3-day Merzouga desert tour from Marrakech
From €200 per person
Ait Ben Haddou, Dades Valley, Draa Valley, Merzouga, Todra Gorge
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- Duration
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Tour type
- Multi-day tours
- Languages
- Spanish, English, French
Overview
Three private days from Marrakech to the Erg Chebbi dunes, with one night in the Dades Valley and another in a superior tent out in the desert.
Tour highlights
- Tizi n'Tichka pass and the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou with a local guide
- Skoura palm grove and the Valley of Roses
- Short walk through the Todra Gorge
- Sunset camel ride in Erg Chebbi
- Night in a private tent with bathroom, dinner and Berber music around the fire
- Sandboarding on the dunes
Route at a glance
3 days / 2 nights
- Your accommodation in Marrakech Starting point
- Ait Ben Haddou
- Dades Valley
- Todra Gorge
- Merzouga
- Draa Valley
- Your accommodation in Marrakech Ending point
About this tour
This tour is designed for travellers who are short on time but want to sleep in the desert. You leave Marrakech, cross the Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass and go through Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, the Skoura palm grove and the Valley of Roses on your way to the Dades Valley.
On day two you visit the Todra Gorge and Erfoud before reaching Merzouga, where you ride a camel into Erg Chebbi to watch the sunset and spend the night in a private tent with its own bathroom. The return to Marrakech goes via Rissani, N'Kob and the Draa Valley.
You travel privately with a Spanish-speaking driver. Bear in mind that the last day involves about 9 hours on the road: if you have more time, the 4-day version spreads the driving out better.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary-
Day 01
Day 1 of 3
Marrakech - Ait Ben Haddou - Skoura - Dades Valley
We leave Marrakech at 8:00 and head for Ouarzazate across the Atlas, with short stops at the Tizi n'Tichka pass and in the Berber villages along the way.
The first visit is the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the setting for films such as Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia and The Mummy. We explore it with a local guide and stop for lunch. We then carry on to Ouarzazate, the film city and home of the Taourirt kasbah, and continue through the Skoura palm grove on the old Road of a Thousand Kasbahs.
The route goes on through the Valley of Roses, where the Damask rose is grown, one of the most fragrant and sought-after roses in the world. If you like, we stop to learn about the natural cosmetics made there: rose water, soaps and other products.
Arrival in the Dades Valley, dinner and overnight.
- Meals
- Dinner
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Day 02
Day 2 of 3
Dades - Todra Gorge - Merzouga
After breakfast we leave the Dades. We drive on towards Tinghir through palm groves and mud-brick villages to the Todra Gorge, where we take a short walk inside the canyon. Further on, in Touroug, we can stop to see the old underground irrigation system the tribes used to bring water down from the mountains. Lunch is on the way.
We pass through Erfoud, on the edge of the desert and known for its fossils, and arrive in Merzouga. Before that, if you like, you can buy a desert scarf. There we get ready to head into the desert. We climb onto the camels and ride into Erg Chebbi for about an hour and a half, stopping on the dunes to watch the sunset and take photos. The camp staff take care of carrying your luggage to the tent.
At the camp you are welcomed with a cup of tea. After a rest and a look around the camp, you have dinner in its restaurant, and the evening ends with traditional Berber music around a campfire under the starry desert sky.
- Meals
- Breakfast and dinner
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Day 03
Day 3 of 3
Merzouga - Rissani - Draa Valley - Marrakech
We get up early to watch the sunrise from the camp. After breakfast you return to the guesthouse in Merzouga by camel or 4x4 and we start the journey back to Marrakech.
We pass through Rissani, birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty that rules Morocco today and an important town on the old trade routes, and through the Berber villages of Alnif, known for its fossils, and N'Kob, at the entrance to the Draa Valley, where we stop for lunch.
We then cross the Draa Valley, with its palm oases along Morocco's longest river. On the way we can stop for a drink if you feel like it. Arrival in Marrakech at around 19:00.
- Meals
- Breakfast
What's included
Included
- Transport by air-conditioned minibus or 4x4, fuel included
- Private tour with a Spanish-speaking driver who travels with you
- Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech
- Camel ride in Erg Chebbi
- 1 night in a hotel or kasbah in the Dades Valley, with dinner and breakfast (private room with bathroom and shower)
- 1 night in a superior desert tent, with dinner and breakfast (private tent with bathroom and shower)
- Local guide at the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
- Sandboarding in the desert
Not included
- Lunches
- Entrance fees to historic monuments
- Drinks
- Tips
What to bring
- A desert scarf (you can buy one on the way to Merzouga)
Good to know
Before you book
- The last day involves about 9 hours of driving (560 km)
- If you have more days, there is a 4-day version of the Merzouga desert tour
- There is also a 3-day option that starts in Marrakech and ends in Fes
Optional extras (at extra cost)
- Quad bike or buggy ride on the dunes at sunset
- Ask our booking team about the supplement before your trip, or your driver during the tour
