Local desert team · Marrakech
Camel rides, a night in the Merzouga or Zagora dunes, and the road over the Atlas. 2 to 15 days from Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca or Tangier.
Trip planner
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We can run any of these routes as a private tour on the day you choose, or you can join a shared small-group departure. How many days you need comes down to one thing, really: how far you're willing to drive to reach the dunes.
3 days · Marrakech → Marrakech
Our most booked trip. Over the Tichka pass, through Aït Ben Haddou and the Todra gorge, and a night at the foot of the big Erg Chebbi dunes.
Where you sleep: Dades valley (1) → Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1)
2 days · Marrakech → Marrakech
For when you only have two days. You follow the palm groves of the Draa valley and spend one night in a camp near Zagora.
Where you sleep: Desert camp, Zagora (1)
4 days · Marrakech → Marrakech
Same dunes, less time in the car. You get room to walk in the gorges and a whole afternoon out in the sand.
Where you sleep: Dades valley (1) → Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1) → Ouarzazate (1)
3 days · Marrakech → Fes
A one-way trip across Morocco. You go in past the kasbahs of the south and come out through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas.
Where you sleep: Dades valley (1) → Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1)
3 days · Fes → Marrakech
The same crossing the other way round. A good fit if you land in Fes and fly home from Marrakech.
Where you sleep: Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1) → Dades valley (1)
2 days · Fes → Fes
Staying in Fes? This one goes to Merzouga and back: Ifrane, the Ziz valley and a night in the dunes.
Where you sleep: Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1)
When people ask us about desert tours, this is usually the real question. Both places are proper desert, but the trips feel very different.
Destinations
Thirteen places our drivers know down to the last bend. Each card opens a practical guide: distances, how much time to allow and which of our tours go there.
Three things you can fit around a few days in Marrakech.
Marrakech, Fes or anywhere else. We'll suggest a route that suits the days you have.
A 20% deposit confirms your booking. Before you leave, we send you the pickup time and your driver's name.
If you're staying in the medina, we meet you at the closest spot a car can get to and walk you over.
The itinerary is a plan, not a script. Want a photo, a glass of tea or a walk round a village? Just ask your driver.
Big booking platforms often hand your tour to a local operator anyway. Book with us and you deal directly with the people who plan the route, drive the car and put up the camp.
Rated 4.9/5 by 64 travellers on Tripadvisor.
Read all reviews on TripadvisorFor the big dunes at Merzouga, three days is the minimum and four is more relaxed, because it's about 560 km each way. If you only have two days, go to Zagora. With just one day, the Agafay desert near Marrakech gives you a feel for the landscape, though without the big dunes.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) give you warm days and mild nights. Winter is sunny, but desert nights can get close to freezing, and in summer it's often over 40 °C during the day. Our guide to a night in the Sahara goes month by month.
On a private tour, the vehicle and driver are just for you. You pick the date, the pace and where to stop. A small-group tour follows a fixed itinerary and costs less because you share the transport. It leaves every day, with 17 travellers at most. Private tours are priced per group: €175 a day for your vehicle and driver, plus €40 per person per night for accommodation. For 2 travellers on the 3-day Merzouga tour, that's €685 in total (€343 per person).
Yes, the 3-Day Sahara Crossing from Marrakech to Fes does just that, and the 3-Day Sahara Crossing from Fes to Marrakech goes the other way. Both include a night in the Merzouga dunes.
No. The camel ride to camp is optional. We can take you there by 4x4, or you can walk in alongside the caravan. Just tell us when you book.
A real person answers on WhatsApp or by email, usually the same day.
