What you see and do
- Cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest main road pass in Morocco at about 2,260 m.
- Walk through Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified mud-brick village on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1987.
- Spend a night in the Dades Gorges, then walk under the 300 m walls of Todra Gorge the next morning.
- Ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and sleep in a desert camp.
- Watch sunrise from the dunes before the drive back through Nkob and the Draa side of the Anti-Atlas.
Day-by-day itinerary
3 days, about 1,148 km by road. Tap a day to open it.
Day 1Marrakech to the Dades Gorges330 km
Your driver collects you from your riad or hotel in Marrakech in the morning. Leaving early matters today, because the road over the High Atlas is slow and the best stops are in the first half of the day.
The road climbs in hairpins to the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with Amazigh (Berber) villages built in the same red earth as the slopes around them. On the far side the land dries out quickly. By late morning you reach Ait Ben Haddou, where you cross the riverbed and climb the lanes of the old ksar to the granary at the top. Entry to some of the family-run kasbah houses costs a small fee paid on the spot.
After lunch the route passes Ouarzazate and its film studios, then follows the "road of a thousand kasbahs" east through the Skoura palm grove and the Rose Valley around Kelaat M'Gouna. You arrive in the Dades Gorges in the late afternoon for dinner and the night.
Day 2Dades Gorges to Merzouga and the dunes265 km
After breakfast you drive to Tinghir and turn up into Todra Gorge. This is the easiest walk of the trip: a flat road beside a shallow river between cliffs that reach about 300 m, cool even in summer.
From there the mountains flatten into stony desert. You pass through Erfoud, known for its fossil workshops, and reach Merzouga in the afternoon, where the Erg Chebbi dunes rise straight from the flat plain to around 150 m.
You leave the main luggage with the vehicle, take an overnight bag and ride camels into the dunes for roughly an hour, timed for sunset. If you would rather not ride, ask when you enquire: most camps can also be reached by 4x4. Dinner is served at camp, usually followed by drums around the fire.
Day 3Merzouga to Marrakech by Nkob and Ouarzazate553 km
It is worth getting up before dawn to climb the nearest dune for sunrise. After breakfast you return to Merzouga and start the drive west.
The return takes a different road from the way out: through Rissani and Alnif to Nkob, a village with dozens of old kasbahs, then along the edge of the Draa Valley to Ouarzazate and back over the Tizi n'Tichka pass.
This is a long day, and you should expect to reach Marrakech in the evening. Your driver drops you at your accommodation.
Price and what changes it
This 3-day private tour costs €500 to €800 per person. Every trip is tailored, so the final price depends on your group size, hotel and camp level, and what you add.
- Group size. The vehicle and driver are a fixed cost shared by everyone in your party, so four travellers pay less each than two, and a solo traveller pays the most.
- Camp level. A standard camp is simpler and may have shared bathrooms. A luxury camp has larger tents with proper beds and a private bathroom. See desert camps in Merzouga compared.
- Hotel level in the Dades Gorges, and any extras you add such as a quad-bike session or a 4x4 transfer to camp.
Other lengths are priced on the Morocco tour cost page.
Included and not included
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for the three days
- English- or Spanish-speaking driver
- Pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech
- One night in a hotel or guesthouse in the Dades Gorges
- One night in a desert camp in Erg Chebbi
- Camel ride to or from the camp
- Breakfasts and dinners
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Tips
- Flights
Is this the right tour for you?
It suits you if
- You have exactly three days free in a Marrakech trip and want real dunes, not the stony Agafay plain.
- You are happy to trade long hours in the car for mountain and desert scenery that changes every hour.
- You want a private vehicle so you can stop for photos and set your own start times.
Think twice if
- You dislike long drives. Day three is about 550 km. The 4-day Fes to Marrakech desert tour and other 4-day routes add a full day in the desert and shorten the driving days.
- You are continuing north. The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour uses the same first two days and ends in Fes, which saves the long drive back.
- You are travelling in July or August, when afternoon temperatures in Merzouga often pass 40°C. See the best time to visit Morocco.
Places on the route
What travellers say
★★★★★
“We had a great 8 days trip and everything was very well organized.”
Questions about the 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour
Is three days enough for the Sahara from Marrakech?
Three days is the minimum for Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes, because the drive is about 560 km each way. You get one evening, one night and one sunrise in the dunes. If you can spare a fourth day, the pace is noticeably easier.
How long is the drive from Marrakech to Merzouga?
About 560 km and 9 to 10 hours of driving without stops. On this tour the outward journey is split over two days with a night in the Dades Gorges; the return is done in one long day.
Is this a shared tour?
No. Every tour on this site is private: your own vehicle and driver, with nobody else joining. Shared minibus versions of this route are sold online for less, with fixed stops and a minibus of other travellers.
Do I have to ride a camel?
No. Most camps can also be reached by 4x4. Tell us when you enquire so the right camp and transfer are arranged.
What should I pack for the night in the desert?
A small overnight bag, a warm layer (desert nights are cold from November to March), closed shoes for the dunes, a scarf for sun and sand, sunscreen and a phone power bank. Main luggage stays with the vehicle. See what to wear in Morocco.
Can the tour start or end somewhere else?
Yes. The same route can end in Fes, or start from Ouarzazate or the airport. Because the tour is private, the start point, end point and number of days can all be changed.
