3-day Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour with camel trek and camp

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/10

Duration3d

GroupUp to 18

LanguagesEN · AR +2

PickupAt your hotel

You wake in the Sahara to the silence of the desert, then ride camels back across the dunes at sunrise.

A 3-day guided tour from Marrakech through Morocco's High Atlas Mountains to the Merzouga desert in the Sahara, with camel trekking, an overnight camp stay, and visits to the UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou and Todra Gorge. The tour includes hotel pickup, a private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, two nights' accommodation (one in a hotel, one in a desert camp), and breakfast and dinner on days two and three. You choose between a standard or upgraded camp experience, and a local guide at the kasbah is available for an extra fee.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Marrakech to Tinghir via Ait Ben Haddou

Pick up from Marrakech hotel
Cross Atlas Mountains via Tizi-n-Tichka Pass
Visit Ait Ben Haddou kasbah
Lunch at Ait Ben Haddou
Coffee stop
Drive through Thousand Kasbah and Roses Valley
Overnight stay with dinner and breakfast

Day 2 — Tinghir to Merzouga Desert

Visit Todra Gorge and walk in Todra Valley
Camel ride at sunset in Erg Chabbi desert
Overnight in desert camp with dinner

Day 3 — Merzouga to Fes via Midelt and Azrou

Sunrise on dunes and breakfast at camp
Camel or 4WD ride back to Merzouga
Drive through Ziz Valley, Midelt, Ifrane, and Azrou cedar forest
Short walk and photos in Azrou
Arrive and drop off at Fes riad/hotel

The Experience

You're picked up from your Marrakech hotel and travel south across the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass—the highest in North Africa—before descending to the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou. This UNESCO World Heritage site sits on the edge of the pre-Sahara, its earthen buildings rising from the valley floor in the way they have for centuries. Lunch happens here after you've walked through the kasbah, then the drive continues east through the Roses Valley toward Tinghir, where you spend your first night in a hotel.

Day two takes you through the Todra Gorge, where the valley narrows between towering canyon walls, and then into the open desert. You arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon and mount a camel for the trek across the Erg Chabbi dunes at sunset. The camp sits deep in the sand—a cluster of Bedouin tents where you'll spend the night under the stars, eat a tagine cooked over a fire, and listen to Berber songs. Breakfast and dinner are included; the silence of the Sahara is what you came for.

On the final morning, you ride camels again at sunrise across the same dunes, watching the light change across the sand. After breakfast at the camp, you transfer by 4WD back toward Fes, passing through the Ziz Valley and stopping in Ifrane—known locally as the little Switzerland of Morocco for its alpine setting—and the cedar forest at Azrou, where you can walk among Barbary apes. You arrive in Fes in the late afternoon and are dropped at your riad or hotel.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off at your Marrakech accommodation.
private vehicle with air conditioning and an experienced English-speaking driver-guide.
two nights' accommodation (one in a hotel in Tinghir, one in a desert camp in Merzouga).
breakfast and dinner on days two and three.
sunset and sunrise camel trekking with a camel per person.
4WD transfer from and to the camp as an alternative to camels.

Operated by Morocco Tour Experience

Is this one for you?Choose the standard camp if you want the full desert experience at a lower price, or upgrade to the deluxe option for better tent comfort after a long day of travel and camel riding. The fixed itinerary and included transport mean you're not arranging vehicles, guides, or timing across three different regions—everything connects, so the day unfolds without gaps.