What should I look for in a good desert camp?

The first thing I check on any camp, at any price, is where it actually sits. A good desert camp is set among the dunes of Erg Chebbi, so you can walk straight out and climb a ridge for sunset and sunrise, with sand and silence all around. Some cheaper 'desert camps' are really on the flat edge by the road or a village, where you get the tents but not the immersion. I always ask an operator to confirm the camp is genuinely in the dunes — that single fact shapes the whole night.

Then I look at the sleeping setup, because the desert gets genuinely cold after dark, even when the days are hot. You want a proper raised bed, not a mat on the floor, with thick blankets or a duvet and enough of them for a chilly night. At the mid and luxury tiers, an en-suite tent with a private bathroom and a hot shower is a big comfort upgrade; at the budget end, clean, well-kept shared toilet and washing facilities are the minimum I'd accept. Ask specifically what the tent and bathroom are like — 'comfortable tent' tells you nothing.

Scale and food matter more than people expect. A smaller camp — say a dozen tents rather than fifty — is quieter, feels more intimate, and gives you that sense of having the desert to yourself, whereas a huge camp can feel like a crowded car park of canvas. Good camps also take dinner seriously: a proper tagine or a multi-course meal, bread, fruit, and usually Berber drumming and music around a fire afterwards. I ask whether dinner and breakfast are included and what the evening actually involves, since the campfire and the food are a real part of the magic.

Finally, sort the practical access and the paperwork. Find out how you reach the camp — a sunset camel trek is the classic, atmospheric arrival, but a 4x4 transfer matters if anyone has mobility issues or young kids, and the best camps can do either. And the rule I never break: get the actual named camp and its tier confirmed in writing before you pay, then look it up. 'Luxury camp' is just a word until you can see which one. A camp that's happy to be named, located in the dunes, warm at night and welcoming at the fire is the one you want.