to tea. Don't wild-camp on beaches near towns or anywhere it's signed against, take all your rubbish out, and be mindful that you're often on someone's grazing land. Done respectfully, camping under a Moroccan sky is unforgettable.