Marrakech to Merzouga: 4-Day Sahara Desert Tour with Camel Trek

Sleep in the Sahara, ride camels at sunrise and sunset, cross the Atlas on Africa's highest road.

This four-day guided tour departs Marrakech for the Sahara Desert at Merzouga, crossing the Atlas Mountains and visiting UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou, Todra Gorge, and Dades Gorge before a night under stars in a traditional Bedouin camp with camel treks at sunset and sunrise. Hotel pickup is included, and your English-speaking guide leads the entire route. Lunches and drinks are at your own cost. An optional local guide at Ait Ben Haddou costs €2 per person.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech to Tinghir via Atlas Mountains

• Pick up from accommodation
• Cross Tizi-n-Tichka Pass
• Stop for photos and coffee
• Visit Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou with guide
• Lunch at local cafe
• Drive through Ouarzazate and Rose Valley
• Dinner and overnight in Dades or Tinghir

Day 2: Tinghir to Merzouga Desert

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit Todra Gorges with local guide
• Drive through Tinjdad, Jorf, and Erfoud
• Relax in Merzouga
• Camel trek to desert camp
• Watch sunset on dunes
• Dinner and overnight in Berber tents

Day 3: Merzouga to Dades Valley

• Watch sunrise over Sahara
• Camel trek back to Merzouga
• Shower and breakfast at camp (if available)
• Drive through palm groves to Tinghir
• Lunch in Kelaat M'gouna
• Visit Dades Gorges
• Dinner and overnight in Dades Valley

Day 4: Dades to Marrakech via Atlas Mountains

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive through Dades and Ouarzazate
• Cross Tizi N’ Tichka Pass
• Stop for photos and scenery
• Lunch at leisure
• Arrive in Marrakech by afternoon

The experience

The tour starts early from your Marrakech accommodation with a drive south through the Atlas Mountains. You'll cross Tizi-n-Tichka, the highest road in North Africa at 2,260 meters, with stops for photos and coffee as the landscape shifts from green valleys to arid plateaus. The first major stop is Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified Berber village and UNESCO World Heritage Site that has served as the backdrop for films like Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. A local guide is available here for €2 if you want the history of the kasbah's clay architecture and narrow passageways. After lunch in one of the local cafes, you continue through Ouarzazate and the Rose Valley (Klaa Mgouna, famous for its rose water distilleries), before settling into your accommodation in either Dades or Tinghir.

Day two takes you deeper into the desert. After breakfast, you head toward Merzouga, passing Berber villages and the Jewish kasbah of Mellah, then walk through palm groves in the shade before visiting Todra Gorge with a local guide. The canyon walls rise dramatically on either side, and the oasis below stays cool year-round. You'll stop in Tinjdad for lunch, then continue to Erfoud and finally Merzouga. Once you arrive at the Erg Chebbi dunes, you have time to rest before the evening camel trek. You ride out to watch the sunset over the sand, then spend the night in a private tent at a traditional Berber camp, where dinner and breakfast are provided. The camp runs on nomadic rhythms: drums play in the evening, and you sleep under open sky.

Day three begins before dawn. You mount your camel again to watch the sunrise paint the dunes, then return to the camp for breakfast and a shower if the camp offers it. The ride back heads north through the palm grove toward Dades Valley, stopping at Tinghir and its spectacular oasis before lunch in Kelaat M'gouna. In the afternoon you visit Dades Gorge, where red and ochre cliffs frame the valley floor, then climb back into the High Atlas toward Khmis Dadès for your final night in a hotel or kasbah. The last morning is the return to Marrakech: you depart at 7:30 a.m., wind back over Tizi-n-Tichka with stops for scenery and photography, and arrive by late afternoon. Lunch on this final day is at your own pace.

What’s included

• Transport in a modern, air-conditioned vehicle for all four days.
• hotel or riad pickup in Marrakech.
• one camel each for sunset and sunrise treks through the Erg Chebbi dunes.
• three nights' accommodation in hotels, riads, or kasbahs with half-board (breakfast or dinner).
• one night in a private tent at a traditional Bedouin camp with dinner and breakfast.
• an English-speaking guide throughout the tour.

Options for this experience

2 options

Four-day tour with a standard tentGuide in English · 07:00Standard accommodation: comfortable hotels in the Dades Valley and a standard Merzouga desert camp, with dinner, breakfast, and shared bathroom facilities. 4x4 and quad: optional activities such as a 4x4 desert transfer, quad biking, local guided visits, and additional excursions are available. Standard private: private accommodation in comfortable hotels in the Dades Valley and a private standard tent in Merzouga, with dinner, breakfast, and shared bathroom facilities. Duration: 4 days. Meals and drinks: dinner and breakfast are included; lunches, drinks, and other beverages are not included. Four-day Marrakech to Merzouga itinerary: Marrakech, Aït Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Dades, Todra Gorge, Merzouga, camel trek, desert camp, then return to Marrakech. Air-conditioned minivan: a comfortable air-conditioned minivan with a professional driver, offering a smooth and relaxing journey throughout your four-day trip. Air-conditioned minivan: air-conditioned minivan with a professional driver, covering Marrakech, Dades, Todra Gorge, Merzouga and the return. Pickup is included

Four-day tour with a luxury tentGuide in English · 07:00Luxury tent accommodation: three nights, two in Dades Valley hotels or guesthouses and one in a private luxury Merzouga tent with a private bathroom. 4x4 and quad: optional 4x4 transfer, quad biking, and guided visits are available during the tour at an additional cost. Duration: 4 days. Meals and drinks: dinner and breakfast are included throughout the tour; lunches and drinks are not included. Tour with luxury tent: a four-day Sahara trip from Marrakech to Merzouga including Dades, Todra Gorge, a camel trek, and a private luxury desert tent with bathroom. Pickup is included

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

Before you book

Lasts 4d, runs every day at 07:00, from US$ 181 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (11 to 90 years) · Under 11: can't be booked

GroupUp to 60

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

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 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Desert Family Tour

Is this one for you?Choose the Luxury Tent option if you want more comfort at the Bedouin camp. Choose the standard Sahara Desert Tour if you prefer a simpler setup. Either way, the fixed itinerary and included transport mean you're not arranging rides between towns or negotiating with camel handlers: the route, the camels, and the camp are all part of the booking.

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Top questions

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.

What is Ait Ben Haddou and why do people visit it on this tour?

Ait Ben Haddou is a fortified Berber village and UNESCO World Heritage Site built from clay and stone, famous as the filming location for Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. The tour includes a visit to explore its walled maze of stalls and kasbah architecture. A local guide is available for €2 per person if you want detailed history.

Do I ride a camel on both days in the desert, or just one?

You ride a camel twice: once at sunset on day two when you arrive at the Erg Chebbi dunes, and again at sunrise on day three before returning to the camp. Each rider gets one camel for both treks, and the rides are included in the tour price.

What is the Todra Gorge like, and how much time do you spend there?

Todra Gorge is a dramatic canyon with towering rock walls and a palm oasis that stays cool year-round. You visit it on day two with a local guide after leaving Tinghir, walking through the shade of the palms before continuing toward Merzouga.

Is hotel pickup from my Marrakech accommodation included in the price?

Yes, pickup from your Marrakech hotel or riad is included. The tour departs early in the morning, and the driver will collect you from your accommodation or the nearest accessible location.

What meals are included, and what do I pay for separately?

Dinner and breakfast are included at the Bedouin camp on night two, and half-board accommodation (breakfast or dinner) is included at your hotels, riads, or kasbahs on nights one and three. Lunches throughout the tour and all soft drinks are at your own cost.

How high is Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, and why is it significant?

Tizi-n-Tichka rises to 2,260 meters above sea level and is the highest road in North Africa. You cross it on the first day heading south from Marrakech, with multiple stops for photography as the views across the Atlas Mountains unfold.