A Day in Merzouga at Ksar Bicha

Part of my trip to Morocco included a visit to the Sahara Desert. My friend and I travelled for 8 hours by an overnight bus to a village called Merzouga. Merzouga is a small village on the southeast tip of Morocco – a little over 100km from the Algerian border. When we got off the bus in Merzouga, we travelled to a beautiful hotel nearby called Ksar Bicha.

This hotel had huge grounds for guests to lounge both indoors and outdoors. It has a really nice outdoor/inground pool that is so refreshing on a hot summer day in the Sahara Desert! I probably jumped in for a swim 3 – 4 times to cool off through the day.

The food here is amazing as well! They offer all meals made to order. For breakfast I had some pastries, crepes and bread with jam and fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee. For lunch I had some beef tagine and a moroccan salad with a coke.

I think the pool is air conditioned – because it was freezing! But it makes a lot of sense because it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Once you ease yourself into the water (or jump in), you’ll feel amazing under that hot African sun.

My favorite part of Merzouga was not the hotel, but the people who work there. The Managing Director, Ali, was super accommodating and helped us get bus tickets for the next day, and spoke on the phone with one of our drivers for us. All the staff we came across at the hotel were extremely friendly, kind, and fun to speak to. I learned so much about Morocco and the Berber people by speaking to these guys.

If you ever find yourself in Merzouga, I highly recommend staying at Ksar Bicha. Here are some pictures below from my stay!