3 day Sahara desert trip from Marrakech Merzouga dunes

3 day Sahara desert trip from Marrakech Merzouga dunes

The visit to Morocco is never complete without having seen the charming beauty of the Sahara desert dunes. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the spectacular Gorges of Dades and Toudra and spend the night under the shouting stars in Merzouga desert. Camel ride through the golden dunes, romantic sunset, sunrise and music entertainment by locals around the bonfire make this trip unique and memorable.

DAY 1: Marrakech - Ait Ben Haddou - Dades Valley

This unforgettable tiur starts with the scenic drive from Marrakech over the Tizi-N-Tichka pass (2’260 m), where you can spot the traditional Berber villages scattered by the roadside with its inhabitants in their daily work. You can stop in a local co-operative run by women who extract the Argan oil from the trees and discover how it is processed into cooking oil and cosmetics (optional). Shortly before the howllywood city of Ouarzazate, there will be an opportunity to visit the famous Kasbah of Aït-Ben-Haddou, the old fortified clay city with its numerous kasbahs, where several famous movies such as Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, game of throwns and Prince of Persia have been fully or partly filmed (no entrance fee charged) and here is where you can take your lunch in one of the local restaurants . You can visit the movie museum Atlas studio just on the other side of the road (entrance fee charged) . The journey continues through the Valley of Roses to the Dades Valley, where you stay your first stay overnight.
Aprox 325 kilometers drive.

DAY 2: Dades Valley - Todra Gorges - Merzouga

After having breakfast, the trip continue along the road of the thousand Kasbahs to the panoramic Todra Gorges. The river of Todra has formed these impressive three hundred mitters high walls over thousands of years. This is a great opportunity to take photos and go for a very short walk in the Gorges and by the river side. After lunch in Tinjdad city you drive through Erfoud town (home of the fossils workshops) to get to the desert. Here, you meet your friendly camel guide and head to the camp on top of your  camel. After arriving, you can climb the high dunes and enjoy the incredible views while the sun sinks below the horizon. Settle in your private tent and drink some mint tea before the traditional dinner is served. You can spend the night watching the shooting stars or dance around the camp fire to the beat of the desert drums.
Dinner will be served in the Berber tents.
Aprox 270 kilometres drive.

DAY 3: Merzouga - N'kob - Ouarzazate - Marrakech

Today, you get up early to enjoy the first rays of sunlight over the desert. Enjoy your breakfast in the camp and hop on your camel for the ride back to Merzouga. On your way back through the Draa Valley in direction toMarrakech you will change the road and there will be stops at different sites to take some pictures of this beautiful valley and its river as the longest one in Morocco (when the weather is not stable we came back through the road we went) . After lunch along the way, you will head back to Marrakech.
Aprox 500 kilometers.