3 Day Desert Tour from Marrakech

Departing and returning to Marrakech, this 3 day/2 night tour will take you through panoramic mountain roads to kasbahs, gorges, valleys and palm groves.

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3 Day Desert Tour from Marrakech

Duration: 3 Days
Start: Marrakech
End: Marrakech
From: £300 P/P

Overview

Departing and returning to Marrakech, this 3 day/2 night tour will take you through panoramic mountain roads to kasbahs, gorges, valleys and palm groves. The highlight of the trip will be spending the night beneath the stars in a traditional nomadic tent in the Sahara dunes.

All of our tour plans are only guides. We don’t take a one size fits all approach and one thing we love about offering private trips is that every trip is unique – once you get in touch with us, we will work with you to plan the perfect itinerary, activities and accommodation for a truly memorable experience!

What's Included

Airport pickup and drop off
Air-conditioned private transport and driver/guide
Accommodation
All breakfasts and dinners
Camel trekking in the desert
All listed activities and guided tours
Lunches (purchased locally)
Additional beverages
Optional guide tips

Extra activities

We can organize additional activities for you before, during and after your trip.

Options include:

Hot air balloon ride in Marrakech
Quad biking in the desert
Private romantic dinner in the desert

Highlights

Visit the UNESCO Heritage Site and Game of Thrones set Ait Ben Haddou
Drive the spectacular Tizi N'Tichka pass
Sleep under the stars in the Sahara desert
Visit Erg Chebbi, the biggest dune in Morocco
Ride a camel

Itinerary

This itinerary gives you a flavor of the trip, however all our trips are custom designed, so once you get in touch with us, we can make any additions or adjustments based on your dream itinerary!

You will be picked up from your accommodation in Marrakech around 8 o’clock in the morning. We will then depart for the High Atlas mountains, going through the Tizi N´Tichka pass with stops for panoramic views and taking pictures of the small Amazigh villages that dot the landscape.

Then, we will continue south to the ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). Famous films have been shot in this spectacular set, including Gladiator and Game of Thrones. There will be free time for lunch in town.

After lunch, we will continue to Ouarzazate, also known as “The Gate of the Desert.” Here, we will see the Taourirt kasbah, one of the most spectacular ksars in Morocco. The next site on our itinerary will be the Rose Valley as we drive through the big Skoura palm grove, a beautiful place with more than 700.000 palms and numerous kasbahs that are built in the surrounding area. In this Valley damascenes roses are raised for cosmetic use, such as rosewater. The Rose Festival is held here annually in May.

Finally, we will reach the Dades valley where we’ll spend the night. Your hotel has spectacular views of the valley and a panoramic swimming pool.

After breakfast we will enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Dades Valley from a strategic lookout in the mountains. From there you can see a great number of kasbahs. Agood asphalt road will take us up the valley from the city of Tinerhir and then to the desert.

After some stops along the way, we’ll reach the Todra Gorge where the scenery is spectacular. Thanks to its rocky sides with many uneven surfaces, these gorges are popular among rock climbers. Local people live in the area and we will see their adobe villages. After a short walk in the Todra Gorge, you’ll have free time for lunch in Tinejdad and then we will continue our way to the desert to reach the spectacular dunes of Merzouga.

Here, we will swap our motorized transportation for a 4-legged one (camel!) to enter inside the heart of the desert. Your camel ride will last around 1.5 hours, during which you will stop on top of a big dune to catch the sunset. Here you can also have a go at sandboarding (included).

When you reach the camp, you will find your luggage waiting for you and enjoy dinner before spending the night in the dunes, listening to traditional Amazigh music, or stargazing. Our luxury desert camp has cosy beds, hot water, showers and private bathrooms in each tent.

Very early in the morning we have a “date with the sunrise.” In the middle of the desert, waking up early is a “must do” to see the most spectacular sunrise at the top of a dune close to the camp. Then, we will return to Merzouga.

We will start the last day of our trip going through the arid pre-desertic area where we’ll meet the acacia, a typical tree of this region. On the way to the Draa valley we’ll make some stops to enjoy the beautiful views of the river that gives name to the valley.

The Draa River is the longest river in Morocco, going through the whole country until it reaches Mauritania. Our trip continues towards Ouarzazate going through the Anti Atlas. We´ll have some free time for lunch in the town and in the afternoon we start off again, reaching Marrakech about 8pm.

Transfer to your hotel will mark the end of your trip.

Route

FAQS

What type of accommodation will I be staying in?

We focus on authentic, locally owned accommodation for all of our trips, both to offer you a truly ‘Moroccan’ experience but also to support sustainable tourism and the local economy. On this tour you will stay in a mix of hotels and a desert camp. Once you contact us to book your trip, we will work with you to select the perfect accommodation for your budget and needs.

Is there a minimum or maximum number of guests to book a tour with you?

We work with solo travelers, couples, families – all the way to large groups – and have a range of transport options to suit groups of all sizes.

Should I take a Marrakech-Marrakech tour, or a Marrakech-Fes tour?

If it works with your flights, a Marrakech-Fes tour can allow you to see more of Morocco and have a more diverse tour, as you will return from the desert via the Middle Atlas. However, flights are often cheapest booked as return trips to Marrakech, so depending on your time and budget this may be the better option.

What’s the difference between the 3, 4 and 5 day desert tours from Marrakech?

Our shortest desert trip is a 3 day trip. If possible, we recommend spending as long as possible on your desert trip to reduce the traveling time each day and allow you to really soak up the desert atmosphere, and slower pace of life in the South East. If you’re traveling all the way to the Sahara desert, you may as well make the most of it! If, however, you only have a short period of time, we can make it work in just 3 days!

Accommodation

We focus on authentic, locally owned accommodation for all of our trips, both to offer you a truly ‘Moroccan’ experience but also to support sustainable tourism and the local economy. On this tour you will stay in a mix of hotels and a desert camp. Once you contact us to book your trip, we will work with you to select the perfect accommodation for your budget and needs.

Pricing

The starting price for this trip is £300 per person, based on a family of 4 travelling. Please note that the price per person varies dependent on group size, choice of accommodation and time of year.

Make an Enquiry

Please use the below form to email us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. If you do not hear back from us within 24 hours, please send us a WhatsApp message at +212675321420. We look forward to hearing from you. 

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