This 4 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech is a complete Sahara loop that takes you across the High Atlas Mountains to the great dunes of Erg Chebbi and back to Marrakech. Along the way you discover Kalaat M’Gouna and the Dades Valley, the Todra Gorges, a night in a desert camp at Merzouga, the market town of Rissani, the Draa Valley and Agdez, and the film city of Ouarzazate with the UNESCO Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou.
We set off from Marrakech and cross the High Atlas Mountains over the scenic Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), stopping for panoramic views over scattered Berber villages and traditional kasbahs.
We continue through Ouarzazate and Kalaat M’Gouna — the “valley of roses”, famous for its rosewater and springtime rose festival — before reaching the Dades Valley, with its striking rock formations and gorges, where we spend the night.
After breakfast we drive to the Todra Gorges, a massive canyon with 300-metre limestone walls where we stop to walk and have lunch. We then continue via Tinghir and Erfoud — known for its date palms and fossils — to reach Merzouga in the late afternoon.
Here a camel caravan takes us over the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset to our desert camp, where we enjoy a traditional dinner, music around the fire and a night under the stars.
After breakfast we leave Merzouga and drive towards Ouarzazate along a scenic desert road. We stop at Rissani, birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty, to explore its traditional market, then continue through the towns of Alnif and Tazarine and along the Draa Valley to Agdez, with its palm groves and kasbahs. In the late afternoon we reach Ouarzazate, where we spend the night.
This morning we visit the film studios of Ouarzazate and the nearby UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, one of the most beautiful fortified villages in Morocco and the setting of many famous films. Afterwards we cross the High Atlas Mountains over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with panoramic stops along the way, and arrive back in Marrakech in the evening, where the tour ends.
Is this a private tour?
Yes, all our tours are private — just you and your group with your own driver and vehicle, so the pace and stops can be adapted to you.
When do we ride the camels and sleep in the desert?
In the late afternoon of the desert day a camel caravan takes you over the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset to the camp, where you spend the night before returning the next morning.
What is the accommodation like?
You stay in traditional riads or hotels along the route and in a desert camp near Merzouga, with private tents and dinner and breakfast included at the camp.
Will we have Wi-Fi in the desert?
There is usually service in Merzouga village, but deep in the dunes it is intermittent — a great chance to unplug and enjoy the stars.
