Trip overview
Eight days in a group from Marrakech: a guided city tour, a night in the Dades, two nights in Merzouga with a free day in the dunes, and a return via the Draa and Aït Ben Haddou.
- Duration8 days / 7 nights
- Starts inMarrakech
- GroupSmall group · 1–17 people
- DifficultyEasy
- LanguageEspañol
- DeparturesDepartures every Monday and Friday from Marrakech
Highlights
- Groups leaving Marrakech on Mondays and Fridays
- Guided tour of the Marrakech medina on day two
- The Tizi n'Tichka pass and the Skoura palm grove
- A walk through the Todra after a night in the Dades
- A whole free day in Merzouga, with no driving
- One night in a guesthouse at the foot of Erg Chebbi and one at a camp
- Return along the Tazzarine, N'Kob and Agdz road
- The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou before heading back to Marrakech
- 715 € per person with breakfasts and dinners
- Duration
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Departures
- Mondays and Fridays
- Desert
- Two nights in Merzouga
- Group
- Up to 17 travellers
What to do on the free day in Merzouga
No activity is included; we help you book them there.
Before you book
This trip has four days on the road, 5 to 8 hours each, with a day without the car in the middle. The first night in Merzouga is in a guesthouse and the second at the camp, so your suitcase never goes into the dunes.
If you already know Marrakech and want a shorter trip, the 3-day group trip to the desert covers the basic route. For questions about dates, message us.
When to go
- March – MayGood timeThe best time for the free day: cool mornings and mild afternoons in the dunes.
- June – AugustMixedOver 40 °C at midday in Merzouga; activities only first and last thing.
- September – NovemberGood timeGood weather in the south and fewer travellers than in spring.
- December – FebruaryMixedFreezing nights at the camp and possible snow on Tizi n'Tichka.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech and transfer to your riad
As you come out of arrivals at Menara you'll see our driver holding a sign with your name; 20 to 30 minutes later you're at your hotel or riad. If you land before mid-afternoon, you can head to Jemaa el Fna square, which fills with people and grill smoke from about five o'clock. Dinner is at your accommodation, where we give you the start time for the next day's tour.
Day 2: The Kasbah, Bahia Palace and souks of Marrakech
The tour starts after breakfast with an official Marrakech guide. You walk through the Kasbah district and the Saadian tombs, then the Bahia Palace, which you visit courtyard by courtyard looking up at the cedar ceilings, and pass the Koutoubia, the minaret that helps you get your bearings all over the city. After that it's the souks, where dyers and blacksmiths work and babouche slippers are sold by the hundred. It's about four hours on foot and entrance fees are paid separately.
The afternoon is free. We recommend the Majorelle Garden, ideally with a ticket bought online, or the Ben Youssef madrasa if it wasn't part of the tour. Get to bed early, because the next day you leave for the south first thing.
Day 3: Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Skoura – Dades Valley
We leave at around 8:00 on the N9 and after an hour and a half the climb into the High Atlas begins. We stop at the viewpoints on the Tichka, the highest pass on the road (about 2,260 m), and come down the southern side, where the landscape turns dry and reddish. Today we drive past the turn-off for Aït Ben Haddou: you'll see it properly on day 7.
We have lunch in Ouarzazate and carry on through the Skoura palm grove to Kelaa M'Gouna, the largest town in the Valley of Roses, where we stop at a rose water and soap cooperative. In the late afternoon we reach Boumalne and drive a stretch up the Dades Valley, between mud-brick kasbahs and the eroded rocks locals call monkey fingers. It's about 330 kilometres, around 7 hours with stops.
Day 4: Dades Valley – Todra Gorge – Rissani – Merzouga
In the morning, with the luggage already loaded, the minibus climbs the zigzag bends of the Dades to the gorge viewpoint, the best-known photo in the area. Then we go down to Tinghir, and from there it's about 15 kilometres to the entrance of the Todra; you walk along the riverbed with sheer rock on both sides. Lunch in Tinghir.
In the afternoon we drive through Tinejdad, Erfoud and Rissani, and the orange line of Erg Chebbi appears in the distance. Tonight you don't sleep at the camp but in a guesthouse right by the dunes, with a room and bathroom, so you're well rested for the free day. If you feel like it, climb the first dune at sunset: it's a five-minute walk. It's about 290 kilometres from the Dades.
Day 5: Free day in Merzouga and a night at the camp
No minibus today. Breakfast goes on for as long as you like and everyone plans their own morning. Some people go out by 4x4 to loop around Erg Chebbi, via Khamlia, where Gnawa families play for visitors, the seasonal Merzouga lake and a nomad camp or two. Others prefer a quad bike or buggy on the dunes, and others don't leave the pool. These activities are not included and are paid on the spot; we help you book them.
At around 17:00 the camel caravan sets off for the camp, an hour's ride through the dunes. You arrive in the low afternoon light, have a tagine in the dining tent and, if the sky is clear, after dinner you see more stars than on any other night of the trip.
Day 6: Merzouga – Alnif – N'Kob – Agdz – Ouarzazate
If you're awake before seven, you can watch the sunrise from the ridge closest to the camp. We ride back by camel to the guesthouse, where you can shower and have breakfast, and head west through Rissani.
Rather than repeat the Todra road, today we take the southern route: Alnif, known for the fossils sold by the roadside, the Tazzarine plain and N'Kob, where dozens of mud kasbahs are still standing. Agdz marks the entrance to the Draa Valley, where the palm grove follows the river for kilometres, and before dropping down to Ouarzazate we cross the Tizi n'Tinififft pass. It's about 360 kilometres and a little over 7 hours with stops.
Day 7: Ouarzazate – the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou – back to Marrakech
After breakfast we drive to Aït Ben Haddou, half an hour from Ouarzazate. This time there is time to go in: you cross the Ounila river, walk up the lanes of the ksar to the fortified granary on the summit and from there look out over the fields and the valley. Many films and series have been shot in the ksar and the area around it.
We have lunch before the pass and cross Tizi n'Tichka again, this time heading north, with the Haouz plain and Marrakech in the distance on clear days. We reach your hotel or riad in Marrakech by mid-afternoon, with time for a last walk in the medina. Dinner that night is at the hotel, included, and it's the last one of the trip.
Day 8: Transfer to Marrakech airport
On the last day all that's left is breakfast and the drive to Menara at the time your flight requires. If you fly in the evening, you can leave your bag at reception and spend a few more hours in the medina. If you want to stay longer in Marrakech or go on to Essaouira, we can book the extra nights.
What's included
Included (8)
- Pick-up at Menara, Marrakech airport, when you land
- Driver and shared air-conditioned minibus for the whole route
- Six nights in standard hotels, riads and a guesthouse: three in Marrakech, one in the Dades, one in Merzouga and one in Ouarzazate
- A night in a tent at the Erg Chebbi camp
- Breakfasts and dinners throughout (7 breakfasts and 7 dinners)
- Camel caravan between the guesthouse and the camp, there and back
- Half-day walk through Marrakech with an official guide
- Car to Marrakech airport for your flight home
Not included (8)
- Flights
- Lunches
- Drinks
- Entrance fees for monuments, palaces and gardens
- Optional activities on the free day in Merzouga (4x4, quad, buggy)
- Tips
- Travel insurance
- Single room supplement
Important information (6)
- Each departure depends on a minimum number of people signing up. Your seat confirmation reaches you when you book and, if a date didn't gather enough travellers, we would write to you in good time to move it.
- There are no scheduled activities on the free day in Merzouga. 4x4, quad or buggy outings are booked there or through us and paid separately.
- A small bag will do for the camp night; the rest of your luggage is kept at the guesthouse until you return.
- From November to March it's cold at night at the camp, and between December and February it can snow on Tizi n'Tichka, which sometimes closes the road for a few hours.
- In July and August the south easily goes above 40 °C during the day. The free day is best used early in the morning or once the sun starts to drop.
- Carry cash in dirhams for lunches, entrance fees and tips; outside Marrakech and Ouarzazate there are few cash machines along the route.
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
Why are there two nights in Merzouga instead of one?
Because with a single night you arrive in the afternoon and leave at dawn, and you see little of the desert beyond the camp. With two you get a whole day without driving to explore the dunes or simply rest. The first night is in a guesthouse with a room and bathroom, and the second at the camp.
What can I do on the free day in Merzouga?
The most popular option is the 4x4 loop around Erg Chebbi, with Khamlia, the seasonal lake and a nomad family. There are also quad bikes, buggies and boards for sliding down the dunes. No activity is included; prices change with the season and the number of people, so we send them to you when you book.
How many people travel and what language is spoken?
At most 17 people travel, often fewer. The driver speaks Spanish and the Marrakech tour is with a Spanish-speaking guide; when the group includes people with other languages, the guide may switch between Spanish and English. Among your fellow travellers you'll hear several languages.
Can I add nights in Marrakech before or after the tour?
Yes. We book extra nights before or after the tour, in the same hotel if there's room. If you arrive early, the airport pick-up happens on the day you land. If you stay on, the departure transfer moves to the day of your flight.
What does this add compared with the 3-day group desert trip?
The 3-day trip goes from Marrakech to Merzouga and back, with nights in the Dades and at the camp, and most of the time is spent on the road. This 8-day trip adds the guided tour of Marrakech, the free day in the dunes, the return through the Draa Valley and a long stop at Aït Ben Haddou.
