Marrakech: 2-Day Sahara & Ait-Benhaddou with Camel & Camp

Two Days in the Sahara: Camel Rides & a Night Under the Dunes

You get picked up from your hotel, driven to a UNESCO fortress and a desert town, ride camels at sunset and sunrise, sleep in a Berber camp, and return to Marrakech the next evening. The whole thing (transport, meals, camel rides, and accommodation) is arranged for you, so you're not figuring out logistics in a place where the roads change every few kilometers.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech to Zagora via Kasbah and Ouarzazate

• Breakfast at hotel
• Pickup from accommodation at 7:00am
• Depart Marrakech at 7:30am
• Travel over Atlas Mountains
• Visit Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou
• Continue to Ouarzazate for lunch
• Visit Studio Cinema if possible
• Travel along Draa Valley to Zagora
• Meet camels for desert trek
• 1.5-hour camel ride to desert camp
• Dinner at Berber camp

Day 2: Zagora sunrise camel ride and return

• Berber breakfast before sunrise
• 1.5-hour camel ride at sunrise
• Return camel ride to Zagora
• Shower and prepare for departure
• Travel through Draa Valley and Atlas Mountains
• Stops for photos and lunch
• Return to Marrakech by early evening

The experience

You don't expect the Atlas Mountains to feel so close when you're driving through them at 7:30 in the morning. The minibus picks you up from your Marrakech hotel, and within an hour the city is gone: replaced by switchbacks, valleys that drop away on both sides, and the kind of quiet that makes you realize how much noise you've been living in. The drive to Ait-Benhaddou takes about three hours total, and somewhere in the middle of it you stop at the Kasbah itself, the UNESCO fortress that's been used as a film set so many times it feels familiar even though you've never been there. You get free time to walk through it, which means you can move at your own pace instead of being herded through with a group.

After lunch in Ouarzazate (a real town, not a tourist stop, where the local cafés serve whatever's ready that day), the minibus heads south into the Drâa Valley. This is where the landscape starts to change. The valley is lined with kasbahs and ksour, old fortified villages that sit in the green strip where water still flows. Then the green stops. You reach Zagora in the late afternoon, and that's when the actual Sahara begins. A 1.5-hour camel trek takes you into the dunes to the Berber camp, and if you've never ridden a camel before, your legs will remind you of it the next morning. The sunset from the back of the camel is the thing people mean when they say "desert sunset". The light goes orange, then red, then the sand cools down and everything turns quiet. Dinner at the camp is local food, eaten with other travelers or alone depending on the group that day.

You sleep in a tent at the camp, which sounds rougher than it is. The Berber hosts know what they're doing. Morning comes early: a traditional Berber breakfast before sunrise, then another 1.5-hour camel ride to watch the sun come up from the dunes. After that, you shower in Zagora and board the minibus for the return journey through the Drâa Valley and back over the Atlas Mountains. There are stops for photos and lunch along the way. You're back in Marrakech between 5 and 6 in the evening, which means you still have time to eat dinner somewhere that isn't a tent.

What’s included

Your two days include hotel pickup and drop-off, air-conditioned minibus transport over the Atlas Mountains, entry to the Kasbah Ait-Benhaddou, a stop in Ouarzazate, two camel rides (one at sunset, one at sunrise), overnight accommodation in a private Berber camp in the Zagora dunes with shower facilities, a local dinner, and a traditional Berber breakfast.

Options for this experience

2 options

Camp with a shared bathroomGuide in English, Spanish or French · 07:20Includes pickup

Camp with a private bathroomGuide in English, Spanish or French · 07:20This option is a camp with a private bathroom and also includes an upgrade of food. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 2d, runs every day at 07:20, from US$ 102 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish and French, in groups of up to 15 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:20Another time? ›

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and FrenchOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (7 to 80 years) · Infant (1 to 6 years)

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Morocco Daily Trip

Is this one for you?This works well if you want to see the Sahara and a UNESCO fortress without arranging separate transport, guides, and camp bookings: the fixed itinerary and included meals mean you're not negotiating details in a new place.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (1 to 6 years).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How early does pickup happen?

Hotel pickup is at 7:00am, and the minibus departs Marrakech at 7:30am.

What's included in the price?

Pickup and drop-off from your hotel, air-conditioned minibus transport, entry to Ait-Benhaddou, both camel rides (sunset and sunrise), overnight accommodation in a private Berber camp, dinner, and Berber breakfast.

How long are the camel rides?

Each camel ride lasts about 1.5 hours: one at sunset on Day 1, one at sunrise on Day 2.

Where do you sleep?

In a private Berber camp in the Zagora dunes. It's a tent, but the camp provides basic facilities including a shower.

What time do you return to Marrakech?

Usually between 5:00pm and 6:00pm on Day 2.

Is there time to visit the Ouarzazate film studio?

There's a stop in Ouarzazate for lunch, and the studio can be visited if time allows and filming isn't in progress that day.

What's the drive like over the Atlas Mountains?

It's scenic with switchbacks and views of the valleys below. The road is paved and the minibus is air-conditioned. The full journey from Marrakech to Ait-Benhaddou takes about three hours.

Is this suitable for people who've never ridden a camel?

Yes. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, and the camel rides are part of the standard experience.

What meals are provided?

Dinner at the camp on Day 1 and a traditional Berber breakfast on Day 2. Lunch on both days is at local cafés along the route.

Can the hotel pickup be arranged if my accommodation isn't accessible by car?

Pickup is available if your hotel is accessible by car. If it isn't, you can arrange to meet the minibus at a nearby accessible location.