3 Days Trip from Marrakech to Sahara
Duration
Tour Type
Explore Tours
This trip is a great way to experience the best of Morocco in a short amount of time. You’ll start your trip in Marrakech, the bustling center of the country. From there, you’ll travel through the High Atlas Mountains, stopping at the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll also visit the Dades Valley and Todra Gorges, two of the most beautiful natural attractions in Morocco. Finally, you’ll reach Merzouga, a small town on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Here, you’ll take a camel trek into the desert and spend the night in a traditional Berber camp under a blanket of stars.
Highlights:
- Cross the High Atlas Mountains: Enjoy scenic views and Berber villages.
- Visit Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah: Explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for movies like Gladiator.
- See Dades Valley and Todra Gorges: Discover Morocco’s stunning natural beauty with dramatic rock formations.
- Experience a Camel Trek: Ride camels and camp overnight in the Sahara Desert under a starry sky.
Included/Exclude
- Transport in a private air-conditioned 4×4; Toyota Prado Tx or deluxe van, and fuel
- Pick up from and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Marrakesh
- Experienced local English Berber and nomad driver/guide
- One night in a riad or kasbah (traditional hotel) typically in Dades Valley, and one night in a desert camp (tent).
- Entrance fees to Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah and the camel trek experience in Merzouga.
- Breakfast
- Flights:Â Round trip airfare to and from Morocco is not included.
- Travel Insurance: It's recommended to purchase your own travel insurance.
- Drinks:Â Beverages are usually not included.
- Lunches and Dinners (except where mentioned): Budget for meals not included in the tour package.
- Tips:Â Tipping your guide and camel handlers is customary, but not mandatory.
Tour Plan
From Marrakech, we drive across the High Atlas Mountain reaching a height of 2260 metres at the Tichka Mountain Pass where you can see a stunning panoramic view of the mountains and the twists and turns of the roads snaking through the mountains. On the way, we visit a cooperative specialising in argan oil products which are known to be specially good for healthy-looking skin and hair among other benefits to our body. Argan oil is extracted from the nuts of the argan tree, which is a native unique to Morocco. We have lunch at Kasbah ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO world heritage site being a traditional fortified Berber earthen clay village. After lunch, we visit the Hollywood of Africa at Ouarzazate, a big studio among the backdrops of mountains, oases, dunes, deserts and alluring kasbahs where record movies such as Gladiator, Game of Thrones, The Mummy etc. were filmed. On the way to the hotel at Dades for the night’s stay, we visit the Valley of Roses with its dry landscapes of ocher rocks and green fields irrigated by the Dades River, which gives life to a magnificent vegetation and thousands of wild rose bushes that bloom beautifully in April-May.
After breakfast, we drive to the Sahara through the Tinghir Valley and the Todra Gorge. Tinghir is an oasis town featuring a magnificent view of green, lush gardens and countless date palms growing in the valley, which forms a stark contrast with the red rocky landscape of the Todra Gorge, best for taking picturesque photos. You will visit a local Berber home where they do handmade carpets rich in Berber cultural patterns and colours. After lunch at Tinejdad, we drive to Touroug and Mellab, famous for Berber scarfs and clothing. You can also take photos with the Berber flag. We then visit Erfoud where you can find the best Moroccan dates and see fossils dated back millions of years ago when this part was covered by the sea. At Merzouga, you get onto the Sahara trip with a camel ride to the desert camp while enjoying the magically tranquil sunset view of the desert. Your luggage will be waiting for you at the desert camp when you arrive. After dinner at the desert camp, you can enjoy the peaceful starry night view with a Berber camp fire and traditional music.
Shortly before 7 am, you can see the desert sunrise slowly up the horizon of the huge desert to have the best start to the day. After breakfast, we drive onto Marrakech, the pink city of Morocco, where you can visit mosques, palaces and, the most famous of all, its souks (markets). The medina quarter is another UNESCO world heritage site. We will drop you off at a point nearest to your hotel.
Related Tours
5
This tour was a fantastic way to experience the Moroccan desert. We saw some amazing scenery along the way, from the mountains to the gorges. The camel ride was a lot of fun, and the food at the camp was delicious. We even got to learn a few words of Berber! Great tour!
4.6
This trip was the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. We got to see the beautiful Atlas Mountains, explore ancient Kasbahs, and then spend a night under the stars in the Sahara. The camp was comfortable and the staff was very attentive. This is a must-do for anyone visiting Morocco!
4.4
Amazing experience! The camel trek at sunset was magical, and the stars in the desert were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Our guides were friendly and knowledgeable, and the food was delicious. We even got to see a shooting star! Highly recommend this tour.