Casablanca to Marrakech in 4 Days: Private Desert Tour
- Duration
- 4 Days / 3 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Desert Tours
- Availability
- Availability is confirmed within 24 hours. No deposit is required in order to enquire, and the itinerary can be reshaped however you like.
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish
About this tour
4 Days / 3 Nights from Casablanca (Mohammed V Airport or your hotel) to Erg Chebbi and Merzouga (Sahara). From EUR 315 per person.
Tour highlights
- Camel trek at sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga
- A luxury ensuite desert camp for the night, with electricity and a hot shower
- Camel ride back over the dunes at sunrise
- The Ziz Valley descent, past date palms, kasbahs and cliff walls
- Ifrane, Morocco's "Little Switzerland", and its alpine architecture
- Barbary macaques in the cedar forests around Azrou
- Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed, visited with a local guide
- Todra Gorge and its 300m limestone cliffs, entered through the Tinghir palm oasis
- The Dades Valley, reached on the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
- Rissani, where the Alaouite dynasty began, and its dates market
- Erfoud, a town known for its fossils
- The Valley of the Roses, the Skoura oasis and the Kasbah Amridil museum
- The Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260m over the High Atlas
- Collection at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport, or from your Casablanca hotel
- Air-conditioned 4x4 or van, private to your group, with an English-speaking driver-guide
Route at a glance
4 Days / 3 Nights · Casablanca (Mohammed V Airport or your hotel) → Erg Chebbi
- Casablanca (Mohammed V Airport or your hotel) Starting point
- Erg Chebbi
About this tour
Land at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport, or step out of your Casablanca hotel, and the tour starts there and finishes four days later in Marrakech. Day 1 leaves the coast behind and climbs into the Middle Atlas by way of Ifrane and the cedar forests at Azrou, stopping the night in Midelt. Day 2 follows the Ziz Valley down through Erfoud to Merzouga, where a camel takes you into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and you sleep in a luxury ensuite desert camp. Day 3 opens with a sunrise ride, then Rissani, the Tinghir palmery and Todra Gorge, ending with a night in the Dades Valley. Day 4 takes the Valley of Roses, then Skoura and Kasbah Amridil, then Aït Ben Haddou on the UNESCO list, and finally the Tizi n'Tichka Pass into Marrakech. An air-conditioned 4×4 or van is yours throughout, along with an English-speaking driver-guide, and all three nights are half-board.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 4
Casablanca - Ifrane - Azrou (cedar forest and Barbary apes) - Midelt (6h drive)
Your driver meets you either at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport or at your hotel, and the road turns southeast straight away, leaving the coast behind and climbing towards the Middle Atlas. Ifrane is the first stop, a town Moroccans call their Little Switzerland for its alpine buildings and its cooler air. Next come the cedar forests around Azrou, with photo stops among the old trees and the Barbary macaques that sit by the roadside. The day ends at Midelt, a farming town sitting in the gap between the Middle Atlas and the Sahara. Dinner and the night at a Midelt hotel, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board.
- Day 2 of 4
Midelt - Ziz Valley - Erfoud - Merzouga - sunset camel trek - luxury camp (5h drive)
After breakfast the road drops into the Ziz Valley, past date palms in their thousands, fortified kasbahs and sheer cliffs, while the country turns steadily to desert. Erfoud, known for its fossils, comes next, then Merzouga. In the evening a camel carries you over the Erg Chebbi dunes as the sun sets, and the ride finishes at the luxury camp, where your ensuite tent is private and holds real beds, quality linens, a hot shower and electricity. Dinner is Moroccan and eaten under the stars, drumming follows at the fire, and the night sky has nothing at all in the way of it.
- Day 3 of 4
Merzouga - Rissani - Tinghir - Todra Gorge - Dades Valley (4h drive)
Up before first light for the sunrise ride over the dunes on camelback, with breakfast back at camp. The first stop is Rissani, birthplace of Morocco's Alaouite dynasty, where the dates market is worth the time. On to Tinghir, where you walk the riverbank in the shade of the palms, and then into Todra Gorge, walled by 300m limestone cliffs; lunch is at the gorge. The afternoon follows the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs into the Dades Valley. Dinner and the night at a Dades Valley hotel.
- Day 4 of 4
Dades - Rose Valley - Skoura - Aït Ben Haddou - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (6h drive)
The route takes the Valley of the Roses and then Skoura, where Kasbah Amridil, restored and run as a private museum of Berber building, is open to visit, and then on to Ouarzazate. At Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed and used as a set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones, you cross the river with a guide and explore the village; lunch is nearby. The final leg takes the High Atlas at Tizi n'Tichka, 2,260m, and Marrakech comes up late in the day, where you are set down at your hotel or riad.
What's included
Included
- Air-conditioned private 4x4 or van, plus an English-speaking driver-guide, for 4 full days
- Pickup at Casablanca airport or your Casablanca hotel
- Night 1: a Midelt hotel, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
- Night 2: a luxury ensuite camp at Erg Chebbi, hot shower, half-board
- Night 3: a Dades Valley hotel, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
- Camel trek at sunset on Day 2, camel ride at sunrise on Day 3
- Delivery to your Marrakech hotel or riad at the end
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Site entrance fees, which are optional and settled on the spot
- Gratuities for your guide and driver
- Travel insurance, which we recommend
What to bring
- Light layers
- Warmer layers for the desert
- Walking shoes
- A hat
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- A small backpack for time on the camel, since the main luggage stays in the vehicle
- Long trousers or jeans for the two camel rides
Frequently asked questions
Why take the 4-day rather than the 6-day from Casablanca?
The 4-day makes straight for the Sahara and leaves out Chefchaouen, Fes and Volubilis. It suits travellers who are short on time and want the desert without the northern cities.
What is the route in full?
Casablanca, Ifrane, Azrou, Midelt for Night 1, then the Ziz Valley to the Merzouga camp for Night 2, Todra and Dades for Night 3, and finally Aït Ben Haddou, the Atlas and Marrakech.
Where is the Midelt night spent?
At a Midelt hotel with comfortable ensuite rooms, air conditioning and half-board. Midelt is the natural place to break the run between the Atlas and the Sahara.
What am I giving up by skipping Fes and Chefchaouen?
The blue lanes of Chefchaouen, the Roman ruins at Volubilis and the guided walk through the Fes Medina. Our 6-day Casablanca desert tour covers all three alongside the Sahara.
Can you collect me from Casablanca airport?
Yes. Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at Mohammed V Airport and the tour sets off for the Middle Atlas from there.
Is the camel ride comfortable?
It runs about an hour at sunset and about an hour at sunrise. Long trousers or jeans make it easier. If you would rather skip it, a 4x4 transfer to the camp costs nothing extra.
What should I pack for four days?
Light layers plus warmer ones for the desert, walking shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, plus a small backpack for time on the camel. Main luggage stays in the vehicle.
Can Fes be added to this trip?
Yes. Our 6-day Casablanca desert tour brings in Chefchaouen and Volubilis, plus two nights at Fes with a guided walk through the Medina.
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