Zagora and Merzouga: 4-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech

Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights
Tour type: Private Tours
Tour category: Desert Tours
Availability: To be confirmed by MTT operations. No fixed departure calendar is published. We confirm availability inside 24 hours of your enquiry, and enquiring needs no deposit.
Languages: English, French, Spanish

Overview

Two deserts in four days. Zagora's palm valley first, then the volcanic Anti-Atlas road through Tazarine and Alnif to Merzouga, where the camp has real beds and a hot shower.

Tour highlights

Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga as the sun sets
A luxury ensuite desert camp for Night 2: real beds, quality linens, a hot shower, a private tent and Berber drumming
The volcanic Anti-Atlas by road through Tazarine and Alnif, fossil and trilobite country
Camel ride back over the dunes at sunrise
Morocco's longest river valley, the Draa, running over 200km past palm groves and kasbahs
Overnight in Zagora at a hotel with ensuite rooms, air conditioning, a pool and a garden
Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed and used as a set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones
Todra Gorge and its 300m limestone cliffs, reached through the Tinghir palm oasis
The Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260m over the High Atlas Mountains
The Valley of the Roses and a rose water cooperative at Kalaat M'Gouna
Kasbah Amridil in the Skoura oasis
The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs running into the Dades Valley
Rissani, where the Alaouite dynasty began
The Taourirt Kasbah at Ouarzazate
Air-conditioned 4x4 or van, private to your group, with an English-speaking driver-guide

Route at a glance

4 Days / 3 Nights · Marrakech → Merzouga

Marrakech Starting point
Merzouga

About this tour

Two desert regions in four days, on a private loop that leaves Marrakech and returns to it. Day 1 climbs over the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass, pauses in Ouarzazate and then tracks the Draa Valley south to Zagora. Day 2 turns east through the volcanic Anti-Atlas via Tazarine and Alnif to Merzouga, where a camel carries you into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and the night is spent in a luxury ensuite desert camp. Days 3 and 4 head back the other way: Rissani first, then Tinghir and its oasis, the Todra Gorge, a night in the Dades Valley, the rose fields, Skoura, and last of all the UNESCO ksar at Aït Ben Haddou before the final climb over the Atlas. An air-conditioned 4×4 or van with an English-speaking driver-guide is yours alone for the whole four days, and the price carries collection and return at your Marrakech hotel, three nights on half-board (a Zagora hotel, the Erg Chebbi luxury camp, a Dades Valley hotel) and both camel rides.

Day by day itinerary

Print this itinerary

Day 01

Day 1 of 4

Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka - Ouarzazate - Draa Valley - Zagora (7h drive)

Over the High Atlas to Ouarzazate, then down the Draa to Zagora

We collect you at 07:30. The road runs southeast into the High Atlas and over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260m, pausing for photographs at Berber villages on the climb. In Ouarzazate you visit the Taourirt Kasbah; lunch is at leisure. From there the route turns south into the Draa, the longest river valley in Morocco: over 200km of henna, barley and corn growing beneath date palms and fortified kasbahs. You reach Zagora and check into a hotel with ensuite rooms, air conditioning, a pool and a garden. Dinner and the night there on a half-board basis. A comparable Zagora property may be used instead, again with dinner and breakfast.
Day 02

Day 2 of 4

Zagora - Tazarine - Alnif - Erfoud - Merzouga - sunset camel - luxury camp (6h drive)

Across the volcanic Anti-Atlas and into Erg Chebbi at sunset

Breakfast, then east into the volcanic ranges of the Anti-Atlas. Dark rock, lunar ground, horizons that go nowhere. The road passes isolated oases and the village of Tazarine before lunch is taken at Alnif, an oasis known locally for its fossils and trilobites. Erfoud comes next, then Merzouga in the late afternoon. You climb onto a camel and ride out over the Erg Chebbi dunes as the sun drops, arriving at the luxury ensuite camp: a private tent with real beds, quality linens and a hot shower. Moroccan dinner under the stars, Berber drumming afterwards. The night is spent at the Merzouga luxury camp, half-board.
Day 03

Day 3 of 4

Merzouga - Rissani - Tinghir - Todra Gorge - Dades Valley (4h drive)

Sunrise on the dunes, then Rissani, Todra Gorge and the valley of kasbahs

Up before dawn for the sunrise camel ride over the dunes, with breakfast back at camp afterwards. The drive goes first to Rissani, where Morocco's Alaouite dynasty began, then to Tinghir, where you walk the riverbank under the palms. Todra Gorge follows, its limestone walls rising 300m from the flat riverbed; lunch is at the gorge. The afternoon belongs to the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs into the Dades Valley, with the light going down over the fortified villages. Dinner and overnight at a Dades Valley hotel, half-board. An alternative Dades Valley hotel can be used instead for a supplement of 40 EUR per person, dinner and breakfast included.
Day 04

Day 4 of 4

Dades - Rose Valley - Skoura - Aït Ben Haddou - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (6h drive)

Roses, Skoura, the UNESCO ksar and the last crossing of the pass

The morning belongs to the Valley of the Roses, with a stop at Kalaat M'Gouna and a rose water cooperative distilling essential oils and perfumes. Next comes the Skoura oasis and Kasbah Amridil. The road carries on to Ouarzazate and then to Aït Ben Haddou, UNESCO-listed and familiar from Gladiator and Game of Thrones; you cross the river with a guide to walk the ksar, and lunch is nearby. In the afternoon you recross the High Atlas at Tizi n'Tichka, reaching Marrakech late in the day and stepping out at your hotel or riad.

What's included

Included

Air-conditioned private 4x4 or van, plus your own English-speaking driver-guide, for 4 days
Pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Marrakech
Night 1: a Zagora hotel, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
Night 2: a luxury ensuite desert camp at Erg Chebbi, hot shower, half-board
Night 3: a Dades Valley hotel, ensuite room with air conditioning, half-board
Both camel rides: sunset on Day 2
sunrise on Day 3

Not included

Lunches and drinks
Site entrance fees, settled on the spot
Gratuities for your driver-guide
Travel insurance, which we recommend

What to bring

Light layers
Warmer layers for the desert
Comfortable shoes
A hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Jeans for the camel ride
A small backpack for the night at camp

Good to know

Prices per person, by group size, all verified in March 2026:
1 person: 895 EUR per person
2 people: 495 EUR per person
3 people: 425 EUR per person
4 people: 385 EUR per person
5 people: 365 EUR per person
6 people: 325 EUR per person
7-9 people: 305 EUR per person
10-13 people: 295 EUR per person
14-17 people: 265 EUR per person (best value, and the source of the advertised "from 265 EUR" figure)
Night 3 can be moved to an alternative Dades Valley hotel for a supplement of 40 EUR per person. At Erg Chebbi the luxury ensuite camp forms part of the standard package, not a paid upgrade
Two comparable Zagora properties can serve as alternatives on Night 1, both half-board
The camel ride is optional. A 4x4 will run you to the camp instead, at no extra cost
The itinerary can be tailored. Stop lengths stretch, activities go in, the route bends

Frequently asked questions

How does this compare with the standard 4-day run to Merzouga?

This one drops south first, to Zagora and the Draa, and only then swings east over the Anti-Atlas to Merzouga. The standard four-day itinerary runs east by way of Dades. Two desert regions plus the volcanic Anti-Atlas make for a more varied route.

What is the Anti-Atlas crossing actually like?

Volcanic, and dark. Black rock, lunar ground and isolated oases, with Tazarine and Alnif along the way; Alnif is known for its fossils. It ranks among the most dramatic drives in the country.

Why start with Zagora?

Going south first puts the Draa Valley on Day 1, then the volcanic Anti-Atlas and Erg Chebbi at sunset on Day 2. Three completely different landscapes inside 48 hours.

Is the luxury camp part of the price?

It is. At Erg Chebbi you sleep in the luxury ensuite camp as standard, with a private tent, real beds, quality linens and a hot shower.

What exactly is the Draa Valley?

The longest river valley in Morocco. Between Ouarzazate and Zagora it runs more than 200km, all date palms, fortified kasbahs and traditional farming.

Is the camel ride optional?

Yes. If you would rather not ride, a 4x4 takes you to the camp at no extra cost.

What should I pack?

Light layers plus warmer ones for the desert, comfortable shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Jeans are the sensible choice on the camel, and pack a small backpack for the night at camp.

Can the itinerary be changed?

Yes. Stops can run longer, activities can go in, the route can bend. Tell us what you have in mind.

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