Merzouga or Zagora? An honest comparison of the two deserts

If you can give it at least three days, choose Merzouga: it has the big golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, which is what almost everyone pictures when they think of the Sahara. Zagora is only worth it if you have two days from Marrakech and small dunes are enough for you, or if you are more interested in the Draa Valley and its kasbahs than in the sand.

It is one of the questions we get most on WhatsApp, and we understand why. On many websites both places appear as "the Sahara desert", with similar photos, sometimes the very same ones. On the ground they are quite different. We organise trips to both, so here we go point by point, comparing one with the other, and at the end we tell you which we would choose in your situation.

The dunes at Merzouga and Zagora

Merzouga is a small village on the edge of Erg Chebbi, a sea of dunes about 20 kilometres long near the border with Algeria. The dunes are continuous, in a colour that shifts from gold to orange depending on the time of day, and at their highest points they reach around 150 metres. From the top you see sand in every direction.

At Zagora the landscape is different. The desert around the town is mostly hamada, stony desert, with palm groves and isolated groups of dunes, such as those at Tinfou. They are pretty dunes for a photo and a short walk, but they are small, and from the top you can see the road or the palm grove. If you are expecting the image from the Sahara photos, you will probably be disappointed.

This is the difference that matters most, which is why it comes first.

Driving times from Marrakech and Fez

From Marrakech, Merzouga is about 550 kilometres away, which is nine or ten hours in the car without stops. Nobody drives it in one go: the usual plan is to spend the first night in the Dades Valley and reach the dunes on the afternoon of the second day. The return, direct through the Draa Valley, is the longest day of the trip, nine or ten hours with stops.

Zagora is much closer, about seven hours from Marrakech, and you can go and come back in two days. What nobody tells you is that those two days are almost all road: you reach the dunes late in the afternoon and the next day you drive straight back.

From Fez there is no real comparison. Fez and Merzouga are about 470 kilometres apart, seven to eight hours with stops at Ifrane, the Azrou cedars and Midelt. Zagora is so far from Fez that it makes no sense as a desert destination.

And if you are travelling from Fez to Marrakech or the other way round, Merzouga is practically on the way. That is what our 3-day trip from Fez to Merzouga does, finishing in Marrakech without retracing your steps.

What you see along the way

Both routes from Marrakech start the same way: the Tizi n'Tichka pass over the High Atlas, the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate. From there they split.

Towards Merzouga you continue through the Valley of Roses, Skoura, the Dades Valley and the Todra Gorge, with rock walls on both sides of the road. It is one of the most beautiful routes in Morocco and, for many of our travellers, the best part of the trip after the dunes.

Towards Zagora you head down through Agdz and the Draa Valley, one of the longest palm groves in the country, dotted with mud-brick kasbahs and ksour. In spring, with the green of the palms and the crops, it is a lovely landscape. More than one traveller has told us on their return from Zagora that they liked the valley more than the dunes, and we understand why.

Zagora is also the town with the old sign reading "Timbuktu, 52 days" by camel, the photo everyone takes on arrival.

The camps

The night itself is similar in both places: a camel ride at sunset, a tagine dinner, music around the fire and a starry sky. The difference lies in the setting and the choice available.

In Merzouga there are camps at every level right inside the dunes, from simple ones with shared bathrooms to luxury ones with a private bathroom in each tent. Surrounded by sand, the sense of isolation is real, although in high season you may see the lights of other camps in the neighbouring dunes. We explain it in detail in sleeping in the Moroccan desert.

In Zagora the choice is more limited. Many camps are next to palm groves or at the foot of small dunes, and the quality varies a lot: some basic camps are sold with unrealistic photos. In both places always ask for recent photos, the location on a map and whether the bathroom is private or shared.

What there is to do in each desert

In Merzouga the camel ride to the camp takes about an hour and a half, with a stop on a dune to watch the sunset. If you are already staying in a hotel in the area, you can book just the camel ride in Merzouga, which lasts about two hours. Around the erg there are quad bikes, sandboarding, 4x4 trips to old mines and nomad families, the gnawa music of Khamlia, the market in Rissani and the seasonal lake of Dayet Srji when it has water. With two nights you won't be bored.

In Zagora, the things to do are more in the valley than on the sand: kasbahs, palm groves, the Koranic library and the pottery workshops of Tamegroute, south of the town. In the dunes, a camel ride and little else.

What each option costs

Zagora usually works out slightly cheaper because there are fewer days. If you compare what you pay with the time you spend in the desert, the difference shrinks quite a bit: in Merzouga you spend more hours in the dunes and the route takes in more places.

On our private trips the price is a vehicle with a Spanish-speaking driver per day, split between the people travelling, plus accommodation per person per night, in the Standard or Superior category. That is why every extra day counts, and why two or more people share the cost of the car better. Children pay 3% less than an adult. If you are travelling alone and want to save money, the 3-day group departure from Marrakech to the desert reaches Merzouga in a shared minibus. To work out your full budget, our guide to how much it costs to travel to Morocco will help.

When to go to each

For both places the best seasons are spring and autumn. In summer the daytime heat is extreme in both, and it is best to limit activities to sunrise and sunset. In winter the days are pleasant, but the nights are very cold, with temperatures that can get close to zero, and between December and February snow on the Tizi n'Tichka can delay the route. If you are travelling at that time of year, read our guide to travelling in Morocco in winter.

Erg Chigaga as an alternative

Beyond Zagora, past M'Hamid, lies Erg Chigaga, with big dunes and a greater sense of isolation than Merzouga. Access is by 4x4 along tracks for several hours, and the usual approach is to give it four days or more from Marrakech. We recommend it to travellers with time and an appetite for off-road driving; you'll find ideas in our adventure trips.

Mistakes we see when people choose a desert

The most common is booking "Merzouga in two days from Marrakech" because someone sells it that way. It can be done, but it means eighteen or twenty hours in the car in 48 hours, and the night in the dunes comes when you are already exhausted. If you are offered this, ask how many hours there are each day.

The second is trusting the photo. Some Zagora camps advertise with pictures of the tall dunes of Erg Chebbi. Before you pay, ask for the camp's name and look it up on a map.

The third is not accounting for the return. Many people plan the outward journey carefully and forget that the last day, from Merzouga to Marrakech, is nine or ten hours. Don't book a flight for that same evening.

And the fourth is travelling in December or January without warm clothes, thinking the desert is always hot. At eleven at night, in the dunes, you'll be glad of a hat.

Which to choose for your trip

A couple or a honeymoon

Merzouga. The big dunes, the sunset from the top and the option of a luxury camp with a private bathroom make it a night you remember. If it's a honeymoon, we recommend adding a second night, at the camp or in a hotel at the foot of the dunes.

A family with children

It depends on their age. With children who cope well in the car, Merzouga over four days works: the outward journey is split into shorter stages and they reach the dunes without being worn out. Our 4-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga stays in Ouarzazate and at the Todra before the camp; the return, though, is still a long day. With small children who don't travel well, we sometimes suggest Zagora or simply a night in Agafay, and you'll find more ideas in our family trips.

Solo travellers

If you have three days, Merzouga on a group trip is the cheapest way to see the big dunes. In two days, Zagora group trips also exist, but think about whether fourteen hours in a minibus are worth it for one night among small dunes.

If you have very little time

With two days, leaving from Marrakech, Zagora is what's left if you want to sleep in the desert. With only an afternoon, the Agafay desert with dinner under the stars is a stony desert, not a sandy one, but it gives you a sunset, a camel and dinner less than an hour from the city.

Travelling between Fez and Marrakech

Merzouga, no question. It is on the way, and the desert becomes the middle stage of the trip.

If you already know Merzouga

Zagora and the Draa Valley, or Erg Chigaga if you have four days or more. It is a different landscape and a different route, and it makes sense as a second visit.

What we recommend

If it's your first time in Morocco and you can rearrange your itinerary to gain a day, do it and go to Merzouga. Our 3-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga is our most popular option from Marrakech, and hardly anyone regrets the driving once they climb their first dune at sunset. If you really only have two days, Zagora is a valid option, as long as you go knowing what you'll find. There is more about the area on the Merzouga and the Sahara desert page.

Tell us how many days you have, which city you are starting from and who you are travelling with, and we'll tell you honestly what fits best. Write to us via the contact page or browse all our desert trips.