4 days
Private Tour
English, Multilingual
48 H
The 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga (Erg Chebbi dunes) includes one night in Dades Valley, one night in the desert, and one in Ouarzazate. The first day of the tour will be driving through the High Atlas mountains, and enjoying its breathtaking landscapes. After a few hours through the Atlas, you’ll visit Ait Ben Haddou and then continue to Dade via Skoura and Rose Valley. The second day will be heading towards the south via several Berber villages. You’ll visit and walk through Todra Gorges and then continue to Merzouga, where you will start a camel trek for the desert overnight. On the third day, you will wake up in the early morning to watch the sunrise, have breakfast, take a shower, and then we will head towards Ouarzazate via Alnif, Agdz, and Draa Valley.
On the last day, we will head back to Marrakech from Ouarzazate after visiting the film studios. We will be using the same road through the Atlas Mountains. We offer three options to upgrade your hotels and desert camp from standard to superior (luxury).
| Day | Departure | Arrival | Distance |
| 1st | Marrakech | Dades | 258 km |
| 2nd | Dades | Merzouga Desert | 300 km |
| 3rd | Merzouga | Ouarzazate | 396 km |
| 4th | Ouarzazate | Marrakech | 200 km |
Good to know
On the first day, we will pick you up from Marrakech at around 08:00 in the morning, and then we will drive south through the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi n'Tichka (the highest road pass). We will stop to admire the impressive landscapes of the Atlas, the Berber villages, and to enjoy a coffee or tea in a local restaurant with a view of the mountains. We will continue to the city of Ouarzazate or what we call Holywood of Africa. We will visit its famous film studio, Taourirt Kasbah which is a historic fortified residence, and then we will continue along the way through Skoura, Mgouna Valley (Roses Valley), and other Berber villages to reach Dades Valley where we will spend the night in a hotel.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Kasbah Didis or a similar
Superior Option: Hotel Ksar Sultan or a similar
On the second day, we will leave Dades Valley in the morning and head to Todra Gorges, one of the most beautiful and impressive canyons in Morocco. You will have time to walk through the gorge and enjoy the sounds and sights of the river. Starting from Todra, we will continue to travel through breathtaking landscapes and many Berber villages and oasis to Merzouga desert. We will pass by Erfoud, a small town famous for its fossil factories and, we will travel through the Sahara Oasis of Rissani. Depending on our arrival, you will have some time to relax or immediately start a camel trek into the dunes, where you will spend the night in a camp. The camel trek starts around 17:00-18:00 in summer and around 15:00-16:00 in winter. After an hour, you will arrive at the desert camp and, you will be greeted with a cup of traditional mint tea, enjoying the view of the Sahara and the sunset. Later on, the dinner will be served at the camp's restaurant tent. After your dinner, you will enjoy the music of the Berber drums played by the locals by the campfire. Don't miss a walk to the dunes, and look up to the sky, where you will find the scenery of million stars. Remember that the bonfire is usually in the cold months (at night), and no sand storms.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Standard Desert Camp
Superior Option: Luxury Desert Camp
On the third day, we will wake you up early in the morning to climb the dunes to watch the beautiful sunrise. After breakfast, shower, then the morning camel trek, you will meet your driver/guide and then start the journey to Ouarzazate. On the way, you'll stop in Rissani to visit its traditional market, which is considered the largest in southern Morocco. Continue through the vast rocky desert, several Berber Villages, and the impressive Draa valley with its thousands of palm trees. We will arrive in Ouarzazate around 17:00, depending on the duration of the stops, the departure time from Merzouga.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Riad Amlal or similar
Superior Option: Riad Dar Chamaa or similar
On the last day, we will be leaving Ouarzazate in the morning, and we will be driving west to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou, which used to shoot a lot of famous Hollywood movies such as Gladiator, Mummy, Game of Thrones, and so on. It is also one of the important fortresses of the Old Salt Road and the most impressive Kasbah and well-preserved fortress in Morocco. After visiting the Kasbah, we will be heading back to Marrakech through the same road on the Atlas Mountains, expecting to reach Marrakech around 17:00.
There is a possibility to choose standard or upgrade to superior accommodation (Luxury hotels & desert camp).
It is allowed to take two big and two small suitcases per person. If you have more than the luggage allowed, please contact us.
The weather during summer (June to mid-September) gets hot both during the day and night (Day~45 °C - Night~30 °C), and in winter (November - March) gets cold at night and warm during the day (Day~26 °C - Night~0 °C). The rest of the year, the temperature is almost the same throughout the day and night (between 24-30 °C).
- Water - Flashlight - Backpack - Sunscreen - Hat or scarf - sunglasses - Jacket & Gloves (during winter) - Closed shoes
Deposit: In order to confirm your booking, a deposit is requested to be paid in advance and the rest of the payment can be paid by PayPal, credit card, Bank transfer, or in cash. We accept PayPal, Bank Transfer, and Western Union for deposits. Payments and terms of cancellations: For more information about the payments and cancellations, please check our payments & terms of cancellations page. Conditions: Usually, we don’t book any accommodations before your confirmation, thus if the accommodations listed above are already fully booked, we will book another one with the same category and services.
On this tour, we're not going to drive directly to the desert in one day. We'll spend the first night in Dades, halfway to Merzouga desert, which is located in the southeast, about 564 km from Marrakech. The journey takes about 10 hours, and it can be less or more depending on your stops.
The 4-day tour starts around 08:00 am, and the pick-up will be from your accommodation in Marrakech. Please contact us if you want us to pick you up from a specific place (Airport, Bus/train station, etc.).
This is a private 4-day tour and there will be only you (your group) and the driver/guide.
The price changes depending on the number of travelers and the category of the accommodations. You can upgrade the hotels and, the desert camps to mid-range or luxury. For more details, please check the prices on this page.
Private 4-Day Desert Tour From Marrakech