Overview

Departing from Marrakech: A private 3-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga. This 3 day desert trip departs daily from Marrakech and is our most popular desert tour. Designed for the traveller eager to explore deep into the Moroccan Sahara Desert and who doesn’t mind driving long but fascinating hours with plenty of comfort stops. You will have an amazing time touring the Desert and Merzouga with not a moment of boredom. The landscape changes dramatically, beginning with the fertile Haouz plains of Marrakech and the high Atlas Mountains to the oases and valleys, then on to the rocky plateaus and the unbelievable Erg Chebbi sand dunes. Just make sure you bring your camera because you’ll see sites you’ve never seen before, sites you simply couldn’t imagine in your wildest dreams!

Highlights

We’ll cross the high Atlas Mountains through the simply magnificent Tizi-n-Tichka Pass.
Be amazed as we visit the Berber village of Ait Ben Haddow, renowned for the part it played in the famous HBO series Game of Thrones and the backdrop it provided for big-screen movies like Gladiator.
We’ll pass through Ouarzazate in Rose Valley, renowned for its annual Festival of Roses, and we’ll visit Dades Valley and Todra Valley.
Then we’re going on a camel ride to see the most memorable sunrise and sunset you’ll ever experience.
We’ll spend a memorable night under Berber tents, listening to local nomads serenade us with their traditional music.
With us you will spend a night at a Berber campsite and listen to the local nomads playing their traditional music.
In the city of Ouarzazate, we’ll pass through Atlas Film Studios and visit a Kasbah.

Day 1 :

Marrakesh-Boumalen Dades

We leave Marrakech from your hotel or Riad at 7:30 am and begin our private desert tour returning three days later. After passing through the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass and the High Atlas Mountains we’ll be making several fascinating stops. We’ll pay a visit to UNESCO world heritage Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the unforgettable backdrop for many Hollywood blockbuster movies such as Gladiator, then visit Kasbah Taourirte in Ouarzazate before having a leisurely lunch. We then travel through the Valley of Roses on our way to Boumalne Dades, eventually arriving at our welcoming boutique guest house, located in beautiful grounds in Dade’s Valley.

A sumptuous dinner and welcome overnight stay will leave us excited to begin day 2 of this amazing desert tour.

Day 2 :

BoumalenDades-Merzouga

After breakfast, we’ll begin day two of our journey by traveling to Tinghir Oasis via the road 1001 Kasbahs. The ruins of the fortified villages will leave you amazed. Many commercial activities took place there, for instance it hosted the trading caravans until the early 20th century. Tinghir was originally a military post during the French colonialist occupation. After that, we deviate onto a secondary road to visit the Oases. You’ll see local farmers herding their goats as we walk down to the stream and follow it, meandering until we arrive at Todgha Gorge. After that, you will have a delightful lunch at a café. Meanwhile, your driver will take you to the holiest town in Morocco, Rissani. The founder of the Alaouites, the current royal dynasty, is also buried there (as well as being the birthplace of Hilary Clinton's grandmother!) Consequently, Rissani is renowned as the original starting point for trading caravans before making their way to Tombouctou (Timbuktu) across the desert.

We now have some rather rocky terrain to travel together on our way to Merzouga, where we meet up with our camel caravan. Now you’ll get to experience the most beautiful sunset as you enjoy a camel ride over Erg Chebbi sand dunes. After this amazing experience, we’ll return to our Berber desert camp, nestled in the dunes of the Sahara Desert.

Dinner will be a memorable affair; you’ll dine under the stars and you’ll marvel at your hosts as they entertain you with their drums, dancing and music throughout the night. Accordingly, you will wake up feeling like a desert king.

Day 3 :

Merzouga-Marrakech

We’ll start the day with a camel trek to watch an unbelievable sunrise. Then, return to enjoy breakfast at our Lodge in Merzouga. You’ll have time to freshen up before farewelling the members of your group who are leaving to return to Marrakech. It’s now time to meet the driver who will escort you to Fes, and you’ll join a group of travelers (maximum of six) as you leave for the long drive to Fez. Your journey will take you through Ziz Valley to the capital of the Tafilalt region, Errachidia.

You will enjoy a delightful lunch. Then, you’ll continue your trip across the Middle Atlas Mountains. We’ll travel through Berber towns, and we’ll arrive at Fes after driving through the Cedar forests of Imouzzar and Ifran.

Finally, your driver will complete your shared Marrakech to Fes desert tour 3 days by dropping you off at around 7.00 pm in Fes.

Frequent asked questions

Expand all

Is Morocco a Safe Destination?

Morocco has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and, compared to the US and Europe, is considered a very safe destination. Moroccan people are known for their hospitality and they will make you feel very welcomed, for more information on the topic contact us and we’ll provide you with some personal single-traveller experiences.

Is There any Dress Code for Women Visiting Morocco?

No. You may wear whatever you feel comfortable in, we only have one exception on tours of the Mosque like Hassan II. To enter you would need to dress conservatively as you would in a church (no shorts, tanks tops, etc.).

As in any country you should use direction with your attire if you want to avoid unwanted attention.

What currencies can I exchange in Morocco?

US Dollars, Sterling and Euros are readily exchangeable. We recommend you take a mixture of cash and credit cards. Scottish bank notes and Australian dollar travellers cheques and cash are NOT normally accepted in Morocco.

The form of the meeting at the airport, where?

With accurate information on the schedule of your arrival, our guide and our driver await you at the customs exit at the airport, with a sign with your name and first name. It’s always easy, this appointment. In case of concern, you can contact us by phone with our contact information noted in our emails. We are always at your disposal 24 hours a day

Can we pay the balance by check?

Travel checks are not accepted in Morocco only Cash and credit cards are accepted