3-Day Desert Tour: Marrakech to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi

Escape the city and embark on a 3-day adventure to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi. Explore ancient kasbahs, lush oases, and the Sahara Desert. Limited group size for an intimate experience.

Duration: 3 days
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Marrakech – Ouarzazate –Dades

Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou - Following a morning pickup from your accommodation in Marrakech, head deep into the High Atlas Mountains in your air-conditioned minivan to begin your tour. Travel along the Tizi-n-Tichka pass and past rural Berber villages, where local shepherds herd their flocks the way they have for thousands of years.

First, visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aït Benhaddou kasbah, where locals and travelers alike have met to socialize and trade down the centuries. Soak up the atmosphere at your leisure, then head onward with your guide to a local restaurant for lunch in your (own expense).
In the afternoon, head onward with your guide to the oasis at Skoura. Pause to admire the lush, green palm trees rising like a mirage in the dry desert, then continue on along the Dadès River through deep gorges, where the ruins of ancient kasbahs lie among traditional Berber villages.

Arrive in Dades in the evening, where your dinner and accommodation await.

Overnight: at Kasbah Amazigh or kasbah chems

Dades– Merzouga – Erg Chebbi

Merzouga Desert - After breakfast at your hotel, hop back aboard your minivan and travel out along the famous ‘Road of 1000 Kasbahs’ to nearby Tinghir. Stroll through the oasis to the mighty Todra Gorge, where a deep crevasse in the orange limestone provides spectacular views, then sit down to lunch at your leisure (own expense) in one of the local cafes.

In the afternoon, visit the holy town of Rissani — birthplace of Morocco’s ruling royal family and the age-old capital of the Tafilalt region. Continue on to Merzouga, a small village sitting on the borders of the Sahara Desert. Meet your camel caravan and, with the sun slowly moving across the afternoon sky, set off toward Erg Chebbi and your camp in the heart of the desert.

With traditional music from local nomads to entertain you, enjoy dinner and an evening under the stars before retiring to bed.

Overnight: campsite in the Sahara Desert

Erg Chebbi – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

High Atlas Mountains - Following an early-morning stroll before breakfast to enjoy sunrise among the sand dunes (optional), ride your camel back to Merzouga and meet your driver for the start of your return journey to Marrakech.

Stop for lunch in Ouarzazate (own expense), then head onward through the spectacular scenery of the High Atlas Mountains. Arrive back at your Marrakech accommodation in the mid-evening to conclude your tour.

What's Included
  • Comfortable accommodation with breakfast and dinner included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning for a comfortable journey
  • English-speaking driver for effective communication
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off in Marrakech
  • Exhilarating camel trekking in Erg Chebbi
  • Unique desert camp experience with traditional amenities
What's Not Included
  • Lunch & Drinks
  • Local guide in Kasbah Ait Ben Hddou (available for an extra charge 2€ pp)
  • Tips to driver
Additional Information

Escape the crowded medinas and markets to experience a much more relaxed lifestyle on a 3-day expedition to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi from Marrakech. Traverse the High Atlas Mountains using the Tizi-n-Tichka route, and explore the UNESCO-protected Aït Benhaddou Kasbah led by your guide. Witness a verdant oasis filled with palm trees in Skoura and take a scenic trip along the Dadès River. Explore Rissani, formerly the capital city of the Tafilalt region. Connect with your camel convoy in Merzouga and savor an evening under the desert night sky in the Sahara. This tour is limited to a group of 17.

  • Good walking shoes, sunscreen and sunglasses are recommended
  • It can be cold at night and in the winter so please bring appropriate clothing.
  • luggages allowed to carry, there’s enough space for it in the trunk of the bus
  • Dress code (seasonal recommendations
  • Meals included are dinner and breakfast (vegetarian option: available).
  • Return time to Marrakech : around 8 pm .
  • Drop off place : once you specify your drop off address , just inform our driver on your return day.
Location
مرآب باب تغزوت
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(1614 Ratings)
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Maudby9562cy
Sep 21, 2024
Fun and good driver/guide - Great guide, Noureddine! It was very fun to travel through the landscape of Marocco. Our guide told us some extra info which was very interesting. Also the fun music made us have a good time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
99leonors
Sep 19, 2024
Fantastic experience! - As a family we had a fantastic time on the desert trip from Marrakech to Merzouga. Our driver, Brahim, was always very helpful and attentive to everyone's needs :) I highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Benjamingn9831pi
Sep 15, 2024
3 days of adventure - A really amazing 3 day tour. The landscapes are beautiful despite the long drive. I would like to thank especially our driver Agouim Houssein for his involvement and kindness throughout the journey.
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Sunnyl748
Sep 4, 2024
The highlight of our Morocco Trip! - We went on the tour in a small bus with Noureddine Oujana as our driver and couldn’t have asked for a better time! The UNESCO Kazbah site was impressive to see and we had the most fun at the Riad in the Berber Village where the whole Ando travel group came together - a wonderful night of song and dance. Of course, nothing beats the Sahara desert and we actually downgraded (by choice) to the standard camp (vs the luxury camp we booked - note that it’s in a different location further in the desert) just so we could stay with our wonderful tour group of friends and they hosts were flexible enough to grab us more camels. Even a small desert storm couldn’t deter the amount of fun memory we created and new friends we met along the way; the tour is fantastic value and worth every penny. Choose Ando and ask for Noureddine!
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Roving52823378231
Sep 3, 2024
Nordeen is a great guide. He took care of us during the whole trip and was always aware of our needs. - Nordeen was a great guide he took care of us during the whole trip and was always aware of our needs. 100% recommended. Great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Markkc6656vb
Sep 2, 2024
Wonderful trip to the Sahara! Do it! - After some considerations because we did not know what to expect in Morocco, we chose the 3 day Sahara tour of Ando Travel. Beforehand there is whatsapp contact where you can be ready to be picked up in the early morning plus extra information regarding the tour. At exactly this time a van was waiting. We chose the group tour to get to know other people and because of this it is very affordable. Hakim was our driver and we were very happy to have him as Guide on our tour. He stopped regularly in beautiful places. The places you stop in between are some touristy but great quality food and plenty of choice. They are long drives but the surroundings are beautiful and very diverse to drive through. At Ait Ben Haddou we had Muhammad I as Guide, from family who still lives there and told us about the history. The hotel of the first night was beautifully situated, had a pool and ac. In addition, good food and a friendly family who entertained us with music and we could dress up as real Berbers, very special experience! After another long drive with stops at the Todra Gorge with Hassan as a nice Guide you arrive at the camp near the Sahara at the end of the afternoon. Waiting with Moroccan tea and goodies we could start wrapping the turban and get ready for the ride on the dromedaries. We had chosen the luxury camp and were separated from the group of the normal camp. Given the group dynamics was very nice, this was a bit of a shame. The luxury camp was beautiful, neat tent, shower and toilet, (no ac) friendly staff and again good food so the luxury version is highly recommended. The Sahara is beautiful, a once in a lifetime experience to drive through with a dromedary. In the evening again beautiful berber music and admiration of the starry sky. The next morning you can return to the starting point by dromedary or 4x4 after breakfast. The return journey is long but again beautiful to experience the variety of Morocco in such a short time. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diego_j
Sep 2, 2024
Amazing experience. - The camel ride was very fun. Dinner was excellent and entertainment too. Youssef was a very good driver and helped guide us on the way. Great experience. We travelled with luxury camp; bathrooms in tent and breakfast at the camp (as opposed to the basic). Tents were very clean and nice but they do get hot at night.
Review provided by Viator
186525rebecca
Aug 30, 2024
Great trip to mountains, villages and desert - Really memorable trip which allowed us to see the mountains and Berber villages, that would have been much harder to visit ourselves. Our driver, Mohamed was wonderful… very helpful and friendly, making sure everyone was okay. The highlight was definitely the desert camp. We decided to sleep outside in the dunes which was magical. The dunes were absolutely breathtaking. There was no escaping the very very long drive over the 3 days, but it was broken up by lots of stops, which did help. The trip was very well organised.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andres1977
Aug 27, 2024
Desert tour - Everything was done as agreed, the guides were very friendly and communicative. Always willing to solve our doubts
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Natalie_o
Sep 1, 2024
Once in a lifetime experience - Amazing scenery as we drive through the Atlas Mountains. Beautiful time exploring the Gorge. Fun camel ride across the sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara. A night laying under the stars. A knowledgeable, friendly, upbeat guide and driver. Wouldn’t recommend going in August - too hot and uncomfortable. LOTS of time in the minibus. Probably a bit too long
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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