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Sahara desert trip from Ouarzazate to Merzouga – overview:
The most famous and popular Sahara desert dunes are in Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga, offering diverse landscapes along the way. This 4-day desert tour from Ouarzazate features fortified Kasbahs, lush oases, stunning valleys, expansive gorges, and majestic sand dunes, promising a unique adventure in southern Morocco.
Highlights of this Ouarzazate desert tour include the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the beautifully restored Kasbah Amredhil, the ancient Kasbah Tamnougalte, the Valley of the Roses, the Dades and Dra’a Valleys, and the ancient caravan routes. Each stop provides an opportunity to visit Berber villages, interact with local people, and learn about life in the oases.
In the desert, you will ride camels and capture memorable photos of your friends wearing blue turbans in the dunes. From the summit of the majestic Erg Chebbi dunes, you will witness breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Evenings will be spent dining under a starlit sky, followed by dancing to traditional Berber music and rhythms. Your night will be in an exotic, private, and comfortable tent near the big dunes in Merzouga, where you will dream of the day’s desert adventures.
Ouarzazate desert trip to the Erg Chebbi dunes 4 days – highlights:
- Visiting Moroccos’ Famous Kasbahs: Ksar Ait Ben Haddou, Kasbah Amredhil, and Kasbah Tamnougalte
- Exploring Skoura Oasis’s palm groves, the stunning Dades Valleys and the massive Toudgha Gorges
- Savouring the most delectable dishes of Moroccan cuisine while staying in luxurious rural guest houses
- Riding camels to the top of the dunes to admire the sunset and photograph your friends wearing blue turbans
- Dining under a starlit sky, dancing to Berber music and drumming, and sleeping in nomad tents near the big dunes
- Off-roading through the Dra’a Valley with its green palm groves and beautiful Berber villages
- Visiting the green pottery workshops and ancient Quranic library in the village of Tamgroute
- Crossing the Anti-Atlas Mountains via the Tizi-n-Tinfifite pass and stopping at Berber villages along the way
What is included:
- Transport in a private air-conditioned vehicle; 4×4 Toyota Prado TX or deluxe van and fuel
- Pick-up from and drop-off at your riad or hotel in Ouarzazate
- Experienced local English/French/Spanish/Italian-speaking Berber and nomad driver/guide
- Accommodation in air-conditioned rooms/suites with private bathroom
- The night in a luxury camp in Erg Chebbi with a private toilet and shower, lamps, and traditional Moroccan furnishings
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
- A camel ride with a guide. And if you wish to do some sandboarding, just speak to the camp staff!
- Option to go to and return from the camp by 4×4
- Luggage service to the camp and all accommodation
- Berber drumming and music
- Free time to explore the sites such as the Dra’a Valley, Kasbah Tamnougalte, for walks, photos, and tea/coffee breaks
- The opportunity to ask the driver to stop when and where you wish
- Entrance fees and local guide
- Tea, coffee and mineral water in the desert
What is not included:
- Drinks
- Tips
- Extras
Good to know on your trip to the Erg Chebbi dunes from Ouarzazate:
- This Ouarzazate desert trip to Erg Chebbi dunes can be customised to accommodate your areas of interest
- Here is a downloadable packing list to help plan for your Moroccan desert tour
- We require a 30% deposit of the total price to book the car, while the balance is payable to us in the office in Ouarzazate
- We accept payment through PayPal, bank transfers in Europe, by credit card, or cash (USD, Euro, GBP or MAD)
- We offer a 25% discount for all children under 12, while, in any one family, one child below 3 can travel free of charge
- These prices are liable to fluctuation according to the current exchange rate
- Our prices can be subject to an increase over the busy season, and, in particular, the Christmas and New Year’s Eve period
Ouarzazate desert trip to the Erg Chebbi dunes and Zagora – itinerary:
1st day: Ouarzazate – Dades Valley:
After breakfast in your riad, you will be picked up at 8.30 by your driver in a comfortable car and set out towards Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, which you will visit with a local guide. Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou is the most famous kasbah in Morocco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been used as a film location for many Hollywood blockbusters.
From here, you continue to Skoura Oasis, where you can take a walk in the huge palm groves and visit the fortified Kasbah Amredhil. Shortly after, your adventure takes you through the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, Kel’aa M’gouna and the Valley of the Roses. Here, it is possible to visit one of the many cosmetic products co-operatives to learn how the abundant roses are processed into scented perfume and beauty products.
After lunch, you will go off-road to get a better idea of life in the oases and enjoy the constantly changing landscapes. Along the way, you will stop at the caves inhabited by whichever Berber nomads happen to pass and claim residence there. After sharing a glass of tea with them, you continue to the Dades Gorges.
Upon our arrival in Dades Gorges, there will be time to walk in the valley and stroll by the fields and the gardens. You will spend the night in a hotel or a Kasbah.
2nd day: Dades Valley – Merzouga
After breakfast, your adventure continues to the Dades Gorges, where you can enjoy a leisurely stroll along the river and beyond. Then, you will head back down the valley to the main road towards Tinghir. Turning north again, you will reach the expansive Toudgha Gorges, where a short walk along the river between the steep, narrow sides of the gorge awaits.
Next, you journey to the Erg Chebbi dunes via Tinjdad, where you will stop for lunch. On the way to Erfoud, you will notice strange sand piles lining the road — these are the heads of the “khettarat,” an ingenious underground water channel system designed to minimise evaporation in the desert heat. It is fascinating to descend into these channels, feel the coolness below ground, and marvel at the ancient engineering.
Continuing through the Oasis of Tafilalt, you will arrive in Erfoud, famous for its fossil artefacts, which you can explore. From there, you drive further east to Merzouga, where sand along the road signals the beginning of the mighty Sahara Desert.
At the desert camp, you will be welcomed with a glass of tea, followed by a camel ride to the top of the Erg Chebbi dunes. The sunset from here is a breathtaking sight, with the dunes stretching as far as the eye can see.
In the evening, enjoy dinner under a starlit sky, accompanied by Berber music and drumming around a campfire. You will spend the night in a luxury camp featuring private bathrooms, king-sized beds, and beautifully arranged Moroccan furnishings and lamps to enhance your experience of the serene desert beauty.
3rd day: Merzouga – Zagora
If you get up early enough, you will be rewarded with an amazing spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of the shadows are a magical sight. After breakfast, there is time to wander the dunes and experience the tranquillity of this magical place.
After breakfast, you drive south to Zagora, the largest oasis in the Dra’a Valley and the very gateway to the vast Sahara Desert. The journey takes you along the Saghro Mountains, passing through the Berber villages of Rissani, Alnif, and Tazarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’), before reaching N’Qob just in time for lunch.
From here, you journey along the ancient caravan route, passing through picturesque Berber villages and varying landscapes. You reach Zagora by late afternoon and spend the night in a beautiful guest house, where dinner and breakfast are provided.
4th day: Zagora – Ouarzazate
After breakfast, you drive southwards to Tamgroute village, to visit the Quranic Library and the green pottery workshops. This pottery is particularly famous throughout the south, but can also be found in the medinas of Marrakech, Rabat and Fes.
On the way back to Ouarzazate, you drive up the Dra’a Valley north, going off-road through the ancient road of the caravans to get a better impression of the fields of palm trees, fortified kasbahs, and green oases. At panoramic viewpoints, there will be stops to take photos and stretch our legs.
At the head of the Dra’a Valley, a visit to Kasbah Tamnougalte with a local guide is scheduled, where you will have lunch. In the afternoon, we return to Ouarzazate over the Anti-Atlas Mountains, via the Tizi-n-Tinfifite pass.
Your driver will escort you to your hotel and bring your Ouarzazate desert trip to the Erg Chebbi dunes to an end!
Map of Ouarzazate desert trip to the Erg Chebbi dunes 4 days:
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