Top-Rated On Tripadvisor
Trips for All Budgets
Experience the real Morocco with expert guides
Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour – overview:
Venture down into the Moroccan Sahara on this 3-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone wishing to discover some of the hidden treasures of the Moroccan south.
The trip offers a full insight into the lives of nomads and Berbers at the Kasbahs of Aït ben Haddou, Telouet and Amredhil along with the verdant Dra’a Valley with its thousands of palm trees and adobe housing.
The Dades Valley, the massive Toudgha Gorges, and the millions of fossils in Erfoud all reveal the astounding geological features of Southeast Morocco. At the tranquil Merzouga desert, you will ride camels to a luxury camp for an unforgettable night in the dunes. An evening of Berber music with the nomadic camp staff is an additional highlight of this Marrakech desert tour.
This is undoubtedly a desert experience to hold in your memory for a long time to come!
3-day desert trip from Marrakech to Merzouga – highlights:
- Driving over the Atlas Mountains and through the famous pass of Tizi-n-Tichka
- Visiting Kasbah Telouet and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kasbah of Aït ben Haddou
- Stopping off in the Skoura Oasis to visit the beautifully restored Kasbah Amredhil
- Possibly buying cosmetic products made from local Damascene roses in Kela’a Mgouna
- Riding camels in the red dunes of Erg Chebbi and witnessing the spectacle of the sunset
- Sleeping in your private comfortable luxury desert camp tent in the Merzouga desert
What is included in this 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour:
- 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 Marrakech
- Experienced local English/French/Italian/Spanish-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 private toilet and shower and traditional Moroccan handmade furnishings
- All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available on request
- A camel ride with a guide, and free 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 Ait Ben Haddou, the Ounila and Dra’a valleys, 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 the Marrakech to Merzouga 3-day desert tour:
- This Marrakech desert trip can be customised to be more personal and special
- It is possible to opt for an extra full day in the desert or to end in Fes: Tour from Marrakech to Fes 3 days
- You can always consult your driver about leaving out some places in order to spend more time elsewhere
- 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 children under 12, and one child under 3 per family travels 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
Prices per person
| No Days | Meals |
|---|---|
| All-inclusive | |
| Total price | |
| 2 PERSONS |
|---|
| 435 € * |
| 870 € * |
| 3 PERSONS |
|---|
| 420 € * |
| 1260 € * |
| 4 PERSONS |
|---|
| 415 € * |
| 1660 € * |
| 5 PERSONS |
|---|
| 385 € * |
| 1925 € * |
| 6 PERSONS |
|---|
| 385 € * |
| 2310 € * |
The Marrakech desert tour 3 days – itinerary:
1st day: Marrakech – Dades Gorges
It is a morning departure at 8. 30 from Marrakech to set out on your Marrakech desert trip. The adventure begins with the Tichka pass in the High Atlas. A side road leads to Telouet Kasbah, once the seat of the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family. Each of the two main edifices now stands in ruins exposed to the wind and the rain due to the Kasbah having been completely abandoned.
Sadly, the entire Kasbah is presently closed due to the destruction caused by the earthquake that hit Morocco in September 2023. Nonetheless, you can still enjoy the exterior with a local guide to uncover its fascinating history.
Along the breath-taking Ounila Valley, curvaceous in parts, you will notice surprising soil colours and rock formations, as well as multiple typical Berber villages. You reach Aït Ben Haddou for lunch. This is the most famous Kasbah in the whole of Morocco and is one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The road passes Ouarzazate and continues to the Skoura Oasis, where olives, almonds, lucerne, barley and fruit trees such as apple, apricots, figs and pomegranates are grown. The beautifully restored Kasbah Amredhil, famous through its depiction on the old 50 dirham banknote, is well worth a visit.
The route continues through Kela’a M’gouna in the Valley of Roses where you may stop to test cosmetic articles locally-made from the valley’s abundant roses. You stop in the Dades Valley in a guest house there.
2nd day: Dades Gorges – Merzouga
After breakfast, you will drive up the Dades valley, including some amazing hairpin bends (cf youtube Cadillac brakes test) just before reaching the Dades gorges. Having stretched your legs here, taking a look at the landscape on the other side, you will continue to Toudgha to the very different gorges there. From here, you drive to the edge of the dunes via the Ziz Valley and Erfoud, famous for the myriads of fossils cut and polished into beautiful artefacts.
In the afternoon, you take the camels from the edge of the desert to your luxury desert camp, where you will be welcomed with tea and biscuits. You can climb to the top of the nearest high dunes to watch the spectacular sunset.
You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp with private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings and lamps tastefully arranged to enhance your enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.
3rd day: Merzouga – Marrakech
The sunrise’s display of colours and shadows are worth the early rise from slumber. The return drive takes you west to the Dra’a Valley with the Saghro mountains to the right. This is one of the driest areas in the country with about 100 mm rain on the lower slopes and 300 mm on the hills. We drive through the villages of Tazzarine and N’Qob to eat lunch overlooking the mountains.
In the afternoon, we continue west to Tansikht on the banks of the Dra’a River. The Dra’a valley is full of large palm trees and ancient kasbahs, typical of the landscape in this part of the south. We follow the track of the ancient caravan route, which worked its way north from the Sahara to Agdez with its precious cargos from Mail and Niger. The oldest kasbah in the valley, Kasbah Tamnougalte, is situated almost at the top of the valley. Many of the watch towers to ensure the safety of the camels and the accompanying men are still very visible on the tops of the mountains.
Back on the main north-south road again, we cross the Tizi-n’Tinfifte pass, 1660m, to reach Ouarzazate. We end this unforgettable Marrakech desert trip by continuing along the main road over the High Atlas again. We reach Marrakech by the end of the afternoon. Your 3-day Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga Desert come to an end as your driver escort you to your riad!
Map of this 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga Desert Tour:
