From the Atlantic to the dunes: 4 days from Agadir to Merzouga

Trip overview

Four private days from the beach at Agadir to the Erg Chebbi dunes: Taroudant, the Dades and Todra valleys, a night in the Sahara and a return through the Draa Valley.

• Duration4 days / 3 nights
• Starts inAgadir
• GroupPrivate · 1–16 people
• DifficultyModerate
• LanguageEspañol
• DeparturesDaily departures all year round

Highlights

• Departure from and return to your hotel in Agadir
• The walls of Taroudant and the saffron fields of Taliouine
• Dades Valley and Todra Gorge
• Camel ride and a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes
• Sunrise over the dunes
• Return through the Draa Valley without repeating the road
• Walking visit to Aït Ben Haddou

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1: Agadir – Taroudant – Taliouine – Ouarzazate

   We pick you up early from your hotel in Agadir and head inland through the Souss Valley. In just over an hour we reach Taroudant, with about seven kilometres of mud-brick walls. We walk through its two souks, less touristy than those of Marrakech, and have a coffee on Assarag square.

   We continue between the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas to Taliouine, the saffron capital. At a cooperative they show you how the stigmas of the flower are picked and dried. In the afternoon the landscape gets drier and drier all the way to Ouarzazate. It's about 5 or 6 hours in the car with stops.

   Hotel in OuarzazateDinner

2. 2

   Day 2: Ouarzazate – Dades Valley – Todra Gorge – Merzouga

   This is the longest day: 7 to 8 hours with stops. We set off along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, through the Skoura oasis and Kalaat M'Gouna, in the Valley of Roses. We detour into the Dades Valley to see its rock formations and continue to Tinghir, where we walk through the Todra Gorge, between rock walls hundreds of metres high.

   In the afternoon we cross Tinejdad and Erfoud to Merzouga. The camels are waiting there to cross the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset, about an hour and a half to the camp. Berber dinner and music by the fire. At night it's cold outside the tent.

   Desert camp in Erg ChebbiBreakfast and dinner

3. 3

   Day 3: Sunrise in Erg Chebbi – Alnif – N'Kob – Draa Valley – Aït Ben Haddou

   We wake you before dawn to climb a dune and watch the sun come up. You ride back by camel to Merzouga, shower and have breakfast.

   The return takes another route: Rissani, Alnif, an area full of fossils, and N'Kob, a village at the foot of the Saghro massif with dozens of mud-brick kasbahs. Then we come down into the Draa Valley, with its palm grove along the river, and pass through Agdz before reaching Aït Ben Haddou in the late afternoon. It's about 7 hours with stops, on roads with little traffic and few tourists. After the night at the camp, you'll feel tired.

   Hotel or kasbah in Aït Ben HaddouBreakfast and dinner

4. 4

   Day 4: Aït Ben Haddou – Taliouine – Taroudant – Agadir

   Since you're already sleeping in Aït Ben Haddou, you can see the ksar first thing, before the groups arrive from Marrakech. We cross the river and walk up its mud-brick alleys to the fortified granary at the top, which looks out over the whole Ounila Valley. The climb is short but steep.

   After breakfast we return to Agadir via Ouarzazate, Taliouine and the Souss Valley, with a lunch stop on the way. It's about 6 hours with stops. We reach your hotel in Agadir in the early evening. End of our services.

   End of the tripBreakfast

What's included

Prices per person

The vehicle and driver are paid per day and shared between the travellers, so the price per person goes down the more of you there are. Accommodation is charged per person per night (3 nights).

• Standard: Comfortable hotels and riads, standard desert camp
• Superior: More characterful accommodation and a superior desert camp
• Children aged 3 to 11: 3% less than an adult.
• Groups of more than 7 people travel in two vehicles. The booking calculator takes this into account.

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.

Private: free up to 48 hours before the start. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Destinations on this trip