Camel Rides in Morocco: What to Expect, Is It Ethical?

A camel ride in Morocco is a slow, swaying walk on a dromedary, led on foot by a cameleer, most often into the dunes of Erg Chebbi or Zagora at sunset. It lasts from about an hour in Marrakech's Palmeraie to around two hours into a desert camp, and most riders feel it in their thighs afterwards. Whether it is ethical depends on how the camels are kept, and Morocco has no official standard for tourist camels: here is what to look for, what to ask, and what to do if you would rather not ride.

The short answer

Comfort: gentle and slow, but most people are stiff after an hour or two.
Duration: about an hour near Marrakech or Essaouira; about two hours into camp on our 3-day Merzouga tour.
Ethics: PETA says never ride. The veterinary charity Working Animals International (formerly SPANA) instead tells travellers how to choose well-kept animals. We sell camel rides, so read our advice with that in mind.
Alternatives: walk beside the caravan, or reach the camp by 4x4.

What the ride is like

Moroccan camels are dromedaries: one hump, with the saddle built around it and a handle in front of you. The camel kneels for you to climb on. It then stands up back legs first, which pitches you forward, so lean back and hold the handle until the front legs are up too. Getting off is the reverse: the front legs fold first, so lean back again.

Once you are moving, you don't steer. The camels walk in single file, roped one behind the other, and the cameleer walks in front holding the lead rope. The gait is a slow, rolling sway. The first half hour is pleasant; after that, sitting astride a wide saddle starts to pull at the inner thighs and lower back. Shifting your position and getting down to walk for a while both help.

A few practical points:

Phones and cameras: use a wrist strap or a zipped pocket. Anything you drop lands in soft sand, which gets into everything.
Clothes: long, loose trousers (shorts chafe against the saddle), closed shoes or strapped sandals, sunglasses and a scarf or chech against wind and sand. Our guide to what to wear in the Sahara goes season by season.
Luggage: on overnight tours your suitcase usually stays in the vehicle, so pack a small bag for the camp, as in our desert packing list.

Where you can ride, and for how long

Where	Landscape	Typical ride
Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)	high sand dunes	1 to 2 hours into camp at sunset, back after sunrise
Zagora	lower dunes at the end of the Draa Valley	sunset ride to camp, morning ride back
Agafay	stony hills 45 minutes from Marrakech	a short ride, booked as an activity
Marrakech Palmeraie	palm grove on the edge of the city	about an hour
Essaouira	beach and dunes south of the town	from about an hour

Merzouga is the classic. On our 3-day Merzouga tour, you leave the vehicle in the afternoon for a camel trek of about two hours across the dunes of Erg Chebbi, sleep in camp and ride back after the sunrise. If you stay longer, our guide to things to do in Merzouga covers the rest, from sandboarding to the Gnawa musicians of Khamlia.

Zagora is the two-day option: our 2-day Zagora desert tour includes a camel ride into the dunes at sunset and a morning ride back from camp.

Agafay is a stony desert rather than a sandy one. On our Agafay desert afternoon, a gentle camel ride is one of the activities you can choose, with a horse ride, a quad or a buggy, priced according to your choice; our article on whether Agafay is worth visiting compares them. Part of Agafay lies in Al Haouz province, where Spain still advises its citizens not to travel since the 2023 earthquake: Spanish passport holders should check that advice and their insurance.

The Palmeraie and Essaouira sell short rides on the spot or through local operators. On our Essaouira day trip you have free time on the beach, where you will probably be offered one. Here you have the least time to look at the animals, and nobody to complain to afterwards: use the checklist below.

Is riding a camel ethical?

PETA says no ride is acceptable. In an investigation published at the end of July 2025, its Asia branch filmed in Marrakech, Merzouga and desert camps. It reported camels kept on short tethers with no shelter from sun or sandstorms, handlers whipping and kicking them and yanking their tails, and one operator beating a tied-up camel with a long stick. A ride operator told the investigator that camels are worked for about five years and then killed or sold for meat; that is one operator's statement as reported by PETA, not a verified figure. You can read PETA's report yourself.

Working Animals International takes a conditional view. Known as SPANA until April 2026, this British veterinary charity has worked in Morocco since the 1920s and runs five centres there, one of them in Marrakech. Its position: tourism animals support their owners' livelihoods, some of them endure poor conditions, and travellers can raise standards by choosing providers who treat their animals well. Its Holiday Hooves guide is the basis of our checklist below.

There is no specific rule to fall back on. We found no Moroccan standard for tourist camels. The animal law voted in 2026 (law 19.25) deals with stray animals. The charity's director for Morocco points to a lack of appropriate animal-welfare legislation for working animals; the local rules it helped to draft cover carriage horses near Marrakech and mules in Imlil, not camels.

Our view, plainly: the camels are working animals and their owners' living, and for many travellers the ride is part of what the desert means. A ride on a healthy, calmly handled camel, at a walk, with one rider, seems fair to us; a ride on a thin or injured one is not, whoever sells it. And if you would rather not ride at all, that is a perfectly good choice.

How to tell a well-kept camel

The charity's checklist, applied to camels:

Body condition: no prominent hip bones or backbone. The camel walks without limping and looks alert, not dull.
Skin: no wounds around the mouth or nose, under the halter or the saddle; no patchy or bald skin, which can be contagious mange.
Legs: no scars or raw skin where hobbles or tethers have been tied too tight.
Hygiene: no diarrhoea staining the tail and back legs.
Age and health: very young, pregnant, old, sick or injured animals should not be ridden.
Conditions: shade and water between rides, and no work in extreme heat.
Handling: the cameleer is calm, and the camel doesn't shy away from their touch.
Equipment: saddle and straps in good repair.
Load: one person per camel.

If something is wrong, don't get on, and say why. Tell your guide, agency or hotel; the charity also suggests writing to the country's tourism board, in Morocco the national tourist office (ONMT). When things are right, say so: mention the animals' condition in your review, and don't haggle the price so low that the owner can't afford to look after the camels.

Weight, health and who should not ride

We found no official weight limit for tourist camels in Morocco; each operator sets its own, if any. The only figure from a welfare body is the charity's: the load should not exceed 15 to 20 % of the animal's weight, which for an average adult camel means at most about 150 kg, and the saddle and your bag are part of that load. It also asks riders to be honest about their own size: if you think the camel might struggle with your weight, don't get on. Ask the operator about their limit before you book.

The camel stands up and kneels with a jolt, and the ride means an hour or more of swaying. If you have back, neck or hip problems, are pregnant or have recently had surgery, check with your doctor first; some operators refuse riders in these cases. Walking or the 4x4 are good alternatives.

Children can ride, with the cameleer leading the camel on foot, and young children usually ride with a parent. The charity's guide asks for one person per camel, so once a child can sit and hold the handle alone, ask for a camel of their own. Our guide to Morocco with kids has more on the desert with children.

Alternatives to riding

Walk beside the caravan. The pace is slow, though soft sand makes the climbs tiring.
Go by 4x4. Camps in Erg Chebbi can also be reached by 4x4, as our page on luxury desert camps in Merzouga explains.
Ride one way only: in at sunset and back on foot at sunrise, or the other way round.
Just watch: camels resting by the camp at dusk make a better photo than a posed one.

For the wider picture, from Barbary macaques to the animals offered for photos in Jemaa el-Fna, see our guide to wildlife in Morocco.

Booking a ride: questions to ask

Ask these of any operator, including us:

How long is the ride each way, and at what time of day?
How many camels does each cameleer lead, and does he walk with them?
Where do the camels rest, drink and find shade between rides?
Is there a weight limit, and is it one rider per camel?
Can I get off and walk, or switch to the 4x4, if I have had enough?
If a camel looks unwell, can I have another one?

A ride included in a desert tour, from an agency you can call afterwards, gives you more say than one bought from a roadside or beach seller. Send us these questions on WhatsApp or through our contact page before you book, and judge us by the answers.