5 days
Private Tour
English, Multilingual
48 H
The private 5-day tour from Marrakech to Merzouga (Erg Chebbi dunes) includes one night in Dades, two nights in Merzouga desert, and one in Ouarzazate. The first day will be driving through the High Atlas mountains, exploring Ait Ben Haddou, and then we will continue to Dades through Skoura and Rose Valley. Then second you will visit Todra gorges before continuing south to Merzouga, where you will join a camel trek across the desert for two nights. The third day will be exploring the desert, stopping by nomad tribes, old abandoned villages, and fossil mines. The fourth day of the tour will be driving towards Ouarzazate via Alnif, Agdz, and Draa valley. On the last day, will be the return to Marrakech after visiting the film studios. We’ll take the same road through the High Atlas Mountains. For those who wish to upgrade their accommodation. We offer two options to upgrade your hotels and desert camp from standard to luxury.
| Day | Departure | Arrival | Distance |
| 1st | Marrakech | Dades | 260 km |
| 2nd | Dades | Merzouga | 300 km |
| 3rd | Merzouga | Merzouga Desert | 45 km |
| 4th | Merzouga | Ouarzazate | 396 km |
| 5th | Ouarzazate | Marrakech | 200 km |
Good to know
On the first day of the tour, we will pick you up from Marrakech at about 08:00 a.m, and then we will travel south across the Tizi N Tichka pass of the High Atlas Mountains (2260m), enjoying the drive through the windy roads and stunning Berber villages to Ouarzazate, also known as the Hollywood of Africa. It has been the setting for famous Hollywood movies, the first of which was Lawrence of Arabia in 1962 and, later on, several other known movies such as The Man Who Would Be King, The Mummy, etc. After visiting this unique city, we will continue towards Dades via Skoura's palm grove, roses valley, Mgouna. We will reach Dades around the end of the day.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Kasbah Didis or a similar
Superior Option: Hotel Ksar Sultan or a similar
The second day will be towards the Sahara; we will leave Dades Valley in the morning and travel to Todra, located in the Tenghir area and, it is considered one of Morocco's most scenic and spectacular canyons. You'll walk through Tenghir's Palm Oasis and the Todra gorges, enjoying the sound of its streams. We will continue more to the south direction to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes, the highest in Morocco. Also known as the golden dunes due to their yellow/golden color. Along the way, we will pass by Jorf, Erfoud, and several Saharian oases. Depending on the arrival time to Merzouga, you'll either have time for a short rest or straight to the camels will take you on a Sahara trek into the dunes, where you will enjoy the sunset and spend the night in a camp. During the summer, the camel excursion starts around 17:30 and around 15:00-16:00 in the winter. Once you reach the desert camp, you'll be welcomed with a cup of tea, check in to your tent, and then you have free time in the dunes to walk or try sandboarding in the dunes. After the dinner, the local guide will play the drums (Berber music) around a bonfire. You'll enjoy the night dancing to the drum rhythms under a million-star sky. Due to the hot weather and the storms, the campfire is only during cold months and when the weather is good.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Standard Desert Camp
Superior Option: Luxury Desert Camp
The third day will be a 4WD desert safari. After watching the sunrise over the dunes, finishing your breakfast, and shower, we will drive off-road through the Erg Chebbi Desert. Today, we will explore several interesting sites in the desert. If you are lucky enough, the seasonal lake of Merzouga will be full of water during your visit, and you'll enjoy a spectacular view of the golden dunes in the background and so many birds such as flamingos. Also, we will drive to Khamlia, a small village with a population originally come from Mali and Sudan. After walking around, we will stop with some locals who play a type of African drum music known as Gnaoua music. After that, we will continue our safari to the mineral Mountains in M'fis, also known as the French villages. We will continue driving on the rocky desert towards a small mountain with a full view of the dunes on the right side and a panoramic view of the Chebbi Mountains, which is the Morocco-Algerien border on the left side. Nearby, you'll discover some fossilized water animals who used to live in the area millions of years ago. We will be driving off-road and enjoying the desert landscapes and mirages from time to time. We will be heading towards the few nomad families left in the desert. Furthermore, we will visit their tent and the mud break house, discovering their daily routine, their way of living and, there's an option to have lunch with them or on the shadow of a desert tree nearby. We will end our day by visiting the desert Oasis and then back to Merzouga.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel L'homme du desert or a similar
Superior Option: Riad Madu or a similar
On the fourth day, we will be heading towards Ouarzazate and, our first stop will be in Tafilalet's large palm grove and its market, which was the former capital of the "Alaouite" sultans. Our journey continues through the stunning anti-Atlas mountains and the stunning views of the rocky desert, passing through Alnif, known for its Henna groves, N'kob, a green oasis, and then to Agdz, a small town on the edges of the Draa, which is considered Morocco's longest valley. Our journey continues to Ouarzazate, where we will spend the night.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Riad Amlal or a similar
Superior Option: Riad Dar Chamaa or a similar
On the fifth, which is the last day, we will be leaving Ouarzazate in the morning, and we will be driving west to visit the beautiful Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a fine example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture which used to be one of the old caravan roads from the Sahara to Marrakech. The kasbah was a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 also used to film a lot of famous Hollywood movies as well. After your visit, we will return to Marrakech along the same route through the snaky road on the high Atlas Mountains, arriving about 16:00.
You have the option of staying in standard accommodations or upgrade to superior (Luxury hotels & desert camp).
You can take two big and two small suitcases per person. If you have more luggage, please let us know.
Summer weather (June to mid-September) is hot both during the day and at night (Day45 °C - Night30 °C), and the winter (November to March) is chilly at night and mild during the day (Day26 °C - Night0 °C). The temperature remains nearly constant (between 24 and 30 °C) for the rest of the year.
- Water - Flashlight - sunglasses - Jacket & Gloves (during winter) - Closed shoes - Backpack - Sunscreen - Hat or scarf
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.
The 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 5-day tour and there will be only you (your group) and the driver/guide.
The cost varies according to the number of travelers and the category of the accommodations. The hotels and desert camps can be upgraded to mid-range or luxury. Please check the pricing section for additional information.
5-day trip from Marrakech to the Sahara