5-Day Sahara Tour from Marrakech with 2 Nights in the Desert
5 days · 4 nightsMarrakech → Merzouga → MarrakechEasyPrivate
Two nights in our camp in Erg Chebbi instead of one, with a free day in the dunes, and a return through the palm groves of the Draa valley.
Most tours give you one night in the Sahara. This one gives you two, and a whole day in between to live the desert without hurry: climb the Big Dune, try sandboarding, visit a nomad family or simply rest in the silence.
The way out follows the classic road of the kasbahs and the gorges; the way back takes the quieter southern route through the Jebel Saghro, the kasbahs of Nkob and the palm groves of the Draa, with a night in an oasis.
Highlights
Two nights in our desert camp
A free day in the dunes
Ait Ben Haddou, Dades and Todra
Southern route through Nkob and the Saghro
Night in a kasbah of the Draa valley
Day by day
Day 1
Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Ait Ben Haddou – Dades valley
We pick you up at your riad or hotel in Marrakech at around 7:30 and leave the red city behind, heading south-east towards the High Atlas. The road climbs through Berber villages, walnut trees and terraced fields until the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 metres, where on clear days you can see the snowy peaks of the Atlas. On the other side the landscape changes completely: dry mountains, red earth and the first kasbahs. We stop at Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified village of earth that has appeared in films such as Gladiator and Game of Thrones, and you can walk up through its narrow alleys to the old granary at the top. After lunch we continue past Ouarzazate, the 'door of the desert', and the palm grove of Skoura, with its kasbahs hidden among the palms, and through the Valley of Roses to the Dades valley. Dinner and night in a guesthouse with views of the gorge.
Day 2
Dades – Todra gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga, camel ride and night in our camp
After breakfast we drive along the Dades valley, where the river has carved the red rock into strange shapes known as the 'monkey fingers', and then towards Tinghir, a town surrounded by a huge green palm grove. Just beyond it, the Todra gorge opens: a narrow canyon with walls up to 300 metres high and a clear stream running at the bottom. You can walk inside the gorge and watch the climbers on the cliffs. We continue east across the plateaus to Erfoud, the town of dates and fossils, and then to Merzouga, where the orange dunes of Erg Chebbi appear suddenly on the horizon. In the late afternoon your camel is waiting at the edge of the dunes: you leave the big luggage in the car and ride with your cameleer for about an hour and a half, stopping on a crest for the sunset. At our camp you will find your tent with a real bed and private bathroom, a Moroccan dinner and Berber drums around the fire under a sky full of stars.
Day 3
A second day in the Sahara: free day in the dunes and second night in our camp
Today there is no car waiting for you: the whole day belongs to the desert. After the sunrise and a slow breakfast in the camp, you can climb the highest dune nearby, the Big Dune, for a view over the whole sea of sand and, on clear days, the Algerian border. Many guests choose a sandboarding session on the soft slopes, a visit to a nomad family who live with their goats and camels in the hamada, or a quad or buggy ride with our guides. Others simply rest in the shade of the lounge tent with a book and endless mint tea, listening to the silence. In the late afternoon a short camel ride takes you to a crest for another sunset, and the evening brings a new dinner cooked in the camp, drums around the fire and, if the moon allows it, a short stargazing session with your guide. Second night in your private tent with bathroom.
Wake up for the sunrise over the dunes, a moment of complete silence, then breakfast and the camel ride back to Merzouga. Today we take the southern road, less travelled and very beautiful. We pass Rissani and drive west to Alnif, where the rocks are full of trilobite fossils, and along the volcanic mountains of the Jebel Saghro to Nkob, a village with dozens of kasbahs on a hill, many of them restored as small guesthouses. In the afternoon we reach the Draa valley, the longest river in Morocco, lined for a hundred kilometres by palm trees and ancient earth villages. At Agdz we visit the kasbah of Tamnougalt, where the local chiefs once lived, and walk through the palm grove among irrigation channels and gardens. Dinner and night in a kasbah guesthouse.
Day 5
Agdz – Ouarzazate – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech
After a walk at dawn in the palm grove of the Draa, when the farmers go to water their gardens, we cross the Tizi n'Tinifift pass, with its wide views over the black mountains, and arrive in Ouarzazate. If you did not see it on the way out, we stop at Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified village of earth classified by UNESCO, and climb to its granary for the view. Then the road climbs into the High Atlas through the valley of the Ounila, with its terraces and villages of red earth, to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres. On the north side the mountains turn green, with forests of pines and junipers, walnut trees and Berber villages. We descend to the plain of Marrakech and arrive in the late afternoon at your riad or hotel, in time to enjoy the evening on the Jemaa el Fna square.
Included
Private air-conditioned vehicle
Local driver-guide
Pick-up and drop-off at your riad, hotel or airport
Nights in riads, kasbahs and guesthouses
Dinners and breakfasts
Camel ride with cameleer
Night in our desert camp in Erg Chebbi
Visit to a nomad family
Not included
Lunches
Local guides in the cities (on request)
Entrance fees to monuments
Tips
Good to know
Pick-up between 7:00 and 8:00 at your riad, hotel, airport or port. Bring a small bag for the desert night: big luggage stays in the vehicle. Hotels can be upgraded on request.
No payment is needed to book: you pay on arrival in cash (dirhams or euros). Free changes if the weather is not good.
Questions
Are the tours private?
Yes. Only your group travels in the vehicle, with your own driver, and the program can be adapted.
Where do the tours start?
Wherever you are: your riad or hotel in Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Ouarzazate, Errachidia or Essaouira, or the airport or port when you land.
Which camp do we sleep in?
In our own camp in Erg Chebbi, with private tents, bathrooms with hot shower, dinner and breakfast, and Berber music by the fire.
Can I change the itinerary?
Yes, every tour is private and flexible: add nights in the desert, a quad or buggy ride, a different finishing city or better hotels. Just tell us when you write.
