4 Days from Marrakech to Merzouga Desert

Embark on a 4-day journey from Marrakech to Merzouga, where you experience the landscapes of Morocco, from the peaks of the Atlas Mountains to the golden dunes of the Sahara Desert. The tour offers a blend of adventure, culture and natural beauty.

• Day 1: Marrakech to Dades Gorge via Ait Benhaddou and OuarzazateLeave Marrakech early in the morning and cross the High Atlas through the Tizi n’Tichka Pass, with views of mountains, Berber villages and terraced fields. Your first major stop is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou, a fortified village of clay kasbahs: explore its winding streets and enjoy the views from the top. The site has been featured in films like Gladiator and The Mummy. Continue to Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Morocco, to visit the Taourirt Kasbah and, if time permits, the Atlas Film Studios. In the late afternoon, travel through the Valley of Roses to the Dades Gorge, often called the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs. Dinner and overnight in a riad or hotel.
• Day 2: Dades Gorge to Merzouga via Todra GorgeStart with Todra Gorge, where cliffs reach up to 300 metres. Take a short hike along the river between the red rock walls and the green palms. Continue through Berber villages, palm groves and desert landscapes, with a stop at Erfoud, known for its fossil workshops, before arriving in Merzouga, the gateway to the Erg Chebbi dunes. In the late afternoon, ride camels into the Sahara as the sun sets. At the luxury desert camp you have a traditional Moroccan dinner under the stars, and you spend the night in a tent in the desert.
• Day 3: Merzouga to Agdz via AlnifWake up early for the sunrise over Erg Chebbi. After breakfast at the camp, return to Merzouga by camel or 4x4. Travel through the Saghro Mountains and the town of Alnif, a hub for fossil discoveries, with views of rocky desert and isolated Berber villages. Arrive in Agdz, a town at the beginning of the Draa Valley, known for its palm groves and old kasbahs. Dinner and overnight in a guesthouse.
• Day 4: Agdz to Marrakech via OuarzazateDrive through the Draa Valley, with its date palms, mud-brick villages and the Kasbah Tamnougalt. Return through Ouarzazate, with a stop for lunch and a last look at the High Atlas Mountains. Arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon, where the tour ends.

This 4-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour combines adventure, culture and a night in the Sahara. Whether you walk through old kasbahs, enjoy the quiet of the desert or look at the different landscapes of Morocco, the route goes out and back by two different roads, so you see more of the south.