4 Day Merzouga Desert Trip

Description

Day 1: Marrakesh - Aït Benhaddou - Valley of the Roses - Dadès Gorges

After collecting you from your hotel, riad or from the airport, we'll head to Ouarzazate. On the way we'll pass through the striking Atlas Mountains via the stunning Tizi n'Tichka mountain pass, which offers spectacular views from its 2,260 metres.

Having crossed through the Atlas Mountains we'll arrive at Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, one of the most impressive fortified cities in Morocco and the emblematic filming location of movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.

We'll then take the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs to Skoura and to Kelaat M'Gouna, a pretty city in Tinghir Province and capital of the Valley of the Roses. At the end of the first day, we'll drive to the Dadès Gorges, where we'll spend the night.

Day 2: Dadès Gorges - Todgha Gorges - Merzouga

After breakfast, we'll set off towards the Dadès Valley, travelling through the incredible Todgha Gorges, where we'll have lunch.

With renewed energy, we'll continue on our journey in the direction of Merzouga, passing through the Jorf palm grove, an area known for its excellent dates, and Erfoud, home to intriguing fragments of fossils.

Having arrived in Merzouga, we'll swap our vehicles for camels to immerse ourselves in the desert and make our way to Bedouin camp where we'll spend the night and enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner.

Day 3: Merzouga - Rissani - Alnif - Tazarine - Tizi N'Tfrkhin - Ouarzazate

We'll begin the third day of our tour in the most magical day: watching the sunrise over the desert. After an early start, we'll climb back onto our camels and explore the area.

On the way back to Ouarzazate, we'll take a different route. Passing the Tafilalet Palm Grove and the village of Rissani, ancient capital and home to the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty, we'll reach the town of Alnif. Here, we'll join the road that cuts across the stunning Anti-Atlas mountain range.

After taking in the spectacular colours and shapes of the mountains, we'll arrive at Tizi N'tfarkhin, Tinghir and an amazing palm grove in the Dadès Valley. At lunchtime, we'll stop at Klaat M'Gouna to eat and rest before continuing the route.

In the afternoon we'll arrive in Ouarzazate, where we'll spend the night in a hotel/kasbah.

Day 4: Ouarzazate - Marrakech

After a delicious breakfast, you'll have the morning free to explore Ouarzazate at your own pace. We recommend visiting the Taourirt Kasbah and Atlas Film Studios, known as the Hollywood of the desert. We'll leave Ouarzazate between 12 and 3:30 pm.

We'll drop you back off in Marrakech in the early afternoon.

Accommodation

There are two options, standard (2 - 3 stars) and luxury (4 stars):

• Standard hotels: Kasbah Tifawe / Dar Essyaha or similar (Dadès), Haima Camp (Merzouga) and Hotel Les Jardins / Hotel Azoul or similar (Ouarzazate).
• Luxury hotels: Azawad Luxury Desert Camp or similar (Merzouga). Accommodation is the same as the standard hotels in Dadès and Ouarzazate.
   

Both hotels and tents in the desert are double occupancy only, there are no single rooms. You can, however, ask for a triple room or a family room if you prefer. The standard category rooms have communal showers in the camp, while the superior category rooms have a private bathroom in the haimas and showers in the camp.

The standard and superior camps are completely separate and, in addition to the distinction in the bathrooms, there are differences in the food and the interior decoration of the haimas.

Hotel pickup

If you're staying in the Medina, you must go to the meeting point. If you're staying outside the Medina, we'll pick you up free of charge at your hotel or riad. If the hotel is outside of Marrakech, the pickup will have an extra charge between € 10 (US$ 10.90) and € 40 (US$ 43.60) depending on the distance.

Other excursions from Marrakech

If you would like to explore the Moroccan desert, but you're looking for a shorter tour, check out our other excursions: 2 Day Zagora Desert Trip and 3 Day Sahara Desert Tour.

Private Tour

If you'd like, you can do this excursion in a private group of just you and your partner, family or friends booking our Private Desert Trip.