Zagora Desert Tour from Marrakech: Camel Trek & Ait Ben Haddou

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1/22

Duration2d

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN · FR +1

Mobile ticketAccepted

You ride a camel at sunset and sleep under the stars in the Sahara, then watch the dunes light up at dawn.

This two-day guided tour departs Marrakech and crosses the High Atlas Mountains to reach the Zagora Desert, where you ride camels at sunset and sunrise, explore the UNESCO-listed clay buildings of Ait Ben Haddou, and spend a night in a desert camp with traditional Moroccan dinner and Berber music. The route includes the Draa Valley on both legs, with a professional driver speaking English, French or Spanish, and all meals, transport and camel rides included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Marrakech to Zagora Desert

Depart Marrakech early morning
Drive through High Atlas Mountains
Cross Tizi n’Tichka pass
Explore Ait Ben Haddou Village
Have lunch with ksar view
Continue to Zagora via Draa Valley
Camel ride at sunset in desert
Settle into desert camp tent
Enjoy traditional Moroccan dinner
Experience Berber music and dance

Day 2 — Zagora Desert to Marrakech

Watch sunrise over desert dunes
Have breakfast at camp
Return by camel or 4×4
Meet driver for return journey
Stop for photos and refreshments
Have lunch en route
Drive through Draa Valley and High Atlas
Arrive in Marrakech late afternoon
Drop off at accommodation

The Experience

The drive out of Marrakech starts early and climbs through the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the Tizi n'Tichka pass with views of Berber towns and terraced farmlands. By mid-morning you reach Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site built from clay and earth, with streets and kasbahs that have stood in for ancient Rome and biblical settings in films. A local guide walks you through the village, then you have lunch overlooking the ksar before continuing south through the Draa Valley, lined with traditional adobe towns and date palms. The landscape shifts as you approach the desert.

In the late afternoon, you mount a camel for a ride across the Zagora dunes at sunset. The camp sits in the desert itself—a private tent where you spend the night. Dinner is traditional Moroccan food cooked on-site, eaten under the stars with Berber music and dance. You wake before dawn on day two to ride out again and watch the sun rise over the dunes, a different light on the same sand you crossed the evening before.

After breakfast and a final camel ride, you return to the 4×4 for the drive back to Marrakech. The return route retraces the Draa Valley and High Atlas with photo stops, refreshments and lunch included. You arrive at your accommodation by late afternoon or evening. The whole tour—transport, both camel rides, meals, the desert camp, and a guide at Ait Ben Haddou—comes as one package, so there is nothing to arrange separately once you book.

What’s included

Round-trip transport from Marrakech in an air-conditioned vehicle.
a professional driver speaking English, French or Spanish.
a local guide at Ait Ben Haddou.
camel rides at both sunset and sunrise with one camel per person.
one night in a desert camp tent.
breakfast, lunch and dinner.
and traditional Moroccan dinner with Berber music and dance under the stars.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Imperial Trail Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the shared tour if you want to meet other travelers and keep the cost lower, or pick the private vehicle or private tour option if you prefer to travel with only your group and set your own pace through the mountains and desert. Luxury tent accommodation is available on any option for a more comfortable night in the Sahara.