Marrakech to Merzouga: 3-Day Group Desert Tour

Duration: 3 Days / 2 Nights
Tour type: Shared / Group Tours
Tour category: Desert Tours
Availability: Every day, all year, with extra daily departures at peak times: March to May, and September to November.
Languages: English, French

Overview

The classic Sahara route at a price that leaves room for the rest of your trip. Shared minibus, daily departure, and the same Erg Chebbi dunes, camel ride and desert camp.

Tour highlights

A camel trek at sunset into the Erg Chebbi dunes, where the sand stands as high as 150 m
A night at a desert camp near Merzouga, with a Moroccan dinner, Berber drumming and a sky full of stars
Sunrise camel ride back across the dunes on Day 3, then breakfast and pool access at the camp operator's Merzouga lodge
The Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, the group's crossing of the High Atlas, with photo stops on the way up
Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar, explored together, where Gladiator was filmed, along with Game of Thrones and Lawrence of Arabia
Ouarzazate, then the Rose Valley, at its most fragrant in April and May
Red rock towers in the Dades Valley and the Monkey Fingers formations
Todra Gorge, limestone walls 300 m above a riverbed you can walk along, around 45 minutes here
Erfoud and its fossil workshops, a short stop if the schedule allows it
The road home along the Draa Valley, the longest river valley in Morocco, past date palms and kasbahs
Three full days in a shared air-conditioned minibus, the driver-guide licensed and working in English and French
A small group of 6 to 17 travellers, departing daily all year round
No single supplement, so a solo traveller pays the same rate as everyone else

Route at a glance

3 Days / 2 Nights · Marrakech → Erg Chebbi

Marrakech Starting point
Merzouga
Erg Chebbi

About this tour

Three days from Marrakech out to the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga and back again, in a shared air-conditioned minibus, with a licensed driver-guide who works in English and French. Day 1 takes the Tizi n'Tichka pass over the High Atlas and drops down to Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO ksar, before carrying on through Ouarzazate and the Rose Valley to a night in the Dades Valley. Day 2 threads the Dades and Todra gorges, passes Erfoud, and reaches Merzouga in time to ride camels into the dunes at sunset and sleep out at a desert camp. Day 3 opens with a sunrise camel ride, then loops home on a different road down the Draa Valley, putting about 10 hours of driving into the day. Groups run from 6 to 17 travellers, departures go every day of the year, and there is no single supplement. Prices open at 95 EUR per person, which buys the transport, two nights of half-board and both camel treks.

Day by day itinerary

Print this itinerary

Day 01

Day 1 of 3

Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka (2,260 m) - Aït Ben Haddou - Ouarzazate - Rose Valley - Dades Valley (7h drive) / The Atlas Crossing and the Road South to Dades

Collection from Marrakech hotels and riads runs between 07:15 and 07:45. The road then bears southeast and starts to climb, terraced Berber villages and almond groves on either side, with viewpoint stops before the bus tops out on the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, the highest paved crossing in Morocco. By midday you are down at Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO ksar, and the group walks it together: earthen alleyways, the hilltop granary with the Ounila Valley spread out below, and the classic shot taken from the far bank of the river. Lunch is at a nearby restaurant facing the ksar, paid by you. The afternoon runs on through Ouarzazate, crosses the Rose Valley and drops into the Dades Valley, all gorge roads, red rock towers, and those Monkey Fingers formations. You reach the hotel in the late afternoon, with a traditional Moroccan dinner to follow. Overnight in a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley, half-board.
Day 02

Day 2 of 3

Dades Valley - Todra Gorge - Tinghir - Erfoud - Merzouga (5h drive) / Gorge Country, Then Camels into the Sahara at Sunset

Breakfast first, then deeper into the Dades Gorges before the road bends towards Todra Gorge, where limestone walls climb 300 m from a flat riverbed you can walk along. Around 45 minutes is spent here. From there the route heads southeast across stony plateau, passing Erfoud and its fossil workshops for a brief stop if there is time, until Erg Chebbi itself shows on the horizon by mid-afternoon, golden dunes standing up to 150 m high. Come evening, everyone mounts up at the edge of the sand and rides out into the Sahara at Erg Chebbi as the light goes. Dinner at the camp is traditional Moroccan, eaten with the stars out, and there is Berber drumming at the fire. Overnight at a comfortable Merzouga desert camp, a private tent with a shared bathroom block, half-board. Optional upgrade to a deluxe desert camp at a supplement of 40 EUR per person, plus an optional AC supplement of 25 EUR.
Day 03

Day 3 of 3

Merzouga - Draa Valley - Ouarzazate - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (10h drive) / Dawn on the Dunes, the Draa Valley and the Long Road Back

Up before first light, a wash at the camp, then back onto the camels for the ride across the dunes as the sun comes up over Erg Chebbi. Breakfast is at the camp operator's Merzouga lodge, with time at the pool if season and schedule allow, before the minibus sets off. The way home is not the way you came. It heads west along the Draa Valley, the longest river valley in Morocco, date palms and kasbahs the whole way, and there is a lunch stop en route which you pay for. Later it works back up into the High Atlas by way of the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with the afternoon light on it. This is a long day at the wheel, roughly 10 hours, broken up by regular stops. You reach Marrakech again in the early evening, dropped at your hotel or at the nearest point a car can reach if you are staying in a medina riad.

What's included

Included

Three full days in a shared minibus with air conditioning, and a licensed driver-guide working in English and French
Collection from your Marrakech hotel or riad (07:00-07:30) and a central drop-off at the end
1 night in a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley on half-board (dinner and breakfast)
1 night at the comfortable Erg Chebbi desert camp, in a private tent, real beds and quality linens, with a shared bathroom block, on half-board (dinner and breakfast)
Both camel treks: into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset on Day 2 and back over them at sunrise on Day 3
Breakfast and use of the pool at the camp operator's Merzouga lodge on the Day 3 morning, time and season permitting
No single supplement, so a solo traveller pays the standard per-person rate

Not included

Lunches and any extra drinks, around 8-13 EUR a lunch
Camp upgrades if you want one, the deluxe ensuite camp at +40 EUR per person or the AC deluxe tent at +65 EUR per person
The optional local guide at the kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, 3 EUR a head
Optional extras such as quad biking, settled directly with the supplier
Anything you choose to tip your driver-guide
Travel insurance, which we recommend

What to bring

Layers. Desert days are warm, but the nights turn properly cold, above all from December to February
A small daypack for the camel ride, since your main bag is left either at the lodge or on the minibus
Sturdy shoes
Sunscreen
A scarf against sun and sand
A towel
A power bank. At the comfortable camp the charging points sit in the shared areas only, and the generators go off around midnight

Good to know

Published price table: 95 EUR per person, days of operation Daily, maximum 17 participants
Prices are quoted per person and cover the shared minibus, the licensed driver-guide, 2 nights of half-board accommodation with dinner and breakfast, plus the sunset camel trek
No single supplement. You can hold a place with a small deposit and settle the balance on arrival
Camp upgrades have to be chosen at booking: deluxe ensuite camp at +40 EUR per person, AC deluxe camp at +65 EUR per person. In the Day 2 block, though, that deluxe camp supplement is given as 40 EUR per person, with the AC option added at 25 EUR. The camps are separate sites, so no upgrade can be arranged once you have arrived
Night 1 is in a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley. Night 2 is at a comfortable desert camp at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes
The tour runs the whole year. Winter nights, December to February, get seriously cold in the desert
On any given departure, about half the group will be travelling solo

Frequently asked questions

How big is a shared group?

Between 6 and 17 travellers share one comfortable AC minibus, and a licensed driver-guide stays with you across all 3 days.

Which days does it run?

Daily, all year, and extra departures are added at peak times: March to May, and September to November. Collection is from wherever you are staying in Marrakech, hotel or riad, somewhere between 07:00 and 07:30.

Does the shared tour work for someone travelling alone?

It does. Roughly half the people on any shared departure are travelling alone. A licensed driver-guide is with you throughout, the camp is secure, and you are never travelling on your own.

How does the shared tour compare with the private one?

The route is the same classic one either way. Shared means a fixed schedule, company on the road and a lower per-person price. The private version of this route gives you your own vehicle and driver plus an itinerary you can shape as you like.

What is the desert camp like?

Night 2 is at the comfortable camp at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes, in a private tent, real beds and quality linens, with a clean block of shared bathrooms a short walk from the door. Dinner and breakfast are both included, and there is Berber drumming at the campfire. Upgrades are chosen at booking: the deluxe camp (+40 EUR) brings a private en-suite bathroom with a hot shower, and the AC deluxe tent (+65 EUR) brings cooling and heating. The camps sit on separate sites, so an upgrade cannot be sorted out after arrival.

Do solo travellers pay extra?

The standard shared tour carries no single supplement. You pay the same per-person rate as everybody else and still get a room and a tent to yourself.

What should go in the bag for the camp?

Travel light and pack layers. Days are warm and nights get properly cold, above all December to February. Take a small daypack for the camel ride, because the main bag is left at the lodge or on the minibus. Add sturdy shoes, sun cream, a towel, a power bank, and a scarf to keep sun and sand off. Charging points at the comfortable camp sit in the shared areas only, and the generators cut out around midnight.

What does the price cover?

All 3 days of shared minibus transport, a driver who speaks English, 2 nights of half-board accommodation, which covers dinner and breakfast, plus the camel trek at sunset. Lunches, drinks and any optional activity are yours to pay for.

Is upgrading the desert camp possible?

Yes. The base price puts you in the comfortable camp, private tent with shared bathrooms. The deluxe camp costs 40 EUR per person and gives you a private ensuite tent with a hot shower. The AC deluxe camp costs 65 EUR per person, which buys air conditioning and heating. Pick your camp when you book, or ask to switch later over WhatsApp.

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