Takojt

Wrapped in a traditional ksar of packed-earth walls on Merzouga's edge, Takojt sits where the town's flat gravel plain gives way to the Erg Chebbi dunes, a five-minute walk from the last paved lane. It suits travellers arriving by 4x4 or camel trek who want the desert immediately outside the door rather than a resort buffer.

Rooms open onto a shared courtyard used for evening tea service; the roof terrace is left unfurnished after dark for guests tracking constellations without light spill from town.

Rissani's Sunday souk lies forty minutes north by road.