4 Day Desert Tour from Marrakech with Two Nights in Merzouga

Overview

Highlights

• Two nights in Merzouga, one of them in a Berber desert camp
• Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes
• Live Gnawa music in the village of Khamlia
• Rissani, the old caravan town of the Tafilalet
• Aït Benhaddou, Dades Gorge and Todra Gorge on the way
• A free afternoon to rest, sandboard or explore the dunes

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Aït Benhaddou – Ouarzazate – Dades

   We pick you up in Marrakech in the morning and head into the High Atlas. The road snakes up to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, with stops at viewpoints over terraced Berber villages. Your first big visit is Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO-listed ksar of earthen towers above a riverbed; take your time to climb to the top for the view. Continue through Ouarzazate, home of Morocco's film studios, and along the valley of the kasbahs to the Dades Valley. You reach your hotel in the late afternoon, in time to watch the light fade on the red cliffs before dinner.

   Overnight: Hotel in the Dades Valley Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Dades – Todra Gorge – Merzouga, camel trek and desert camp

   Breakfast, then a short drive to Tinghir and the Todra Gorge. Here the canyon narrows to a few meters between walls that rise up to 300 m, and you can walk the most dramatic stretch beside the stream. After lunch (not included), the landscape opens into stony desert as you drive through Tinejdad and Erfoud to Merzouga. Late in the afternoon you meet your camels and ride about an hour into Erg Chebbi. Watch the sunset from the crest of a dune, then enjoy dinner, drums and stargazing at the Berber camp, where you spend your first desert night.

   Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Merzouga: Khamlia Gnawa music, Rissani and a free afternoon

   Get up for sunrise over the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. Today has no long drive. You visit Khamlia, a small village whose families perform Gnawa music, a hypnotic style with roots in sub-Saharan Africa, and you can stay for a few songs over mint tea. Next is Rissani, once the end point of caravans from Timbuktu, with its busy souk, dates and spice stalls. The afternoon is free: nap by the pool, try sandboarding, book an optional quad ride or walk back into the dunes for a second sunset. Tonight you sleep in Merzouga again.

   Overnight: Hotel or camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Merzouga – Draa Valley – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

   An early breakfast, because this is the long drive back, about 10 hours with breaks. The route heads west across the plains through Alnif and N'Kob, a village studded with kasbahs, before following the Draa Valley and its palm groves toward Agdz and Ouarzazate. After a lunch stop (not included), you climb back over the Tizi n'Tichka pass and descend toward Marrakech, arriving in the evening. The driver drops you at or near your riad or hotel, ready for a well-earned shower and a last stroll through Jemaa el-Fna.

   Overnight: — (tour ends in Marrakech) Meals: Breakfast

Prices

US$ 236 (€210) per person

Fixed price per person in a small group (max 17 people).

Prices in euros per person. The amount in your currency is an estimate; payment is processed in USD. Some peak-season dates carry a supplement; you will see it when you pick a date.

Included

What our travelers say

See all reviews (9) →

Frequently asked questions