Tassili Luxury Desert Camp at dusk, with the tents lit up

Private tour · 5 days

5-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga

A private 5-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga, round trip, with two nights in the Sahara. We cross the High Atlas via Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades Valley and the Todra Gorge to the dunes, spend two nights at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp and return through the Draa Valley and Ouarzazate, in a private air-conditioned 4x4 with a local driver.

Tassili Luxury Desert Camp at dusk, with the tents lit up

Tour highlights

  • The High Atlas over Tizi n’Tichka and the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou
  • A sunset camel ride and the first night at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp
  • A full day in the Sahara: Khamlia, the nomads and sandboarding
  • The palm groves and kasbahs of the Draa Valley
  • Atlas Studios, if you like, and the drive back over the High Atlas

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. Day 1 · Marrakech · High Atlas · Ait Ben Haddou · Valley of Roses · Dades Valley

    We pick you up from your accommodation in Marrakech at around 8:30. We cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, 2,260 metres up, with several stops to take in the scenery and take photos. Then on to Ait Ben Haddou, the earthen ksar and UNESCO World Heritage Site, which you explore on foot. We carry on towards the Valley of Roses, through Berber villages and kasbah country, and reach the Dades Valley in the late afternoon. Night in a comfortable hotel in the valley, with dinner and breakfast.

    Night: Dades Valley

  2. Day 2 · Dades Valley · Todra Gorge · Erfoud · Merzouga

    After breakfast we head to the Todra Gorge, one of Morocco’s most striking natural sights, with time to explore it at the foot of its towering limestone walls. We continue through villages and desert landscapes towards Erfoud and Merzouga. On arrival, a sunset camel ride across the dunes to Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, a quiet camp in Erg Znaigui, near the Erg Chebbi dunes (if you prefer, the transfer is by 4x4). The luxury tents have comfortable beds, a private bathroom, a hot shower and heating. In the evening, a Moroccan dinner and live Berber music around the campfire, under the stars.

    Night: Tassili Luxury Desert Camp

  3. Day 3 · A full day in the Sahara · private 4x4 excursion

    Up early for sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, a private 4x4 excursion around Merzouga: the village of Khamlia, known for its Gnawa music, a nomad family, oases, Berber villages and desert landscapes, for a close look at life in the Sahara. In the afternoon, free time at the camp: sandboarding on the dunes or a walk among them. Quad bikes or buggies can also be arranged, at an extra cost. In the evening, another Moroccan dinner and the stillness of the desert.

    Night: Tassili Luxury Desert Camp

  4. Day 4 · Merzouga · Rissani · Alnif · Draa Valley · Ouarzazate

    After breakfast we say goodbye to the Sahara and set off for Ouarzazate. We pass through Rissani, a historic town known for its market and heritage, and continue via Alnif and the landscapes of southern Morocco to the Draa Valley, with its palm groves, traditional villages and kasbahs. We stop along the way to enjoy the scenery. Arrival in Ouarzazate in the late afternoon or early evening. Night in a comfortable hotel, with dinner and breakfast.

    Night: Ouarzazate

  5. Day 5 · Ouarzazate · Atlas Studios (optional) · High Atlas · Marrakech

    After breakfast, if you like, you can visit the Atlas Film Studios, where many international films and series have been shot. The visit is optional and the entrance fee is not included. Then we head back to Marrakech over the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with panoramic views, Berber villages and stops for photos. Arrival in Marrakech in the late afternoon or early evening, where we drop you at your accommodation. End of the 5-day Sahara desert tour.

Winding road climbing to the Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas mountains
The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou on its hillside, with palm trees and the riverbed in the foreground
The hairpin road winding down through the Dades Gorges
Towering rock walls on both sides of the path through the Todra Gorge

What’s included

Included

  • Private air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle for the whole tour
  • Experienced local driver
  • Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech
  • Fuel and transport costs
  • 1 night in a comfortable hotel in the Dades Valley
  • 2 nights at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, in a luxury tent with private bathroom
  • 1 night in a comfortable hotel in Ouarzazate
  • Daily breakfast and 4 dinners
  • Sunset camel ride across the dunes
  • Private 4x4 excursion around Merzouga
  • Berber music at the camp
  • Sandboarding on the dunes
  • 4x4 transfers to and from the camp

Not included

  • Flights to and from Morocco
  • Lunches and drinks
  • Entrance fees to monuments, attractions and Atlas Studios
  • Local guides at historical sites
  • Quad biking and buggies (optional)
  • Personal expenses and tips
  • Travel insurance

Places along the route

Aït Ben Haddou

This earthen ksar, built on a hillside above the Ounila river, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Its mud-brick houses and towers, linked by lanes climbing to an old granary, have appeared in many films. Crossing the river and walking to the top rewards you with one of the south’s most photogenic views.

Dades Valley and Gorges

The Dades Valley opens out between the High Atlas and Jebel Saghro, lined with earthen kasbahs, small fields and strikingly shaped rock formations. Further up, the road squeezes into a gorge and climbs in tight hairpin bends to a well-known viewpoint, an ideal spot to stop and take in the scale of the landscape.

Todra Gorge

Near Tinghir, the Todra river has carved a narrow canyon between limestone walls that rise almost vertically. Walking along the floor of the gorge, beside the stream and beneath those cliffs, is genuinely awe-inspiring, and the valley leading up to it is dotted with palm groves and mud-brick villages.

Erg Chebbi Dunes

Erg Chebbi is the great sea of orange sand dunes rising beside Merzouga, on the edge of the Moroccan Sahara. At sunrise and sunset the light shifts colour across the ridges, making it the perfect place to walk barefoot on the sand, ride a camel or simply soak up the silence.

Khamlia

Khamlia is a small village near Merzouga known for its Gnawa community, descendants of people from sub-Saharan Africa. Here you can listen to their music, built on the guembri, metal castanets called qraqeb and call-and-response singing, over a glass of mint tea. It is a warm, close-up introduction to a musical tradition deeply rooted in Morocco.

Draa Valley

The Draa is Morocco’s longest river, and its valley forms a long ribbon of date palms between Agdz and Zagora. Along the road you pass mud-brick ksour and kasbahs, gardens watered by irrigation channels and bare mountains behind, a contrast that sums up life in the south better than almost anywhere.

3, 4 or 5 days from Marrakech?

All three start and end in Marrakech. The 3-day tour spends one night in the desert and drives back to Marrakech in a single day; the 4-day tour adds one more night on the road. The 5-day tour is the only one with two nights in the Sahara, at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, and a full day for the 4x4 excursion to Khamlia, the nomads and the dunes.

Is this the tour for you?

It’s a tour for travelling at an easy pace: with two nights in the Sahara there is real time for the desert, Berber culture and the dunes. We are a local company from Merzouga with experienced drivers, and we tailor the tour to your interests, whether you are travelling as a couple, with friends or as a family.

The night in the desert

Both desert nights are at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, our own company’s luxury camp in Erg Znaigui, near the Erg Chebbi dunes and about 20 minutes from the centre of Merzouga: a quiet spot, away from the area where most camps are clustered.

The tents have comfortable beds, a private bathroom, a hot shower and heating. You arrive by camel at sunset or, if you prefer, by 4x4. In the evening, a Moroccan dinner and live Berber music by the fire, and the next morning, sunrise over the dunes.

Berber guide leading three travellers on camels across the dunes

Distances and driving times, day by day

Day 1, Marrakech to the Dades Valley: about 340 kilometres, around 6 to 7 hours of driving, not counting stops.

Day 2, Dades to Merzouga via the Todra Gorge and Erfoud: about 300 kilometres, around 5 hours.

Day 3, no long drives: a 4x4 excursion around Merzouga.

Day 4, Merzouga to Ouarzazate via Rissani, Alnif and the Draa Valley: about 360 kilometres, around 6 to 7 hours.

Day 5, Ouarzazate to Marrakech over the Tizi n’Tichka pass: about 200 kilometres, around 4 hours, plus the optional Atlas Studios visit.

It is a private tour: we stop for photos, lunch or a stretch whenever you like.

Make it yours

As the tour is private, the itinerary can change: start on another day, add or drop a night, or finish in a different city. These are the most requested options:

How to book

Message us on WhatsApp or by email with your dates, how many you are and where you are starting from. We reply with a proposal, a fixed price and what it includes, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions

What time is pick-up and when do we get back?

We pick you up from your accommodation in Marrakech at around 8:30 on the first day. On day five we reach Marrakech in the late afternoon and drop you at your accommodation.

Why two nights in the desert?

Because then the desert is not just a stop: there is a full day for the 4x4 excursion to Khamlia, the nomads and the oases, for sandboarding and for sunset and sunrise without rushing. Shorter tours spend a single night.

What is the camp like?

Both nights are at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, our own company’s luxury camp in Erg Znaigui, near Erg Chebbi. The tents have comfortable beds, a private bathroom, a hot shower and heating.

Is the Atlas Studios visit included?

The visit is optional and the entrance fee is not included. If you would like to go, we do it on the last day, in Ouarzazate, before heading back to Marrakech.

Can we go quad biking or on a buggy?

Yes, on day three in Merzouga, at an extra cost. Let us know when you book and we will arrange it.

Can we do it in July?

Tassili Luxury Desert Camp closes in July because of the extreme summer heat. If you would like to travel that month, get in touch and we will suggest an alternative.

Is the tour private?

Yes. The vehicle and driver are for your group only, with no other travellers, so stops and timings adapt to you.

Do I have to ride a camel?

No. The camel ride is optional: if you prefer, the transfer to the camp is done by 4x4.

Where do we sleep?

The 1st night in a comfortable hotel in the Dades Valley; the 2nd and 3rd at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, in luxury tents with private bathroom; the 4th in a comfortable hotel in Ouarzazate. All with dinner and breakfast.

Which meals are included?

Daily breakfast and 4 dinners: at the hotel in the Dades, on both nights at the camp and in Ouarzazate. Lunches and drinks are not included: we stop to eat wherever you like.

What language does the driver speak?

Our drivers speak several languages, including English. If you need Italian, just ask when booking.

Can it be done in 4 days?

Yes: we have the 4 days from Marrakech to Merzouga tour. With fewer days there are more hours of driving in a row, which is why this itinerary spreads the journey better.

How much does the tour cost?

It depends on how many of you are travelling, the dates and the type of accommodation. The vehicle and driver are a fixed cost, so the more of you there are, the less it costs per person. Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll send you the price and availability the same day.

When is the best time to go?

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant; summer is very hot in the middle of the day, and winter nights in the desert are cold.

Ask for the price of this trip

Tell us the date, how many of you there are and where you start from. We reply the same day with a proposal and a price, with no obligation. Or on WhatsApp, if you prefer.

More tours from Marrakech

Tassili Luxury Desert Camp at dusk, with the tents lit up
The tents of Tassili Luxury Desert Camp among the dunes

Where to sleep in the desert

A night in a private tent

If you want to stay longer in the desert, Tassili Luxury Desert Camp has ten tents with private bathrooms in Erg Znaigui, away from the main camp area.

  • Ten private tents
  • A private bathroom in every tent
  • In Erg Znaigui, away from the main camp area
See the tents
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