Private journey · Any date
3-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
Marrakech · Dades Valley · Merzouga · Marrakech
This 3-day private Sahara desert tour from Marrakech crosses the High Atlas to Ait Ben Haddou, sleeps in the Dades Gorge, walks into Todgha, and reaches the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga for a camel trek and a night in a desert camp. It covers 1,263 km and departs any date, from $575 per person. It can finish at any airport in Morocco, not only Marrakech, with the transfer included.
team
Every route on this page was designed in Marrakech by our own team, and is run on the ground by our own Moroccan guides and drivers. Booked and guaranteed by Moratra LLC.
The route
- Dades ValleyDay 1 · 344 km · 7.3 h
- MerzougaDay 2 · 300 km · 6.2 h
- MarrakechDay 3 · 619 km · 9 h
Day by day
01Over the Tizi n Tichka to Ait Ben Haddou and the Dades GorgeDades Valley · 344 km · 7.3 h · Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Leave Marrakech early and climb south into the High Atlas, crossing the Tizi n Tichka pass with stops for the terraced valleys below. On the far side you walk through Ait Ben Haddou, the earthen kasbah listed by UNESCO, with a local Berber guide, and take lunch nearby. The afternoon runs on to Ouarzazate for a short visit to the Atlas Film Studios and the old town, then east to the Dades Gorge, arriving as the light turns the rock red.
02Todgha Gorge, then camels into the Erg Chebbi dunesMerzouga · 300 km · 6.2 h · Breakfast, lunch and dinner
The road threads out of the Dades canyon in the morning and on to Todgha Gorge, where you walk in beneath limestone walls three hundred metres high. The afternoon belongs to the desert: the landscape empties, the last towns fall away, and you reach Merzouga at the edge of the Sahara. Camels carry you over the dunes for sunset and on to the camp, where dinner is served under the stars and Amazigh musicians play around the fire.
03Sunrise on the dunes and the long road home to MarrakechMarrakech · 619 km · 9 h · Breakfast and lunch
Wake in the camp for sunrise over the Erg Chebbi and breakfast as the dunes turn gold. Then the long drive home: back through Tinghir and the Dades Valley, past Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou for a last look at the kasbah, and over the Tizi n Tichka into Marrakech by evening. It is 619 km and about nine hours on the road, the price of seeing the Sahara in three days.
What is included
- Private 4x4 vehicle with English-speaking driver
- Accommodation as listed: hotel in the Dades Gorge, desert camp in Merzouga
- Meals as specified per stop
- Local Berber guide at the Ait Ben Haddou kasbah
- Sunset camel trek and camel transfer to the desert camp
- Live Amazigh and desert music around the campfire in Merzouga
- Visit to the Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate
- No shopping stops unless you ask for them
- Drop-off at any airport in Morocco at the end of the tour - Marrakech, Casablanca, Fes, Tangier or Agadir - included in the price
- International flights to and from Morocco
- Travel and medical insurance
- Lunches unless explicitly listed in the programme
- Drinks during meals
- Entrance fees to monuments, museums and the Atlas Studios
- Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff
- Personal expenses such as laundry, phone and souvenirs
- Visa fees if applicable
See it for yourself
Where you sleep
A comfortable hotel set against the red rock of the gorge, chosen for its terrace and the view down the valley at dusk.
An ensuite tented camp on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, with proper beds, private bathrooms, dinner under the stars and a fire circle.
Why this journey
- The UNESCO kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou with a local Berber guide
- A night in the Dades Gorge beneath its red rock walls
- A walk into Todgha Gorge, carved three hundred metres deep
- Camel trek at sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes, then a night in a desert camp
- Amazigh music around the fire and one of the clearest night skies on earth
Is this journey for you?
Yes if
- You only have three days and still want the true Sahara
- You are comfortable with long, scenic driving days
- You would rather travel privately than in a coach group
No if
- The 619 km and nine hours of driving on day three would wear you out - take the 4-day instead
- You want time to linger in each place rather than move every day
- You are travelling with small children or anyone who tires on the road
Questions
How long is the drive on the last day?
Long, and we would rather you knew before booking: day three is 619 km and about nine hours behind the wheel from Merzouga back to Marrakech, with stops at Tinghir, the Dades Valley and the Tizi n Tichka pass. If that sounds like too much, the 4-day version returns by a different, gentler road.
Is this tour private or shared?
Private. The vehicle is yours alone. Moroccan tourism licensing caps a 4x4 at four passengers, so parties of five or more travel in a premium minivan. Either way you share it with no one outside your party.
How much do I pay to confirm?
A 50 percent deposit confirms the booking and the balance is due on arrival in Morocco. We confirm your dates first, then send you a secure Stripe payment link.
Are all the hotels four or five star?
No, and we would rather say so. This route passes through places where a five-star hotel simply does not exist and the best bed in town is a family-run kasbah or a camp under the dunes. We promise the best available address in each place you sleep: a three to four-star hotel in the Dades Gorge and a premium camp at Merzouga.
What is the desert camp actually like?
A permanent tented camp on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes with proper beds and private bathrooms, dinner served under the stars and a fire circle with Amazigh musicians. You reach it by camel at sunset.
Would four days be better?
For most travellers, yes. Four days keeps the same highlights but replaces the long return drive with a different southern road through Rissani and the Draa Valley. Three days exists for people who simply do not have the fourth.
Can the tour end at a different city or airport?
Yes. The route finishes in Marrakech, but we will drive you on to any airport in Morocco and that transfer is included in the price - Casablanca, Fes, Tangier or Agadir, or anywhere else you are flying from. Tell us your flight when you book so we can set the departure time: some airports are an hour or two from Marrakech and others are most of a day on the road, so the earlier we know, the better the last day works.
Other journeys
From
$575 per person
Based on two travellers sharing
50% deposit to confirm · balance on arrival