Our desert trips cross the High Atlas to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes — the part of the Moroccan Sahara with the big orange sand. Routes run from three days out and back to Marrakech, up to circuits that finish in Fes, and every departure can be run privately with your own vehicle and driver.
Merzouga is roughly nine hours of driving from Marrakech, so three days is the realistic minimum: over the Tizi n'Tichka pass and Ait Ben Haddou on day one, dunes and a camp night on day two, the Dades or Todra gorges on the way back.
Four and five-day versions add the Draa valley, a second desert night or a slower return through the gorges. If you are continuing to Fes, the one-way route makes more sense than doubling back.
Erg Chebbi is a dune field about 22 km long rising to roughly 150 m. The standard evening is a camel trek out from the edge of the sand at golden hour, dinner and Gnawa drumming at the camp, and a sunrise walk back up the nearest ridge.
Camps range from simple Berber tents to en-suite luxury tents. We confirm the exact camp for your dates on WhatsApp rather than promising a category we cannot guarantee.
The drive is not filler. Ait Ben Haddou is the fortified earthen village you have seen on screen; Ouarzazate has the studios and the Taourirt kasbah; the Dades and Todra gorges cut red walls hundreds of metres deep.
Our planning guides below cover each of these stops so you can decide where you want the extra time.
Zagora is closer and can be done in two days, but the dunes are small. Merzouga is the real Sahara and needs three. Agafay, forty minutes from Marrakech, is a stone desert — right for the atmosphere in an evening, wrong if you came for sand.
If you have less than three days, we will tell you to do Agafay rather than sell you a rushed Sahara run.
Desert adventure
Cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass, sleep in the kasbahs of Dades and ride camels into the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in a Sahara camp under the stars.
Luxury Sahara tour
Two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes at an en-suite desert camp, with private transport, the Todra and Dades gorges and Ait Ben Haddou on the way.
Sahara desert tour
The classic three-day desert route, but finishing in Fes rather than returning to Marrakech — the same dunes, one long drive less.
Three days is the minimum for Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes, because it is about nine hours of driving each way. Four or five days makes the driving far more comfortable and adds the Draa valley or a second desert night.
For dunes, yes. Erg Chebbi at Merzouga is a genuine Saharan dune field; Zagora's dunes are much smaller. Zagora's advantage is that it fits into two days.
Berber tents on the edge of the dunes, dinner cooked at the camp, drumming around the fire, and beds with blankets. Luxury camps add en-suite bathrooms. We confirm the exact camp for your dates before you book.
October to April is the comfortable window, with March, April, October and November the sweet spot. Summer daytime heat in the dunes is extreme; winter nights are cold.
Yes. All our desert itineraries can run privately with your own 4x4 or minivan and driver on your own dates. Message us on WhatsApp with your group size.
Send us your dates and hotel. We reply with availability, your group price and pickup time.