Trip overview
We pick you up at your Marrakech riad and over five days you travel to the Dades, the Todra and Erg Chebbi, with a hotel and a desert tent in Merzouga and a night in Ouarzazate on the way back.
- Duration5 days / 4 nights
- Starts inMarrakech
- GroupSmall group · 1–17 people
- DifficultyEasy
- LanguageEspañol
- DeparturesDepartures every Wednesday and Sunday from Marrakech
Highlights
- No meeting point: we come to your accommodation
- Fixed departures on Wednesdays and Sundays, 17 travellers at most
- The road of the kasbahs through Skoura and Kelaat M'Gouna
- An easy, level walk between the walls of the Todra
- Sunset from a dune behind the hotel in Merzouga
- By camel to Erg Chebbi and a night under canvas
- A full day in Merzouga with no driving
- A split return with a night in Ouarzazate and a visit to Aït Ben Haddou
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Pick-up
- At your riad or hotel in Marrakech
- Departures
- Wednesdays and Sundays
- Driving
- ≈ 27 h in total, no stage over 8 h
Driving hours per stage
What to take for the night at the camp
Your suitcase stays in the minibus, so the evening before, put one night's things in a daypack: a torch or head torch, a charger, a warm layer even in summer and something to cover your head on the camel. The camp has blankets, but between November and March you'll be glad of thermal clothing to sleep in. The cold, the bathrooms and the lighting in the tents are explained in our article on nights at a desert camp; for packing for the whole trip, see what to pack for Morocco.
Before you book
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Pick-up at your riad – High Atlas – road of the kasbahs – Dades
There's no meeting point: we collect you from your riad or hotel in Marrakech from 7:00 (we give you the exact time the evening before). If you're staying down an alley in the medina, the driver or an assistant leads you out to the street where the minibus is parked.
We climb the High Atlas on the N9, stopping for coffee in a mountain village and again at the top of Tizi n'Tichka, by the mineral stalls. Lunch is in or around Ouarzazate (not included), and then we continue east along the road of the kasbahs. In Kelaat M'Gouna you'll see roses in the soaps, the perfumes and even the street decorations. We reach the hotel in the Dades at around 18:00, in time to watch the last light on the rocks of the valley. Dinner and the night in the Dades.
Day 2: Dades – walk in the Todra – Tinejdad – dune-side hotel in Merzouga
After breakfast we drive to Tinghir, about an hour away, and walk into the Todra at its narrowest point. The walk is flat and easy; there's time to cross the river on the stepping stones or watch the climbers on the walls.
We have lunch on the way and continue through Tinejdad and Erfoud, the town of fossils and dates, to Merzouga, arriving in mid-afternoon. This first night you sleep in a hotel next to Erg Chebbi, with your own room and bathroom; the camp comes tomorrow. Before dinner you can walk up the dune behind the hotel and watch the sunset with no camel and no schedule.
Day 3: Free morning in Merzouga and a camel ride to the camp
This is the day without driving. In the morning the group has no activities: you can sleep in, swim in the hotel pool if there is one, or book a 4x4 loop around Erg Chebbi at the hotel itself, with stops in Khamlia to hear Gnawa music and at the Dayet Srji lake, which only fills in some years. Quad bikes and sandboarding are booked at the hotel too and paid separately.
At around 17:00 the group gathers at the hotel, your suitcase stays in the minibus and you set off by camel. In a little over an hour you reach the camp, tucked in among the dunes. There's dinner, a fire and, if the sky is clear and there's no moon, more stars than you'll ever see from a city. Night in a desert tent.
Day 4: Sunrise in Erg Chebbi – Boumalne – Kelaat M'Gouna – Skoura – Ouarzazate
You're woken for the sunrise and ride the camel back to the hotel, where you have breakfast and a shower before leaving at around 9:00. The minibus heads west through Tinejdad and Tinghir; without the long stop at the Todra, the drive moves quickly.
Lunch is in Boumalne Dades (not included). In the afternoon we stop at a rose cooperative in Kelaat M'Gouna and take a short walk through the Skoura palm grove, among mud-brick kasbahs, some lived in and others half collapsed. We reach Ouarzazate as the light fades, after about 7 or 8 hours in all. If there's still light, you see the outside of the Kasbah of Taourirt from the main avenue. Dinner and the night in Ouarzazate.
Day 5: Aït Ben Haddou in the morning and back to Marrakech over the Tichka
The last day is the shortest. We leave at 8:30 for Aït Ben Haddou, about 30 kilometres away, and you walk up with time to photograph the ksar from the far bank of the Ounila river. The village guides wait at the entrance; hiring one is optional.
We return to Marrakech over the Tichka, stopping for lunch on the other side of the pass (not included). We get into the city between 15:00 and 17:00, depending on traffic, and drop you at your accommodation. If you're staying that night in town, you still have the evening for Jemaa el Fna and its food stalls. Don't book a flight for the same day: a police check on the road or fog on the pass can delay the arrival.
What's included
Included (6)
- On day 1 we collect you from your accommodation in Marrakech and on day 5 we drop you back there
- Five days of transport in a shared air-conditioned minibus; the driver speaks Spanish
- Four nights in standard accommodation: Dades (hotel), Merzouga (hotel first, then a tent in Erg Chebbi) and Ouarzazate (hotel)
- Half board: four dinners and four breakfasts
- Camel ride to the camp in the afternoon and back at sunrise
- Shower at the Merzouga hotel after the camp
Not included (7)
- Flights and nights in Marrakech
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees to kasbahs and monuments
- Optional local guides at the Todra and Aït Ben Haddou
- Optional activities in Merzouga (4x4, quad bike, sandboarding)
- Tips
- Travel insurance
Important information (6)
- There's a minimum number of bookings per departure; once you've booked, we confirm in writing if your date is already guaranteed.
- Send us the exact address of your accommodation in Marrakech a few days ahead so we can arrange the pick-up.
- The 520 € price assumes two people per room. Sleeping alone costs extra, and we'll quote it for your date; at the camp the tent may be shared.
- Only a daypack goes with you to the camp; the suitcase spends the night in the minibus.
- Between November and March nights are cold in Merzouga and the Dades; bring a fleece and something for your head.
- On the morning of day 3 there's no group programme. If you want to do the 4x4 or the quad bike, say so when you arrive at the hotel on day 2.
Prices per person
Seat on the group tour
Price per person sharing a double room
Fixed price per person, whatever the size of your group.
Payment and cancellation
You pay a 15% deposit when you book. The rest is paid on the first day of the trip, in cash or by bank transfer. You can also pay it by PayPal or card, with a 5% surcharge.
Group: free up to 10 days before departure. If you cancel in time, we refund the full deposit.
Extras you can add
Chosen when you book and added to the total. You can also ask for them later, subject to availability.
Quad bike in the Merzouga dunes
Guided quad ride around Erg Chebbi, helmet included
Dune buggy in Merzouga
Two-seater buggy with a guide through the dunes, helmet included
Upgrade the accommodation
More characterful hotels and riads, and a superior desert camp
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Leave a reviewFrequently asked questions
Where does the tour start from?
From your riad or hotel in Marrakech, with no meeting point. If your accommodation is inside the medina, where cars can't go, the driver or an assistant comes to your door on foot and takes you to where the minibus is parked. For that we need the address and a contact phone number a few days before.
How many nights do you sleep in the desert?
One at the Erg Chebbi camp, on day 3. The night before you also sleep in Merzouga, in a hotel right by the dunes, so you spend two nights in a row in the area and a full day there. If you'd rather spend both nights at the camp, ask us whether it's possible on your date.
Can I finish the trip in Fez?
This tour always returns to Marrakech, because the group comes back via Ouarzazate. If you want to end in Fez, we have another group route between Fez and Marrakech that also runs in reverse, or we can organise the route privately. Send us your dates.
Is it worth doing 5 days instead of 3?
If you have the days, we recommend it. In 3 days you see the same places, but the last day is 9 or 10 hours back from Merzouga. In 5 days you get a free morning in the dunes, you sleep in Ouarzazate and you visit Aït Ben Haddou without keeping an eye on the clock.
Do I need to be fit?
No. The walks are short and level, apart from the climb at Aït Ben Haddou and up the dunes, which is a little tiring because your feet sink into the sand. The camel isn't compulsory: if you don't feel comfortable, you can reach the camp by 4x4 for a supplement.
