3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour: Sahara Desert with camel ride

Three days crossing mountains, gorges and desert on one continuous route

A 3-day guided tour from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert at Merzouga takes you through the Atlas Mountains, past Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, along the Dades and Todra Gorges, and ends with a camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night under nomad tents. The tour includes two nights' accommodation (one in a local riad, one in a desert camp), two dinners, two breakfasts, all transport, a driver-guide, and camel rides at both the Merzouga dunes and on the return journey. Pickup from your Marrakech hotel is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech to Boumalne Dades

• Pick up from Marrakech accommodation
• Drive via Tichka pass to Ait Ben Haddou
• Visit Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
• Lunch break
• Drive to Ouarzazate and visit Atlas Studios
• Panoramic view of Taourirt Kasbah
• Visit Skoura palm grove and Roses valley
• Drive to Boumalne via Dades valley
• Dinner and overnight in Dades Gorges hotel

Day 2: Boumalne Dades to Merzouga Desert

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Tineghir via Boumalne with Dades Valley view
• Photo stop at Todra palm grove
• Visit Todra Gorges and walk through gorges
• Lunch
• Visit fossil museum in Erfoud Tafilalt oasis
• Drive to Merzouga Dunes
• Camel ride to Erg Chebbi dunes
• Enjoy sunset and dinner at desert camp
• Overnight in desert camp under nomad tents

Day 3: Merzouga to Marrakech via Draa Valley

• Optional early sunrise viewing
• Breakfast and camel ride to Merzouga
• Drive through Draa valley passing Rissani and Tazarine palm forest
• Lunch stop at Nkob Berber settlement
• Photo stop at Tizi n Tnifift
• Continue to Ouarzazate
• Cross High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech
• Drop off at lodging in Marrakech

The experience

The route starts at 9:00 a.m. with pickup from your Marrakech accommodation and heads south across the Tichka pass in the Atlas Mountains at 2,260 meters. You'll stop at the Telouet Kasbah, then descend into the Ounila valley to visit Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified clay settlement that stands as a symbol of Berber culture and adobe construction in southern Morocco. After lunch, the drive continues to Ouarzazate for photos at the Atlas Studios and a view of the Taourirt Kasbah before heading east through the Skoura palm grove and Roses valley to Boumalne Dades. Dinner and your first night are in a local riad at the Dades Gorges.

Day two begins after breakfast with a drive to Tineghir, stopping for views of the Dades Valley, then moving into the Todra palm grove and the Todra Gorges themselves, where you walk through the canyon before lunch. The afternoon route passes through Tinejdad and Erfoud, where you visit a fossil museum, then continues to Merzouga. Here you meet a camel guide who takes you on a ride across the Erg Chebbi dunes to watch the sunset from the sand. Dinner is served beside a campfire, and you sleep in nomad tents at the desert camp.

The final day offers an optional early rise to catch the sunrise over the dunes, followed by breakfast and another camel ride. The return journey follows the Draa valley road back toward Marrakech, passing through Rissani and the Tazarine palm forest, with a lunch stop at Nkob, a Berber settlement known for its Ait Atta tribe kasbahs. The route crosses the High Atlas again and arrives back at your Marrakech hotel by evening.

What’s included

• Two nights' accommodation in a local riad at Dades Gorges and a desert camp at Merzouga.
• two dinners and two breakfasts.
• all transport in a comfortable vehicle with fuel.
• a driver-guide in your choice of English, Spanish, French or Arabic.
• camel rides at Merzouga and on the return journey.

Information

Lasts 3d, runs every day at 09:00, from US$ 745 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish, French and Arabic and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00Another time? ›

GroupUp to 171 private ›

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and ArabicOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (18 to 77 years) · Child (6 to 17 years) · Infant (under 6): free

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Morocco Travel Links

Is this one for you?Book this if you're based in Marrakech without a car: hotel pickup and a fixed three-day itinerary get you to the Sahara and back as one complete trip.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 17 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What's included in the 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour?

The tour includes two nights' accommodation (one in a local riad at Dades Gorges, one in a desert camp at Merzouga), two dinners, two breakfasts, all transport in a comfortable vehicle with fuel, a driver-guide, and camel rides at Merzouga and on the return journey. Pickup from your Marrakech hotel is included. Lunches and drinks are not.

What happens on the second day when we reach Merzouga?

At Merzouga you meet a camel guide who takes you on a ride across the Erg Chebbi dunes to watch the sunset. Dinner is served beside a campfire at the desert camp, and you spend the night in nomad tents.

Do we visit Ait Ben Haddou on this tour?

Yes, Ait Ben Haddou is a stop on the first day. The Kasbah is a fortified clay settlement in the Ounila valley and a symbol of Berber culture and adobe construction in southern Morocco.