Private Marrakech–Merzouga Desert Tour, 3 Days

About the Marrakech–Merzouga desert tour

This is the classic Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour, made private. In three days you cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, walk through the UNESCO kasbah of Aït Benhaddou, sleep among the rose-coloured cliffs of the Dades Valley and ride a camel into the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi for a night in a Saharan camp.

Because the car is yours, you stop where you want: for a photo of the Tichka hairpins, a mint tea in a Berber village or a few extra minutes inside the Todra Gorge before the crowds. Your driver-guide grew up between the Atlas and the desert and adjusts the pace to you, which is the biggest difference from the 16-seat shared minibus tours sold in the Marrakech souks.

It is a lot of road in a short time (around 1,100 km), so it suits travellers who want the Sahara in a tight schedule. If you can spare one more day, our 4-day version returns through the Draa Valley and splits the long drive in two.

Highlights

• Tizi n’Tichka, the highest paved pass in the High Atlas (2,260 m)
• Guided walk through the ksar of Aït Benhaddou
• Todra Gorge, with 300 m limestone walls
• Sunset camel ride over the Erg Chebbi dunes
• Dinner and Berber drums at the desert camp
• Sunrise from the top of a dune

Route map of the Marrakech–Merzouga desert tour

The golden dunes of Erg Chebbi: camel treks at sunset, nights under the stars and Berber music by the fire. All tours in Merzouga

Day-by-day itinerary: 3 days

1. Day 1 Marrakech – Tizi n’Tichka – Aït Benhaddou – Dades Valley

   ≈ 330 km · 7 h with stops Kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley

   Pick-up at your riad or hotel at 07:30. The road climbs through Berber villages and walnut groves to the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 m. Lunch near Aït Benhaddou, then a guided walk up through the earthen ksar, a UNESCO World Heritage site that has appeared in many films. Continue past Ouarzazate and the palm groves of Skoura, the “valley of a thousand kasbahs”, to the Dades Valley for dinner and the night.

2. Day 2 Dades Valley – Todra Gorge – Merzouga desert camp

   ≈ 270 km · 6 h with stops Desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes

   Morning stop at the famous switchback road of the Dades Gorge, then on to Tinghir and a walk inside the Todra Gorge, where the canyon narrows to about 10 m between vertical walls. After lunch the road crosses the desert plains via Erfoud, known for its fossils. In Merzouga you meet your camel guide and ride for about 1 h 30 into the dunes as the sand turns orange. Dinner of tagine at the camp, music around the fire and a sky full of stars.

3. Day 3 Merzouga – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

   ≈ 560 km · 9–10 h with stops End of the tour

   Wake up early to watch the sunrise from a dune, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower. The return to Marrakech is the longest day: we take it with regular stops for coffee, lunch in the Ouarzazate area and photos on the Tichka pass. Drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech in the evening, usually between 19:00 and 20:30.

Times and driving durations are approximate and can be adapted. It is a private tour, so you can change stops with your driver-guide.

Prices for the Marrakech–Merzouga desert tour

Your private tour, with prices per group size. All prices are in euros and include everything listed under “What’s included”.

The more you are, the less you pay per person. Children count as travellers when they need a bed.

Where you sleep

• Night 1Kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley
• Night 2Desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes

What's included