3 days tour from marrakech to merzouga desert

3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert

On a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert economy tour from Marrakech, visit the verge of the Sahara Desert and see the stunning scenery of the Dades Valley and Kasbah of Ouarzazate. Camp in a desert tent accompanied by towering dunes after riding a camel through the Erg Chebbi desert.

Who hasn’t dreamed of sleeping in the Sahara comfortably hidden among the sand dunes under a starlit sky?

For sure the desert fascinates anyone who has never dreamed of ancient caravans with camels, camping on multi-colored carpets, sipping tea around a bonfire? Merzouga, in the southern region of Morocco, was one of the places where I was able to experience all of this. The name comes from a small Moroccan town in the Sahara desert, not too far from the Algerian border. It is known as the gate of Erg Chebbi, a huge stretch of sand dunes south of the city.

Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga in 3 days

• Highlights
  

1. Ouarzazate is indeed the gateway to the Sahara Desert
2. A camel journey through the Erg Chebbi desert
3. Stay inside a Bedouin tent for the evening
4. Visit Ait Ben Haddou’s renowned Kasbah
5. Explore the High Atlas Mountains on a road trip
6. Travel along through Dades Mountains via rural areas
7. So under lights, include a traditional Moroccan meal

The Merzouga Desert has located in the southeast of the country a short distance (20 km) from the border with Algeria and 562 km from Marrakech. This means that by bus the fastest of the means it takes about 9 hours to get there! In fact, you have to cross part of the High Atlas Mountains and therefore the road is not really very direct.

Also keep in mind one thing: going from Marrakech to Merzouga is truly a fantastic journey, with tons of beautiful places to stop along the way that it would be a real shame to miss. Stops along the way in fascinating places like Aït-Ben-Haddou, Ouarzazate, and the Dades Gorge should be on anyone’s itinerary to visit Morocco.

Following a morning start from your Marrakech hotel, your Marrakech To Merzouga Desert Tour 3 days starting with an intersection of the High Atlas Mountains, passing through one Berber village yet another on your way to Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO world heritage site known because of its Kasbah & bolstering town, and initially seen as a sequence for certain Tollywood sagas including a scene for such fashion blog photo sessions. During that free time to explore the hamlet and also its Kasbah, have brunch in a nearby restaurant before continuing your journey across Ouarzazate, the Sahara’s Wall, then on Boumalne Dades, appreciating the picturesque route across the path to Tinghir, where you may have supper and a nightly break.

3 days desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga dunes

• What’s Included

1. Swap from your Marrakech accommodation or riad
2. Bus transportation with air conditioning
3. Driver/guide bilingual (English/French)
4. Hotel Bougafer in Tinghir for the night
5. Erg Chebbi camel trip to view the sunset and sunrise
6. Spend the night in Erg Chebbi’s desert camp
7. Both lodgings have bedding
8. Both hotels include toilets and showers
9. Private tent (Hotel Bougafer) and private room (Hotel Bougafer)

After breakfast, travel from your accommodation and travel to the Todgha Gorges, where you will have time to enjoy the tunnels and have meals at a small café. Process it onto Merzouga, where you’ll hook up with your camel convoy. Later ride a camel across the Erg Chebbi desert and observe the dunes stain as the sun is setting. Around dark, arrive at your desert tent and have a traditional Moroccan supper beneath the starlight. Bedouins from the area will amuse you and teach you how to blow the Tam Tam rhythms. The dining experience, as well as an extra night.

After an early morning actually woke call to see the daybreak prior to actually breakfast (adjustable), a vehicle will just be ready to transport you straight to Marrakech. In Ouarzazate, take a break for lunch somewhere through the journey.

3 days desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga dunes & camel trek

• Meeting Point 

1. We will set up a meeting point in Marrakech if you stay in a Riad
2. Do you have any questions? contact us via Whatsapp click here 

Additions to the Bedouin tents for the evenings are available as an added feature. Switch to a luxury rooms canvas with individual bathroomss, basic sanitation, and five stars amenities in the premium campground. Some improvements must be reserved for each individual.

Ait-Ben-Haddou

On the opposite side of the Atlas Mountains from Marrakech and about 4 hours away, and after a 4-hour drive, you leave the main road to take a gravel path that leads to Ksar Aït-Ben-Haddou.

This ancient Berber village, which was once an important stop along the trade route from the Sahara to Sudan, is a group of adobe houses (raw earth bricks) protected by defensive walls and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Most of the population has left the Ksar for the new city across the river, but the village is not completely abandoned. Some families still live in their “Kasbahs”, and the narrow streets have mainly been transformed into souvenir shops.

• Pick uptime 

1. 7:20 am

The village is gorgeous and it’s easy to see why so many films like Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and more recently Game of Thrones have chosen Ait-Ben-Haddou as their location.

Ait-Ben-Haddou is undoubtedly also one of the best excursions from Marrakech to do in 1 day.

Merzouga desert tours

Ouarzazate

A short distance from Ait-Ben-Haddou (about 30 minutes by car) is Ouarzazate, where you shouldn’t miss the Kasbah of Taourirt, the best-preserved kasbah in all of Morocco. It is an impressive monument made of adobe that looks like a sandcastle. Here you can see the typical Moroccan geometric ornaments on the walls of the main building. If you want to visit this 17th-century house, keep in mind that the rooms are all more or less empty and there is not much to expect from a visit. You can, however, take a stroll in the nearby Berber village.

Ouarzazate is also famous for numerous film studios in its surroundings: you will find the sets of the “Prince of Persia”, “Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra”, “the Mummy” and others. Gorges of Dades (Route of a Thousand Kasbahs)

• Return Details

1. Back to the starting point around 18:30

merzouga desert tour from marrakech

middle atlas morocco

The Dades Valley and the Dades Gorge are certainly other must-see places in Morocco. Beautiful ancient Kasbahs and spectacular red canyons formed by the Dades River are waiting for you! From Marrakech to the Dades gorge it is about 320 km by car. From Ouarzazate to the Dades gorge it is about 110 km, and to get there you just need to follow the N10 towards Tinghir.

You will pass El-Kelaa M’Gouna, the entrance to the Valley of the Roses. Arriving in Boumalne Dadès, it is best to follow the R407 road inside the Dades gorge. There are many things to see within the Dades Valley: including the spectacular Dades Gorge, the spectacular winding road, and the “monkey fingers”, an unusual rock formation shaped by water and wind.

• Availability 

1. Daily availability

I recommend you stop and sleep here and continue the next day. If you want a suggestion, the Babylon Dadès Hotel is a good hotel.

desert merzouga marrakech

Todra Gorges

The Togra gorges are a series of river canyons in the eastern part of the High Atlas mountains in Morocco. They are located near Tinghir, a city full of abandoned mud castles and are only a couple of hours away from Merzouga.

• Tour Langauge 

1. French, English

If you have time, you can participate in a lot of activities found in the todra gorges and in Tinghir, such as climbing, visiting Berber villages, visiting the palm grove or the Ikalalne Mosque. But try not to arrive in Merzouga too late if you have planned to stay here only one night, you could miss the beautiful sunset that only the desert can offer.