3-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Tour: Two Nights in the Desert

On most short desert tours, the Sahara gets a single evening: you arrive at sunset, sleep at camp and leave after breakfast. This itinerary turns that around. By driving straight from Marrakech to Merzouga on the first day, you get a whole day in Erg Chebbi, plus two sunrises, a sunset camel trek and two nights close to the dunes.

The price of that extra time is two long driving days at either end. If the Sahara is the main reason you came to Morocco, most travellers find it a trade worth making.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley → Tinghir → Erfoud → Merzouga riad (about 560 km)
• Day 2: A full day around Erg Chebbi by 4x4 and on foot, then by camel to the desert camp (about 60 km)
• Day 3: Erg Chebbi → Rissani → Alnif → Tazzarine → N’Kob → Agdz → Ouarzazate → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech (about 560 km)

Day 1: Marrakech to the dunes in one go

We pick you up early, usually around 7am, so that you reach Merzouga by early evening. The first part of the drive is the most dramatic: the climb over the High Atlas to the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, with switchbacks, Berber villages clinging to the slopes and views back towards the plains.

Your main stop of the day is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village listed by UNESCO, where you can stretch your legs and walk up through the ksar to the old granary. After that, the road runs east along the “road of a thousand kasbahs”: past Ouarzazate, the Skoura palm grove, Kelaat M’Gouna in the Valley of Roses, the Dades Valley and the long oasis of Tinghir. Lunch is along the way, wherever suits you.

The last stretch crosses open hamada (stony desert) via Tinejdad and Erfoud, and as the light fades, the first dunes of Erg Chebbi appear on the horizon, glowing pink and orange. You arrive at your riad at the foot of the dunes in time for a shower, dinner and an early night.

Day 2: a full day in Erg Chebbi

This is the day that makes the tour. There’s no drive to worry about, so it runs at the pace of the desert.

Sunrise. Set an alarm and climb the dune behind the riad. It takes around 20 minutes. Watching the light spread across the sand is one of the most memorable moments of any trip to Morocco. Then come back down for breakfast.

The 4x4 loop. In the morning your driver takes you around the edge of the erg, on tracks you couldn’t follow without a local guide:

• A nomad family: many families still live in tents on the plains around Erg Chebbi, moving with their goats and camels. You’re welcomed for mint tea and a chance to see how they live.
• Mfis: an abandoned lead-mining village near the Algerian border, with old workings, crumbling houses and wide empty views.
• Khamlia: a village founded by descendants of West African communities, known for its Gnawa music. The musicians play their hypnotic rhythms for visitors over tea.
• Dayet Srij: from February to April, when there’s water in the lake after winter rains, flamingos and other migrating birds gather here. In dry years we’ll suggest another stop.

Midday. Lunch (at your own cost) and a rest at the riad through the hottest hours. Swim if your riad has a pool, read in the shade or sleep.

Sunset by camel. In the late afternoon, you meet your camels and ride deeper into the dunes, stopping on a high ridge to watch the sun go down. By dark you’re at the luxury camp: dinner, Berber drums around the fire, and a sky thick with stars. Sandboarding is included too, whenever you want to try it.

Day 3: the southern road home

Your second sunrise is from camp. Then you ride back to the village for breakfast and a shower before setting off. The return route avoids repeating day one by taking the southern road through Rissani, the historic capital of the Tafilalet; Alnif, with its black volcanic hills and fossil beds; and the small oasis villages of Tazzarine and N’Kob. At Agdz you reach the Draa Valley and its palm groves, then continue to Ouarzazate for lunch before the last climb over the High Atlas. You’re back in Marrakech in the evening.

Where you’ll sleep

• Night 1: a riad at the foot of the dunes. A proper room with its own bathroom, just steps from the sand, so you can walk straight out to watch the sunrise. It’s the ideal place to recover after the long drive.
• Night 2: our luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi. Each booking has a private tent with an en-suite bathroom (hot shower and flushing toilet), comfortable beds and electricity for charging. We add heavy blankets in winter, and family tents with extra beds are available on request.

If you’d rather spend both nights at the camp, just tell us when you book. Your luggage goes to camp by 4x4 either way, so you only need a small bag on the camel.

Photography tips

With two sunrises and a sunset, this is the best of our short tours for photographers.

• Shoot early and late. The dunes look flat and pale at midday. The best light is the hour after sunrise and before sunset.
• Protect your gear from sand. Change lenses inside a bag or the vehicle, and bring a blower and a cloth.
• Ask before you photograph people, especially nomad families and musicians. Most are happy to pose after tea, but always ask.
• Stars: bring a small tripod. The camp is far enough from any town for the Milky Way to be clearly visible on moonless nights.

Best time to go

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) bring warm days and cool, clear nights, perfect for a full day outdoors. Winter days are pleasant, but nights at camp are cold, sometimes near freezing. In summer, temperatures in Erg Chebbi often pass 40°C, so we move the 4x4 loop to early morning and the camel ride to the evening, with a long rest in the middle of the day.

Who this tour is for

Travellers who want the Sahara to be the heart of their trip, not a stopover. Photographers, couples and families get time to enjoy the dunes at every hour of the day: sunrise, a lazy afternoon at the riad, sunset by camel and a night under the stars.

It suits people who don’t mind long days on the road in exchange for a full, relaxed day in the desert. If long drives are a problem, the 4-day Sahara loop and the 5-day tour cover the same ground at an easier pace.

Good to know

• Days one and three are long, about 9 hours with stops. We stop every 1.5–2 hours for photos, coffee and lunch.
• Best months: March to May and September to November.
• Nomad visits are informal. Families welcome visitors for tea. A small tip, or a gift of tea and sugar, is appreciated but never expected.
• Carry cash: there’s no ATM in the dunes. Use the machines in Ouarzazate, Tinghir or Erfoud on the way in.
• Want to finish in Fes instead? We can end the tour in Fes rather than Marrakech; see the 3-day Marrakech to Fes tour.