Marrakech to Merzouga 3-Day Desert Tour: Camel Trekking & Camp

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/41

Duration3d

GroupUp to 100

LanguagesEN · AR +2

PickupAt your hotel

The sunrise camel trek happens on the last morning, after you've already spent a night under the stars at the camp.

A 3-day tour from Marrakech to Merzouga combines minibus travel through mountain passes and river gorges with two nights of accommodation—one in a Dades Valley guesthouse and one in a Sahara desert camp—plus camel trekking at sunset and sunrise, a traditional music party, and meals at each stop. Hotel pickup in Marrakech is included, along with visits to Kasbah Aït Ben Haddou, Dades Gorge, and Todra Gorge. You choose between a comfortable standard tent, a private premium option, or an upgrade to a luxury private tent at the desert camp.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Marrakech to Dades Gorge via Atlas Mountains

Pick up from Marrakech hotel
Drive through Atlas Mountains with coffee stop
Visit Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou and guided tour
Lunch at Ait Ben Haddou
Drive past Ouarzazate and optional studio visit
Drive along road of one thousand kasbahs to Skoura
Stop at Kelaat M'gouna (Rose Valley) café
Visit Dades Valley and Tisdrine viewpoint
Check in at Dades guesthouse
Dinner at hotel

Day 2 — Dades Gorge to Merzouga Desert Camp

Breakfast at guesthouse
Drive to Todra Gorge via Tinghir and Todra Valley
Lunch near Todra Gorge
Drive past Erfoud city
Camel trek to Merzouga desert camp
Dinner and traditional music at camp

Day 3 — Merzouga to Marrakech via Atlas Mountains

Sunrise on dunes and breakfast at camp
Morning camel trek back from dunes
Drive back towards Marrakech with stops for cafes and toilets
Lunch at Kelaat M'gouna
Scenic drive through Atlas Mountains
Arrive in Marrakech in the evening

The Experience

The tour starts with a 7:30 a.m. pickup from your Marrakech hotel or a meeting point, then heads east in a modern air-conditioned minibus toward the Atlas Mountains. You'll stop at the foothills for coffee and restrooms, then climb to the highest pass in North Africa at 2,262 meters before descending to Kasbah Aït Ben Haddou. This walled city of six structures sits where gladiators, desert nomads and ancient trading routes once converged; after a guided tour you eat lunch within the kasbah's walls. The afternoon continues through Ouarzazate—the Hollywood of Africa, backdrop for films like The Mummy and Lawrence of Arabia—then onward through Skoura's palm oases and Kelaat M'gouna, the Rose Valley, where an international festival runs each year. By evening you reach Dades Gorge, where you stay overnight at a private guesthouse with en-suite bathroom, enjoy a Moroccan dinner, and rest for the next leg.

Day two takes you through Todra Gorge, whose cliffs rise so dramatically that travelers wonder why it's not counted among the world's wonders. You pass through Tinghir and Todra Valley, stop for lunch, then continue south past Erfoud—Morocco's capital of dates and fossils—toward Merzouga. Once you arrive in the desert, you mount a camel and ride across the Erg Chebbi Dunes at sunset, reaching a Berber desert camp where you'll spend the night. Dinner and a traditional music party happen at the camp; breakfast is served the next morning.

On the final day, you wake early to ride camels again across the dunes and watch the sunrise, return to the camp for a full breakfast, then begin the long drive back to Marrakech. Stops for cafés and restrooms break up the road; lunch happens in Kelaat M'gouna at a local restaurant. The return route retraces the Atlas Mountains with occasional pauses for photos and rest, arriving in Marrakech by evening. The minibus holds a maximum of 17 passengers, and sandboards for dune skating are provided if you want to try them.

What’s included

Hotel pickup in Marrakech.
modern air-conditioned minibus with a maximum of 17 passengers.
guided visits to Kasbah Aït Ben Haddou, Dades Gorge, and Todra Gorge.
one night in a Dades Valley guesthouse with en-suite bathroom, dinner and breakfast.
one night in a Berber desert camp with dinner, breakfast and a traditional music party.
camel trekking at sunset and sunrise.
sandboards for dune skating.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Morocco Tours Traveling

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want the full Sahara experience—mountains, gorges, and desert—without arranging separate transport or accommodation; the minibus, two hotels and the camp are all coordinated, and the camel rides bookend the desert night so you see both sunset and sunrise from the dunes. If you prefer a faster route to the desert or want to skip the gorges, a shorter tour might suit you better.