Desert round trip · From Marrakech
Our most requested route: mountains, gorges and a night among Morocco's tallest dunes.
About this tour
This is the tour we are asked about most, and for good reason. In three days it links everything that makes southern Morocco special: the high passes of the Atlas, the kasbah of Aït Benhaddou, the palm oases and rose gardens of the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, the Dades and Todra gorges and, finally, the great dunes of Erg Chebbi, which rise to around 150 metres near Merzouga.
You spend the first night in a comfortable hotel among the red cliffs of the Dades Valley and the second in a desert camp, reached by camel at sunset. With no light pollution for miles, the night sky above the camp is unforgettable. The return to Marrakech follows a different route along the edge of the Jbel Saghro and down the Drâa Valley, so you never drive the same road twice.
It is a full itinerary, with a long last day of about 570 km, but every stretch of road has something to see. Your private driver-guide adapts the timing to you, whether that means an extra half hour in the gorge or an early start to beat the heat.
Best for: First-time visitors who want the classic Sahara experience from Marrakech in a short time, and travellers happy with one long driving day.
Marrakech · Tizi n'Tichka · Aït Benhaddou · Ouarzazate · Skoura · Valley of Roses · Dades Valley · about 321 km · About 6 hours of driving, with stops
Your driver-guide collects you from your riad at 8:00 am and within an hour the palm groves of Marrakech give way to the foothills of the High Atlas. The road climbs through walnut trees, terraced fields and red-earth Berber villages to the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 metres the highest road crossing in the range. On clear days the snow-capped summits stay with you all the way down the southern slopes, where the landscape suddenly turns dry, stony and bronze.
Late morning you reach Aït Benhaddou, the fortified earthen village listed by UNESCO in 1987 and familiar from films such as Gladiator and series like Game of Thrones. Cross the river, wander the narrow lanes and climb to the old granary at the top for a sweeping view of the valley; lunch is nearby. The afternoon follows the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs past Ouarzazate, the Skoura palm oasis and Kalaat M'Gouna, heart of the Valley of Roses, where rosewater and creams are made from Damascus roses picked each spring. You arrive in the Dades Valley as the cliffs turn red in the late light.
Dades Valley · Tinghir · Todra Gorge · Tinjdad · Erfoud · Merzouga · about 250 km · About 5 hours of driving
Start the day with the Dades Gorge itself: the road twists up in tight hairpins past rounded rock formations nicknamed the Monkey Fingers, and a viewpoint above the switchbacks makes a perfect photo stop. Then drive east to Tinghir, a long green oasis lined with old earthen villages, and walk into the Todra Gorge, where limestone walls rise around 300 metres and the canyon narrows to just a few metres beside a clear stream. It is a popular spot with climbers, and a pleasant place for mint tea.
The afternoon crosses open desert plains and the palm groves of Tinjdad, where you can still see the lines of khettara, underground irrigation channels dug centuries ago. After Erfoud the first dunes of Erg Chebbi appear on the horizon, glowing orange. In Merzouga you leave the vehicle, meet your camel guide and ride into the dunes for about an hour, stopping on a high crest for sunset and a go at sandboarding. At camp, mint tea is followed by a Moroccan dinner, Berber drumming around the fire and a sky crowded with stars.
Merzouga · Rissani · Alnif · Tazzarine · N'kob · Agdz · Drâa Valley · Ouarzazate · Marrakech · about 570 km · About 9 hours of driving, with breaks
Rise early for sunrise from the top of a dune, then return by camel or 4x4 for breakfast and a hot shower. The journey home begins in Rissani, the historic capital of the Tafilalet, and continues west on the quiet southern road. Alnif is known for its trilobite fossils, and the landscape around Tazzarine and N'kob is dramatic: dark volcanic ridges of the Jbel Saghro, flat-topped mesas and small oases. N'kob, a village of dozens of kasbahs, is a pleasant place for lunch with a mountain view.
After N'kob the road joins the Drâa Valley near Tansikht and follows its palm groves to Agdz, where the ruined kasbah of Tamnougalt stands beside the river. Climb over the Tizi n'Tinififft pass to Ouarzazate, then cross the High Atlas one last time by the Tizi n'Tichka. You arrive back in Marrakech around 6:00 pm.
Every tent is private. Pick the comfort level that suits you; tell us your choice when you book.
Private tents with their own en-suite bathroom, offering a good balance between comfort and the authentic feel of a Berber camp.
Spacious, elegantly furnished tents equipped with air conditioning and heating, so you stay cool on summer nights and warm in winter. Ideal for couples and families.
Absolutely. Every tour is private, so you can add or remove nights, change the camp style, combine routes or start on a different date. Tell us what you have in mind and we will adapt the plan and price.
A private, air-conditioned minivan or 4x4, depending on group size. Our vehicles are under five years old, regularly inspected and insured for tourist transport.
Yes, families travel with us often. Children love the camel ride and the camp. For young children we usually recommend a longer version of the route, with shorter driving days.
Comfortable clothes, a warm layer for the evenings, a hat or scarf, sunglasses, sun cream and closed shoes. For the desert night, a small backpack is enough; your main luggage stays safely in the vehicle.
Both camps have private tents with en-suite bathrooms, hot showers and comfortable bedding. The mid-range luxury camp offers a good balance between comfort and authenticity. The luxury camp adds air conditioning and heating in every tent, plus more spacious, elegantly furnished tents, so you stay comfortable on hot summer nights and cold winter ones.
Before you go
Where the dunes are, the best season to visit and what a night in Erg Chebbi is really like.
Day trips and short escapes from the city, from mountain villages to waterfalls and kasbahs.
A practical packing list for medinas, mountains and a night in the Sahara, with what to wear in each season.
Related tours
Short on time? Cross the High Atlas, walk the lanes of Aït Benhaddou, follow the palm-lined Drâa Valley and spend a night under Saharan stars near Zagora.
A one-way crossing that turns a long transfer into an adventure: kasbahs, the Dades and Todra gorges, a camel ride into Erg Chebbi, then cedar forests on the road to Fes.
The same classic crossing at an easier pace, with an extra day in the dunes to explore nomad life, Gnawa music in Khamlia and the oasis around Merzouga.
A round trip that shows both faces of the south: out through the Drâa Valley and N'kob to the dunes, back via the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and the Valley of Roses.
