Private journey · Any date
4-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
Marrakech · Ouarzazate · Dades Valley · Merzouga · Marrakech
This 4-day private desert tour from Marrakech reaches the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga through Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades Valley and Todgha Gorge, then returns by the southern Draa road. It covers 1,212 km with three nights on the road, departs any date, and starts at $685 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
- OuarzazateDay 3 · 365 km · 8 h
- MarrakechDay 4 · 203 km · 4.4 h
Day by day
01Over the High Atlas 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 lies Ait Ben Haddou, the earthen kasbah listed by UNESCO, which you explore on foot with a local guide through its ochre alleys and towers. Lunch is in Ouarzazate at an Amazigh restaurant, then the road runs east to the Dades Gorge, arriving as the light turns the rock walls red.
02Todgha Gorge, then camels into the Erg Chebbi dunesMerzouga · 300 km · 6.2 h · Breakfast, lunch and dinner
After breakfast the road threads out of the Dades canyon and on to Todgha Gorge, where you walk in beneath rock walls three hundred metres high. The afternoon belongs to the desert: the landscape empties out, the last towns fall away, and you reach the edge of the Sahara at Merzouga. Camels take you into the dunes for sunset over the sand sea, and the evening is spent around a fire with Amazigh music before dinner at the camp.
03Sunrise on the dunes and the southern road through the Draa ValleyOuarzazate · 365 km · 8 h · Breakfast and dinner
Wake before dawn for sunrise over the Erg Chebbi, then breakfast at the camp. Rather than retrace yesterday, today follows the southern backroads: Rissani, the old gateway of the Tafilalet oasis; Alnif at the foot of Jbel Saghro; the remote villages of Tazarine and Nkob with their clustered kasbahs; and finally Agdz, where the Draa Valley opens into a corridor of palm groves and mud-brick ksour. The night is spent in Ouarzazate.
04Ait Ben Haddou once more, and back over the pass to MarrakechMarrakech · 203 km · 4.4 h
A shorter, easier day. Leave Ouarzazate after breakfast and stop once more at Ait Ben Haddou for photographs in the morning light, then climb back over the Tizi n Tichka with a final view across the range before the descent into Marrakech, where the tour ends.
What is included
- Private 4x4 vehicle with English-speaking driver
- All accommodation as listed in the itinerary (Hotel in Dades Valley and Ouarzazate, Desert Camp in Merzouga)
- Meals as specified per stop, including local Amazigh lunch and desert camp dinner
- Private guided visit of Ait Ben Haddou kasbah
- Camel trek at sunset in the Merzouga dunes
- Evening folkloric music around the campfire in the desert camp
- All transfers and scenic photo stops along the route
- Return via an alternate road from Merzouga for varied scenery
- 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 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
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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.
A quiet hotel in the film-studio town at the gateway to the desert, with a pool and a garden to unwind in after the long southern road.
Why this journey
- Two crossings of the High Atlas at the Tizi n Tichka pass, 2,260 metres above sea level
- A private guided walk through the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
- A night in the Dades Gorge and a night in a desert camp on the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Sunset camel trek into the sand sea, followed by Amazigh music around the fire
- A different road home through Rissani, Nkob and the Draa Valley palm groves
Is this journey for you?
Yes if
- You want the true Sahara, not a nearer stand-in
- You have four full days and do not mind long, scenic driving days
- You would rather travel privately than in a coach group
No if
- You dislike driving days of six hours or more
- You have only two or three days to spare
- You want to stay within reach of Marrakech the whole time
Questions
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. Nothing is charged on this website. We send a secure payment link once your dates are agreed.
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: three to four-star hotels in the Dades Valley and Ouarzazate, and a premium camp at Merzouga.
How long are the driving days?
Day one is about 7 hours and 344 km, day two 6 hours and 300 km, day three 8 hours and 365 km on the southern road, and day four 4 hours and 203 km back to Marrakech. Every day includes photo and rest stops.
Can I add or remove a day?
Yes. A second Sahara night at Merzouga can be added, or the route shortened to three days. Both change the price, and we confirm the final figure with you before anything is paid.
When is the best time to travel?
October to April gives comfortable desert days and cold, clear nights. March to May is the greenest in the valleys. July and August are very hot in the Sahara by day, though the camps stay pleasant after sunset.
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
$685 per person
Based on two travellers sharing
50% deposit to confirm · balance on arrival