The 3 Days Marrakech Merzouga Desert Tour is a guided tour that takes visitors from the historical city of Marrakech to the sand dunes of Merzouga.
The trip typically starts with a pickup from the traveler’s hotel or riad in Marrakech and a drive to the Dades Valley, where travelers can take in the beautiful scenery of the Atlas Mountains and the traditional Berber villages that dot the landscape. Along the way, there are opportunities to visit local markets, traditional kasbahs, and have a traditional Berber lunch.
On the second day, the tour continues to Merzouga, where travelers can explore the desert on a camel trek, and enjoy the sunset over the dunes. After a traditional Berber dinner, travelers can spend the night in a desert camp under the stars.
On the third day, visitors can wake up early to catch the sunrise over the dunes and continue their camel trek before returning back to Marrakech via the Todra Gorge, where they can enjoy the views of the narrow, towering cliffs.
This tour offers a chance to experience the contrast between Marrakech’s vibrant city and Merzouga’s vast and peaceful desert landscape. It provides an opportunity to experience traditional Berber culture and take in stunning scenery. The tour is typically guided by a professional tour guide, who will provide information about the history and culture of the places visited, and ensure that the trip runs smoothly.
Day 1: Marrakech to Dades Gorges :
We will meet at the designated arrival point in Marrakesh to start our tour towards Dades Gorges which are a series of rugged wadi gorges carved out of the Dades River. We will drive through Tizi-n-Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains where we will have the opportunity to take some outstanding landscape photos. Subsequently, we will visit the Ait Benhaddou fortified village/ksar recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, and then drive a short distance towards Ouarzazate which is known as the desert door. For many centuries this town was an exchange trading route and now is the home to Atlas Studios, the film capital of Morocco where Lawrence of Arabia and the Game of Thrones were filmed. Also, we will have a chance to visit an outstanding abandoned 17-19th century fortified residence, Taourit Kasbah, in the center of Ouarzazate, and then move on to Rose Valley where we will have the opportunity to learn about the process of distilling the flowers grown there into rosewater. After our tour of the area, we will drive into Dades for our night’s lodging at a comfortable, traditional Moroccan Riad (courtyard townhouse) and will get a chance to have dinner at leisure.
Day 2: Dades Gorges to Merzouga :
Today, we will have breakfast at the Riad and then we will drive to Merzouga known for having the highest Sahara sand dunes in Northern Africa, called Erg Chebbi. On our way to our destination, we will have a chance to see many oases such as the small desert town of Tinjdad. Further on, we will arrive at Rissani where it is possible to visit a number of ruins/museums/ markets. We will continue on our way reaching the dense palm tree oasis (palmerales) of the Ziz “Tafilet” Valley followed by the hard rocky plateaus of the desert, hamada, before arriving in Merzouga, at the edge of the Sahara, where we will take a camel ride later in the day to watch the ever-changing
colors and shapes of the sand dunes. We will spend the night in a well-equipped campsite in the middle of the Sahara which will give us a chance to
observe the day/night/day changes of the landscape and take photos of the sunset along with the sunrise. You will be served dinner at the campsite before turning into your tent for the night under the starlit desert sky.
Day 3: Merzouga to Marrakech :
After a refreshing night’s sleep in the desert followed by breakfast, we will head off for our return trip to Marrakech. We will have a chance to visit many sites on the way as time and your interests allow. We will return via the Draa Valley and pass through Agdz, Ouarzazate along with seeing many Kasbahs.
After our full-day drive, you will be escorted to your hotel or the airport depending on your itinerary.