Skip to content

5-Day Sahara Desert Trip from Marrakech

  • Duration5 days
  • Free cancellationContact us for the conditions of this tour
  • Local driver & guidePick-up from your hotel or riad
  • Flexible itineraryPrivate dates and changes on request
  • Private Tour
  • Daily departures
  • 5 Days
  • Free Cancellation

Tour overview

This 5-day private tour is ideal if you want to see the Sahara from Marrakech without rushing. Splitting the long drive to Merzouga over two days gives you more time at each stop: Berber villages, gorges, palm groves, green valleys and centuries-old kasbahs.

Ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in a desert camp, spend a full day exploring the area, sipping mint tea with nomad families and learning about their way of life, then return to Marrakech through the Draa Valley, Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou.

Tour highlights

  • Cross the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas
  • Panoramic views and Berber villages
  • UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou
  • The Dades Valley and Todra Gorge
  • Sunset camel ride and a night in a desert camp
  • Sunrise and starry skies over Erg Chebbi
  • Visit nomad families
  • The Draa Valley

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. 1Day 1: Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of Roses – Dades
    Pick-up from your hotel or riad at 8:30. Cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), past colourful landscapes and Berber villages, to Ouarzazate. Visit Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas Film Studios before lunch. Continue through the Skoura palm grove and its kasbahs to the Valley of Roses, where Damask roses are grown for rose water and cosmetics and celebrated with a festival every May. Overnight in a hotel overlooking the Dades Valley.
  2. 2Day 2: Dades – Tinghir – Todra Gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga camel ride
    Drive through Tinghir and its Berber villages to the palm-lined Todra Valley, then walk between the 300 m pink-and-grey walls of the Todra Gorge, one of Morocco’s best-known climbing spots. After lunch in Touroug or Tinejdad, continue via Erfoud and the Tafilalet oasis to Merzouga. Ride a camel (about 1.5 hours) into the Erg Chebbi dunes, stopping for sunset and sandboarding. At camp, enjoy mint tea, dinner, a campfire and music.
  3. 3Day 3: Full day in the Merzouga area – nomads, Khamlia and the dunes
    After breakfast, explore by 4×4: the Hassi Labied oasis and its irrigation channels, the seasonal Srij lake (when there is water), Khamlia village and its Gnawa music, a nomad family for mint tea, and the old Mifis mines in this area rich in minerals and fossils. After lunch, stop at viewpoints on the way back to the village. Free afternoon, dinner and overnight in a hotel or riad in Merzouga.
  4. 4Day 4: Merzouga – Rissani – Alnif – N'Kob – Draa Valley – Ouarzazate
    Drive west, visiting Rissani’s traditional market on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cross a dry pre-desert landscape dotted with acacia trees, then follow the Draa Valley, named after Morocco’s longest river, with stops for the views. Cross the Anti-Atlas to Ouarzazate, arriving in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight in a hotel.
  5. 5Day 5: Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech
    Visit Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and the setting for films such as Gladiator and The Mummy. Cross the High Atlas again, stopping for views and lunch in the mountains, and arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon.

What's included

  • Pick-up and drop-off
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Multilingual driver
  • Hotels with breakfast and dinner
  • Night in a desert camp with breakfast and dinner
  • Camel ride
  • Sandboarding
  • Stops wherever you like along the way

Not included

  • Lunches
  • Drinks
  • Entrance fees
  • Accommodation in Marrakech
  • Tips

Prices

StandardPrivate tour
€635 per person (2 travellers)

€397.50 per person (4 travellers)

  • Private vehicle
  • Standard hotels and riads
  • Standard desert camp
Book now
LuxuryPrivate tour
€795 per person (2 travellers)

€557.50 per person (4 travellers)

  • Private vehicle
  • Luxury hotels and riads
  • Luxury desert camp
Book now

More tours

Can't find the tour you are looking for? See all our Morocco tours or contact us for a tailor-made trip.

Traveller reviews

4.8based on 3 reviews

I highly recommend the five-day desert excursion I took. It's an incredible way to experience Morocco outside of the major cities. The people who accompany you on the tour are wonderfully available, and the organisation is excellent.
Helen
I was pleased with my decision to use Morocco's Travel for my 5-day desert excursion to Merzouga. The team is very organised and quick to reply. I booked the wrong tour by mistake and noticed less than a week before my trip. Without any problems, they adjusted it, and refunded the difference. Additionally, when I had a problem with one of the hotel staff members due to his unprofessional actions, they took the situation seriously, responded promptly, apologized for his conduct, and assured me the manager would be informed of the problem. I really recommend making your travel arrangements with them!
Manal
My companion and I made travel arrangements for the five-day Sahara excursion from Marrakech. Hassan was a wonderful tour guide and patiently answered all of our inquiries about the Berber people and the region. At the foot of the Atlas Mountains, in his hometown, we shared a tasty tagine with other Berbers. I highly recommend Hassan for a fantastic cultural experience if you book with this business.
Sara

Questions before you book?

Ask us about dates, pick-up, accommodation or a private version of this tour. A local expert replies within a few hours.

Ask a question

Book online

See your price instantly and secure your date with a 15% deposit by PayPal or card.

Extra activities in the Merzouga desert
Total price€1,270
Price per person€635
Deposit to pay now€190.50
Balance on the day of the tour€1,079.50

The rest of the payment can be paid in cash or by bank transfer. Payment by PayPal or card is also possible, with an extra 5% fee.

Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the tour starts

No payment now – we confirm availability by email.

Similar tours

More trips like this one, run by our local team.

From €635 5 days

Let’s plan your Morocco trip

Tell us your dates and wishes. A local expert replies with a tailor-made itinerary and price, free of charge.