Merzouga exists for one reason: the dunes. The village has grown up purely to serve travelers heading into Erg Chebbi, and nearly everything worth doing here is connected to the sand. Camel treks, overnight desert camps, 4WD excursions, and sunrise watching on the crest of a 150-metre dune are the core activities. Beyond the dunes themselves, the fringes of the desert hold a seasonal lake with flamingos, a village with living Gnawa music traditions, and roads that push toward the Algerian border through stony hammada.