Merzouga and the Sahara: Planning Your Desert Adventure

1. Step 1: Choose your starting city

The two classic starting points are Marrakech and Fes, and the right one depends on your flights.

From Fes, Merzouga is a single day's drive of about 460 km through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and the Ziz Valley. From Marrakech it is roughly 560 km over the High Atlas, and the drive is so full of sights that it deserves two days. Many travellers start in one city and finish in the other, which avoids retracing the same road.

Local tip: If you fly into Marrakech and out of Fes (or the reverse), a one-way desert tour is the most efficient route of all.

2. Merzouga, Zagora or Agafay?

Three places are sold as 'the desert' from Marrakech. They are very different.

• Merzouga (Erg Chebbi): The highest dunes in Morocco, a real sea of sand. Needs three days from Marrakech.
• Zagora: Reached in two days through the Drâa Valley. The dunes are low and scattered; the palm groves on the way are the highlight.
• Agafay: A stone desert of pale hills forty-five minutes from Marrakech. Good for a sunset dinner, but there is no sand.

3. Step 2: Decide how many days

The number of days decides how much time you spend looking out of a window and how much you spend in the landscape. This is what each length really allows.

• 2 days: Only realistic from Fes. Two long drives and one night in camp.
• 3 days: The classic from either city. One night on the road, one in the desert.
• 4 days: Adds a free day around Merzouga, which changes the experience completely.
• 5 days or more: Time for Ouarzazate, the Drâa Valley and shorter driving days.

Local tip: With children, or if you dislike long drives, choose four days rather than three.

4. What the road looks like

From Marrakech, the first day climbs over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, then drops to the earthen village of Aït Benhaddou and the town of Ouarzazate. The afternoon follows the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the palm groves of Skoura and the Valley of Roses to the Dades Valley.

The second day passes the Todra Gorge, with its 300-metre walls, and the long oasis of Tinghir, before the land flattens and the first dunes appear beyond Erfoud. You reach Merzouga in time for the camel ride at sunset.

From Fes, the road runs through Ifrane and the cedar forest, crosses the high plateau to Midelt and winds down the Ziz Valley, a ribbon of palms between red cliffs, to the edge of the Sahara.

5. Step 3: Private tour, shared tour or self-drive?

A private tour gives you your own vehicle and driver-guide, the freedom to stop where you like and pick-up from your riad. Shared group tours are cheaper but run to a fixed timetable, usually with large minibuses and basic camps.

Driving yourself is entirely possible: the roads are paved and well signed. You would then book a camel trek and camp directly in Merzouga. The trade-off is that mountain roads are tiring, and you lose the stories and local knowledge of a guide.

6. Step 4: Pick your desert experience

Once in Merzouga, there are three main ways to enter the dunes.

• Sunset camel trek and one night: The classic. About an hour and a half by camel, dinner and music at camp, sunrise the next morning.
• Day and night: A full day by 4x4 around Erg Chebbi, then a sunset camel ride and a night in camp.
• Two nights: The same, with a second evening in camp and time to enjoy the dunes without rushing.

Local tip: Not everyone enjoys riding. A 4x4 transfer to camp is always available and takes about twenty minutes.

7. Step 5: Choose your camp

Camps vary more than their photos suggest. Check three things: whether the bathroom is private, whether the tent has heating or air conditioning for the season you are travelling in, and how far the camp is from the village. Camps deep in the dunes are quieter and darker at night.

A mid-range luxury camp offers a private tent with en-suite bathroom and hot shower. A luxury camp adds air conditioning, heating and more space.

8. Questions to ask before you book

• Is the tour private, or will you share the vehicle with others?
• Which camp will you stay in, and is the bathroom inside your tent?
• Which meals are included on each day?
• Where does the tour start and finish, and is pick-up from your riad included?
• Can you choose between a camel ride and a 4x4 transfer to camp?
• What happens if your dates change?

9. What to budget for

Prices depend on the season, the size of your group and the camp you choose, so ask for a quote rather than relying on a number from a blog. As a guide, a private tour normally includes transport, driver-guide, hotels with breakfast and dinner, the camel ride and the camp.

Allow extra for lunches, drinks, entrance fees at monuments and tips for your driver, camel guide and camp staff.

10. Mistakes to avoid

• Too few days: Two long drives for one evening in the dunes leaves many people tired.
• Choosing on price alone: The cheapest group tours often use crowded camps on the edge of the dunes.
• Arriving after dark: Plan to reach Merzouga by mid-afternoon so that you do not miss the sunset.
• Overpacking: A small overnight bag is all you need at camp.
• Forgetting cash: There is nowhere to pay by card among the dunes.
• Ignoring the season: Ask for heating in winter and air conditioning in summer.

Frequently Asked Questions