3-Day Private Desert Tour: Marrakech to Merzouga
- Duration
- 3 Days / 2 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Desert Tours
- Availability
- Daily departures, and the whole itinerary can be customised.
- Languages
- English, French
About this tour
3 Days / 2 Nights from Marrakech to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi. From EUR 195 per person.
Tour highlights
- Three days with a private vehicle and driver-guide, the timing and the stops set by you
- Aït Ben Haddou, listed by UNESCO, walked at whatever pace suits you
- The Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, with the long view opening on both sides
- Todra Gorge, where the limestone stands 300 metres above the riverbed
- Fossil workshops at Erfoud and the old caravan town of Rissani
- Camels into Erg Chebbi at sunset, on dunes that reach 150 m
- A private ensuite tent at a luxury camp, with real beds and a hot shower
- Dinner by the fire, with Berber drumming afterwards
- First light over the Erg Chebbi dunes
- A night at a Dades Valley boutique hotel with a traditional Moroccan dinner
- The Atlas Film Studios at Ouarzazate, if you want them
- Drop-off at your Marrakech door
Route at a glance
3 Days / 2 Nights · Marrakech → Erg Chebbi
- Marrakech Starting point
- Merzouga
- Erg Chebbi
About this tour
This is a three-day private loop out of Marrakech to the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga and back again, run in an air-conditioned vehicle kept for your party alone with an English-speaking driver-guide. Day 1 climbs the High Atlas by way of Tizi n'Tichka, a pass topping out at 2,260 m, calls at Aït Ben Haddou, the ksar on the UNESCO list, and finishes for the night at a Dades Valley boutique hotel. The second day threads the Dades Gorge and Todra Gorge, then runs on through Erfoud and Rissani until the dunes show up, and camels carry you in at sunset to a luxury camp with private ensuite tents. Day 3 turns west again through Ouarzazate and back over Tizi n'Tichka, back into Marrakech somewhere between 18:00 and 19:00, dropping you at your door. The rate covers car and driver, half board on both nights, the camel trek and the sandboards. Lunches, entry fees and tips you settle yourself.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 3
Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka (2,260m) - Aït Ben Haddou - Ouarzazate - Rose Valley - Dades Valley (Over the High Atlas into the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, approx. 6 hours drive)
Your driver collects you at your Marrakech hotel. The road runs southeast and begins climbing almost at once, past terraced Berber villages and almond groves, up to the top of Tizi n'Tichka at 2,260 m, the highest paved crossing in the country. Stop as often as you like on the way up. On the far side sits Aït Ben Haddou, listed by UNESCO as World Heritage, whose earthen towers have stood in for other worlds in Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Wander the alleyways and climb to the granary at the top, where the view runs down the Ounila Valley. Lunch is at a local restaurant facing the ksar, not included. The afternoon runs on past Ouarzazate, then the Rose Valley, and finally into the Dades Valley itself, where towers of red rock and the Monkey Fingers formations line the road. Arrival is late in the day. Dinner and the night are spent at a Dades Valley boutique hotel on a half-board basis. An upgraded Dades Valley hotel can be arranged instead for a 40 EUR per person supplement.
- Day 2 of 3
Dades Valley - Todra Gorge - Erfoud - Rissani - Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) (Canyon walls, desert markets and the sunset ride into the Sahara, approx. 4 hours drive)
Breakfast first, then the road works further up the Dades Gorge, stopping where the Tissadrine switchbacks stack themselves against the cliff. Todra Gorge comes next, its sheer limestone walls 300 metres above a flat riverbed you can walk along. After that the oases thin into stony plateau. Erfoud follows, a town built on its fossil workshops, then Rissani, the old caravan settlement at the Sahara's edge; you can add a fossil workshop, or the Rissani souk if the day happens to be a market day. The Erg Chebbi dunes stand on the horizon by mid-afternoon, the tallest of them 150 metres. Camels wait at the edge of the sand for the sunset ride to the luxury desert camp, where your tent is private and ensuite, with real beds, a hot shower, quality linens and electricity. Dinner is Moroccan and served under the stars, and the drumming starts around the campfire afterwards. Overnight at the camp, half board.
- Day 3 of 3
Merzouga - Ouarzazate - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (Sunrise in the Sahara, the Atlas in afternoon light, then home, approx. 9 hours drive)
Get up before dawn, because sunrise over the Erg Chebbi dunes is the point of the early start. Breakfast at camp follows, then a camel or a 4x4 brings you back out to where the sand ends, and no departure time is imposed on you. Ouarzazate breaks the drive west, with time for lunch and a choice between the Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas Film Studios, plus anything Day 1 left out. The last climb is Tizi n'Tichka in afternoon light. You are back in Marrakech at some point between 18:00 and 19:00, set down right at your riad.
What's included
Included
- A modern air-conditioned private vehicle with your own English-speaking driver, yours alone for 3 full days
- Collection and return at the door of your Marrakech hotel or riad
- One night at a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley, half board, dinner and breakfast
- One night at a luxury desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, in a private ensuite tent with real beds, quality linens and a hot shower, half board
- The camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset on the evening of Day 2
- Sandboards at your desert camp, to use whenever you like
- Timing and stops that flex, with the route shaped around what you prefer
Not included
- Lunches and any extra drinks, roughly EUR 8-12 for a lunch
- Entry fees at the monuments (Aït Ben Haddou runs on tips, the Ouarzazate studios around EUR 8)
- A licensed local guide at the monuments, which can be arranged on request
- Optional extras: quad biking, a buggy ride, drinks during dinners
- Anything you choose to tip your driver-guide
What to bring
- A soft overnight bag for the camel ride, as the rest of your luggage stays in the vehicle
Group rates
| Group size | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1 person | €790 per person |
| 2 people | €435 per person |
| 3 people | €365 per person |
| 4 people | €325 per person |
| 5 people | €295 per person |
| 6 people | €265 per person |
| 7-9 people | €245 per person |
| 10-13 people | €215 per person |
| 14-17 people | €195 per person |
Frequently asked questions
What is the distance from Marrakech to Merzouga, and how long is the drive?
Roughly 560 km, or 348 miles, which works out at 8-9 hours of driving in one direction. Spreading it over three days is what makes it pleasant: the High Atlas via Tizi n'Tichka and Aït Ben Haddou on Day 1, and Erg Chebbi on Day 2 in time for the sunset camel trek.
Are three days long enough for a Sahara trip out of Marrakech?
They are. Three days get you out to the high dunes of Erg Chebbi, give you one whole night in the desert, and still leave time for both gorges and for Aït Ben Haddou at an unhurried pace. Three is the minimum for reaching Merzouga at all. A two-day itinerary goes to Zagora instead, where the dunes are smaller and sit much closer to Marrakech.
Does this work for families travelling with young children?
Yes. Going private means the pace bends to you, child seats are free when requested, and the camel ride can be cut short or exchanged for a 4x4 transfer. Families with children of every age, toddlers included, travel this route regularly.
Which vehicle will we have, and how many seats does it hold?
Parties of 1-4 travel in a private Toyota 4x4, either a Land Cruiser or a Prado; 5-7 take a 7-seat van; and 8-17 travellers take a minibus with capacity for up to 18 passengers. Every vehicle is modern and air-conditioned, the guides are licensed and speak English and French, and the vehicle belongs to your party for all 3 days.
Why does the price change with the number of travellers?
The EUR 195 per person figure is the rate for parties of 14 to 17. A solo traveller pays EUR 790 and two people pay EUR 435 each, and the per-person figure keeps falling as the party grows, because the vehicle, the driver, the fuel and the rooms are shared out among more people.
Could Day 3 finish in Fes rather than back in Marrakech?
Yes, provided it is arranged before you travel. Day 3 then runs from Merzouga to Fes by way of the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas instead of heading west. MTT also runs a separate three-day itinerary built around that crossing, the 3-Day Private Desert Crossing: Marrakech to Fes.
Which season suits the Marrakech to Merzouga run best?
March to May and September to November are the kindest. Summer is hot, though air conditioning handles it. Winter days are clear, and while the nights at Erg Chebbi turn very cold, the camp supplies heaters and extra blankets.
What are the tents at the desert camp like?
Each tent at the luxury camp has its own bathroom with a hot-water shower, real beds, quality linens and electricity while the generator runs, with heaters added in winter. Pack a soft overnight bag for the camel ride and leave the main luggage in the vehicle.
Guest reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to tell others how it went.
Leave a review