5-Day Private Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
Overview
Discover southern Morocco on this private 5-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga. This itinerary gives you more time than a classic 3-day desert trip, making the journey more comfortable and allowing you to explore the Sahara region in depth.
The tour begins in Marrakech and crosses the High Atlas Mountains through the Tizi n’Tichka Pass. Visit Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, Ouarzazate, the Draa Valley, and traditional Berber villages before reaching Merzouga. In the Sahara, enjoy camel trekking across the Erg Chebbi dunes, sunset and sunrise views, Berber music around the campfire, and a night in a luxury desert camp with a private bathroom.
The trip also includes a full desert exploration day around Merzouga, including nomad families, Khamlia village, fossil areas, palm groves, and the Merzouga lake area. On the return journey, visit Rissani, Erfoud, Todra Gorges, Dades Valley, Rose Valley, Skoura, and Amridil Kasbah before returning to Marrakech. The source itinerary lists these main places and experiences across the 5-day route.
Included/Exclude
- Private transport in an air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle or minivan
- Fuel
- Pick-up and drop-off at your riad, hotel, accommodation, or airport in Marrakech
- Private English-speaking driver/guide
- 3 nights in excellent or luxury hotels/riads
- 1 night in a luxury desert camp
- Private bathroom in the desert camp tent
- Camel ride, one camel per person
- 4x4 transfer as an alternative to a camel ride
- 4x4 desert excursion around Merzouga
- Sandboards available at the desert camp
- Dinners and breakfasts
- Lunches
- Drinks
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Personal expenses
- Tips for driver and guides
- Optional activities not listed as included
- ATV / quad activities, if requested as an alternative desert activity
Tour Plan
Start with pickup from your accommodation or the airport in Marrakech. Travel through the High Atlas Mountains and the Tizi n’Tichka Pass, with stops for panoramic views. Continue to Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, one of Morocco’s most famous fortified villages, then travel to Ouarzazate, known as the gateway to the desert.
Overnight: Hotel or riad in Ouarzazate
Meals: Dinner and breakfast
After breakfast, visit Ouarzazate, including the Atlas Studios and Taourirt Kasbah. Continue toward Agdz and the Draa Valley, known for palm groves, kasbahs, and Berber villages. After lunch around Nkob or Alnif, continue through Rissani to reach Merzouga.
At the Erg Chebbi dunes, ride camels into the Sahara and stop to enjoy sunset from the dunes. Continue to your desert camp for dinner, Berber music, and an overnight stay under the stars.
Overnight: Luxury desert camp in Merzouga
Meals: Dinner and breakfast
Wake up early to watch sunrise over the dunes, then enjoy breakfast. Spend the day exploring the Merzouga region by 4x4. Visit desert landscapes, fossil areas, nomad families, and Khamlia village, known for Gnawa music and cultural heritage.
You may also visit palm groves and the seasonal lake of Merzouga, sometimes called Flamingos Lake. Dinner and overnight stay in Merzouga.
Overnight: Hotel or riad in Merzouga
Meals: Dinner and breakfast
After breakfast, leave the desert and visit Rissani, an important historic trading town. Continue to Erfoud, known for fossil workshops, then travel through palm groves toward Todra Gorges.
Enjoy free time to walk through the canyon before continuing to Dades Valley. Stop near the famous “Monkey Fingers” rock formations and panoramic viewpoints overlooking the valley.
Overnight: Hotel or riad in Dades Valley
Meals: Dinner and breakfast
After breakfast, travel through Rose Valley and Kalaat M’Gouna, known for rose products and the annual Rose Festival. Continue through the Skoura palm groves and visit Amridil Kasbah.
After lunch around Ouarzazate, return to Marrakech through the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi n’Tichka Pass. Drop off at your accommodation or the airport in Marrakech.
Drop-off: Marrakech