PrivateMarrakech to Fes through the Sahara — 3 Days
Leave Marrakech, sleep among the Erg Chebbi dunes, and arrive in Fes: a one-way crossing of the Atlas by way of the desert.
- Length
- 3 days
- Starts from
- Marrakech
- Price
- Price on request
Marrakech to Erg Chebbi, 4 Days at an Easy Pace
The southern loop to the Erg Chebbi dunes with an extra night, so no day on the road runs much past five hours.
- Length
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Starts from
- Marrakech — your hotel or riad
- Travelling
- Private · 1–10 people
The journey
Four days for the journey most people try to fit into three. You cross the High Atlas, see Aït Ben Haddou and sleep in the Dades Valley, walk into the Todra Gorge, then ride out at sunset to a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes. The way home goes by Tazarine and N'Kob, an old caravan road lined with earthen kasbahs, with a night in Ouarzazate so the last drive is a short one. Three nights, two camel rides and time to stop wherever the light is good.
- A night at a desert camp in Erg Chebbi, with camel rides at sunset and sunrise
- A walk into the narrows of the Todra Gorge
- Aït Ben Haddou on the way out and again in the morning light
- The Dades Valley, its kasbahs and the rock formations called monkey fingers
- The old caravan road home through Tazarine and N'Kob
- No day much longer than five hours in the vehicle
Day by day
Day 1: Marrakech → Aït Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley
We collect you at 7:00 am and climb over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2,260 m. At Aït Ben Haddou you have about 45 minutes to explore the ksar. Lunch is in Ouarzazate, where you can visit the Atlas Film Studios if you like. Then into the Dades Valley, with its red kasbahs, oasis villages and the rock formations known as monkey fingers. You reach the hotel around 5:00 pm for dinner and the night.
- Night
- Hotel
- Meals
- Dinner
≈5 h · ≈360 km
Day 2: Dades Valley → Todra Gorge → Merzouga Desert Camp
After breakfast you walk into the Todra Gorge at its narrowest, between high limestone walls with a clear stream underfoot. The road then runs east over the plains, past oasis towns and grazing land, to Merzouga in the afternoon. A camel carries you into the dunes of Erg Chebbi for sunset, and you reach camp as the sky turns red. Dinner is a tagine, with Berber music by the fire.
- Night
- Desert camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
≈4 h · ≈220 km
Day 3: Sahara Sunrise → Merzouga Village → Ouarzazate
Up at 5:30 am to climb a dune for sunrise, then a camel back to camp for breakfast, and a chance to freshen up in Merzouga. The return follows a more southern route through Tazarine and N'Kob, an old caravan road with earthen kasbahs along the way. You reach Ouarzazate in the evening and stay the night in a hotel.
- Night
- Hotel
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
≈5 h · ≈300 km
Day 4: Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech
In the morning you can visit the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate. A short stop at Aït Ben Haddou shows it from another side in the morning light, then you cross the Tizi n'Tichka again with wide views over the Atlas. You are in Marrakech by 5:00 pm.
- Meals
- Breakfast
≈4 h · ≈200 km
How many days?
Every option below spends one night at the desert camp in Erg Chebbi, Merzouga. Extra days don't add nights in the dunes; they spread the driving over more days.
Driving each day
2 days / 1 night
Merzouga under the Stars, 2 Days from Marrakech
- Day 1: ≈8 h
- Day 2: ≈8 h
About 1,100 km by road
See this trip€260
per person, for 2 travellers
3 days / 2 nights
Marrakech to Merzouga, 3 Days in the Sahara
- Day 1: ≈7 h
- Day 2: ≈5 h
- Day 3: ≈9 h
About 1,180 km by road
See this trip€380
per person, for 2 travellers
4 days / 3 nights
Marrakech to Erg Chebbi, 4 Days at an Easy Pace
- Day 1: ≈5 h
- Day 2: ≈4 h
- Day 3: ≈5 h
- Day 4: ≈4 h
About 1,180 km by road
This trip€526
per person, for 2 travellers
The route
Starts from: Marrakech — your hotel or riad
What's included
Included
- Air-conditioned minibus/4x4 transport throughout
- Professional bilingual driver-guide (English/French)
- 1 night hotel in Dades Valley (dinner + breakfast)
- 1 night traditional Berber desert camp (dinner + breakfast)
- 1 night hotel in Ouarzazate (dinner + breakfast)
- Sunset and sunrise camel treks at Erg Chebbi
- All transfers and access fees
- Mineral water and tea throughout
Not included
- Lunches (recommended budget: €12–15 per meal)
- Atlas Film Studios entry ticket (optional, ~€7)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal travel insurance
- Tips
Frequently asked questions
What does the fourth day add to the 3-day trip?
Time, not distance. The 3-day trip drives about 560 km, around nine hours, from the dunes back to Marrakech in one go. Here that return is split by a night in Ouarzazate, so no day runs much past five hours, and you see Aït Ben Haddou again on the way home. If the long drives are what worries you, book this one.
Where do we sleep?
One night in a hotel in the Dades Valley, one at a desert camp in Erg Chebbi and one in a hotel in Ouarzazate, all with dinner and breakfast. At the camp your tent has real beds and its own bathroom with a shower and toilet. The hotels are private rooms.
Is there much walking?
Very little; the trip is graded easy. The distance is covered by air-conditioned minibus or 4x4. You walk a short way into the Todra Gorge and around Aït Ben Haddou, and the camel rides are optional.
Do we reach the real Sahara?
Yes. You spend a full night at a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, with camel rides at sunset and at sunrise.
What is not included?
Lunches, for which €12 to €15 a meal is a fair budget, the optional Atlas Film Studios ticket of about €7, alcoholic drinks, travel insurance and tips.
How cold does it get at night?
In spring and autumn, around 12 to 18 °C after dark. In midwinter it can get close to freezing in the dunes. The camp gives you blankets, but pack a warm layer, because the temperature drops fast after sunset.
Can you cater for special diets?
Yes. Vegetarian food is easy all along the route, and vegan, halal and common allergies can be handled if you tell us when you book, so the hotels and the camp know ahead.
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- Length
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- Starts from
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- Price
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- Length
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- Starts from
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- Price
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- Length
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- From
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