3 Days Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Merzouga & Back

Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades

Your private driver will welcome you, then you leave Marrakech for the Dades Valley. Your first stop is the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) to take some memorable photos of the amazing scenery. Then we head to the fortified city of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most spectacular ksar in all of Morocco, set on the old caravan route from the Sahara to Marrakech.

Ouarzazate – the Hollywood of Africa – is a world-renowned film-making location, from Lawrence of Arabia in the 60s to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen in 2011; you can visit the Atlas Studios (optional). After that, taking the Road of 1000 Kasbahs, we drive past colourful Berber villages to reach the Dades Valley for the overnight stay.

Total: 5 hours driving

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Dades

Dades – Todra Gorges – Merzouga

After breakfast we take the road to Tineghir with its beautiful palm grove. We continue to the Todgha Gorge, where you walk along canyon walls about 300 m high, a favourite place for mountain climbers.

Afterwards we head to the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Merzouga Sahara Desert. We arrive in Merzouga before sunset, then you ride a dromedary camel for 45–60 minutes at sunset into the Erg Chebbi dunes to camp overnight in your luxury bivouac tent.

Total: 4 hours driving

Overnight at a luxury desert camp in Merzouga

Merzouga – Marrakech

After breakfast in Merzouga, you head back toward Marrakech, crossing stunning landscapes: desert scenery, small villages, palm groves and dramatic mountains. The landscapes gradually shift from the golden dunes of the Sahara to rocky valleys and the rugged Atlas Mountains.

We stop several times to stretch, take photos and enjoy the view. As you approach Marrakech, the scenery becomes greener and the atmosphere changes once again, closing your three-day journey from the Red City to the Sahara and back.

Total: 7 hours driving