Top Rated 4 days desert tour from Marrakech
4 days desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
Get the best camel ride and go camping with our 4 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert.
Note: This tour is customizable, you can end the trip in Fes instead of Marrakech.
For a 3 trip, check out here.
Main info:
Departure location:
Marrakech
Return location:
Marrakech
Departure time:
08:00 AM
Itinerary duration
4 days/ 3 nights
Highlights of our tour:
- Hike up Ait Benhaddou
- Ouarzazate atlas studio
- Camel trekking in Zagora
- Camping in Berber tents
Tour overview:
We offer the best 4 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert for the best experience. Thus, you figure out the old Kasbahs and Ouarzazate. The tour also travels to the desert for a camel trip and a desert tour by 4×4 to meet nomads. Secondly, you discover the Ant-Atlas Mountains and the Draa Valley. Finally, we drive back to Marrakech via the High Atlas Mountains. Our 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga includes pick up and drop off service.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Marrakech- Ait Ben Haddou- Boumalne Dades
The first days of our 4 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert travel over the High Atlas Mountains. Thus, we will visit the cross Tizi-N-Tichka mountain pass towards Ait Ben Haddou. It is a fortified and old kasbah considered a tour between Marrakech and the Sahara. It is also a unique Kasbah that attracts film producers. After exploring this UNESCO Kasbah, we head to the Ouarzazate. It is the capital cinema that offers Atlas Studios for movies as well. You will visit the site and visit Rose Valley. Finally, we have a night in Boumalne Dades.
Day 2: Boumalne Dades – Todra Gorges – Merzouga
Our 4 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert will be in the Merzouga desert. However, we are going to visit the main tourist sites before we reach the desert. Firstly, you will visit the Rock Formation and move to Todra Gorges. Here, there is enough time to enjoy high rocks at 300mwith a river between them. We then visit the Berber cloth cooperative in Touroug Village and head to Erfoud. It is the capital date in Morocco where a Date Festival takes place each year. Finally, arrive in Merzouga and have a night at Riad/Hotel.
Day 3: Desert Tour And Camel Trip
After breakfast, we start our desert tour by 4×4. So, we visit Khamlia village. You will enjoy Gnawa music of black skin people originally from Mali. Thereafter, you explore an adventure work for mine on Mifis site. Moreover, you meet nomads who live in hand-made tents and have Berber pizza with them. Also, you visit the desert’s lake and one of the palm tree groves. Finally, you go on a camel trip to spend a night at the desert camp. You will experience the sunset view on your way and you enjoy music drums around the fire.
Day 4: Merzouga- Marrakech
After shower and breakfast, you come back by camel to the center. Then, we keep our tour to Marrakech through a different road. That is to say, we head to visit Rissani town. There is an old and traditional souk to explore. Further, we shift to Nkob village for lunch and discover the Draa Valley. It is the longest river in Morocco at 1,100 km. You also admire the Anti-Atlas views, and we drive to Marrakech. It is possible to stop at any place again on our way to Marrakech. The itinerary of our 4 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga desert ends here.
Tour includes:
- Pickup and drop off from accommodation.
- Camel for each in Merzouga
- Berber tent accommodation.
- Vehicle with gasoline
- Dinner and Breakfast
Tour excludes:
- Monuments fees
- Lunches
- Tips
- Soft drinks
Testimonials:
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Highlights overview:
Todgha Gorges:
The Todra Gorge, located in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, is regarded as one of the most beautiful canyons in the world.
The Todra and Dades rivers carved 40 kilometers of canyons in the mountains, creating incredible reliefs. Todgha is the name given to the canyon’s final 600 meters. This canyon is only 10 meters wide in some places, but its cliffs rise to over 150 meters in others. The river has already dried up, and only your imagination can conjure up the powerful natural forces that once formed this gorge.
The gorge is located in a remote area of Morocco, but it has remained a popular tourist destination over the years. The canyons have hiking trails as well as a groomed dirt road that visitors must share with mules and other pack animals.
Tinghir Township was established to accommodate tourists and locals who pass through the area on camelback, carrying their belongings. Tinghir had a population of nearly 90,000 people at the time of the 2004 census, with 36,000 permanent residents. The city, which is part of the Ouarzazate region, is primarily populated by the Amazigh (as many Berbers refer to themselves), an indigenous North African people who live in areas west of the Nile Valley. These people’s names roughly translate as “free people” or “free and noble people.”
The Atlas Mountains in Morocco
ATLAS (Atlas Mountains) – The Atlas Mountains are located in northwestern Africa, in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in northwestern Africa, in present-day Berberia, that was known by the same name in antiquity but is still little explored today. The distance between the ranges is 2,092 kilometers. Mount Toubkal (4167 m), located in south-western Morocco, is the highest peak.
It is approximately 2,000 kilometers long. It is made up of the Tel Atlas, High Atlas, Middle Atlas, and Saharan Atlas ranges, as well as the inner plateaus (High Plateau, Moroccan Meseta), and plains. The extinct volcano Kilimanjaro (5963 m), the continent’s highest point, and other highest mountains are on the East African Plateau, which is fractured by faults. The Lord Aberdare Range is an African mountain range located in central Kenya, north of Nairobi.
Geology and Landforms of Africa:
They turn north-west from Worcester Mountain. On the windward slopes, secondary thickets of evergreen shrubs (fynbos has) dominate on the west, with mixed coniferous-leaved forests on brown and mountain-forest brown soils on the east. The largest land-based earth crust fault is located in East Africa (the Great East African Faults).
Africa has two equatorial, two subequatorial, and two tropical climatic belts. The continent’s northernmost coast and southernmost tip are located in subtropical belts. The Sahara Desert in North Africa is the driest. The ancient world first learned of the Atlas Mountains through the travels of the Phoenicians. Ji Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund, two Czechoslovak engineers, travel through North Africa in a Tatra 87 vehicle.
The authors observe life in Africa, gather information about the “Black Continent’s” cultural, geographical, and other features, and delve into Africa’s ancient history. In this book, the author summarizes all of the major events and outcomes of his half-century… Tangier was the location for a fascinating half-hour chase with fights and explosions in the x / f “Bourne Identification.” Atlas was originally only a part of the mountain system within ancient Mauretania, which is located west and center of the modern Atlas.
Arabs and Berbers (Morocco), including the Kabyle, make up the majority of the population (Algeria). The last of the Berbers who have fully preserved their traditions live in the High Atlas Mountains. The story of the great titan Atlas is told in Homer’s ancient Greek legends and poems (written between the twelfth and seventh centuries B.C.). But he also had a problem: Atlas, also known as the African king in some legends, had the audacity to refuse hospitality to the legendary Greek hero Perseus.
Ait Benhaddou:
Ait Benhaddou is a worthwhile hike to include in our four-day tour from Marrakech to the Merzouga Sahara desert. Once a caravanserai on the route of trans-Saharan caravans, is now Morocco’s most colorful and authentic sight, on par with Ouarzazate, which has been repeatedly depicted in the works of Hollywood filmmakers.
In whatever role this humble settlement on the Atlas Mountains has managed to visit – Jerusalem from “Jesus of Nazareth,” a deserted fortress from “Lawrence of Arabia,” and an abandoned jungle-dwelling from “The Jewel of the Nile” – Ait Benhaddou is truly impressive, with its 11th-century red-walled Kasbah fortress nestled against a hill and the emerald date oasis at its foot, making you feel as if you’re on another planet.
Things to see:
Ait Benhaddou’s main and only attraction is the medieval fortress-Xar (“castle”). The settlement is located within the Xar; it rises on the mountainside and is surrounded by thick red fortress walls. The Ait Benhaddou kasbah has been well preserved thanks to its inclusion on the UNESCO list and the close attention of filmmakers: the walls are regularly restored, giving the impression of traveling back in time – it appears to be the 11th century, and another caravan is about to leave the fortress gates for Timbuktu. You can enter the fortress via one of two gates: the new bridge or the dried-up river bed.
The walls of Ait Benhaddou are made of adobe bricks, which are made from common clay soil.
There is an ancient granary at the top of the hill – it is almost completely ruined, but it is worth climbing up here if only to enjoy a dizzying view of the settlement and the Atlas mountains to the horizon. On the other side of the hill, there is a medieval mausoleum-shrine dedicated to the hermit Benhaddou, after whom the city is named.
Merzouga desert:
Merzouga is a small village in the Moroccan Sahara that is the highlight of our four-day Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour. This country’s great desert is mostly dry, cracked soil. However, the typical sand dunes here are one, two, and counting. To be more specific, there is only one such location. It is in the vicinity of Merzouga. Its houses and tents are located at the foot of Erg-Chebbi, a massive (50 by 5 km) massif of dunes reaching 350 meters in height.
There is no developed infrastructure; civilization consists of a few supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants. Most visitors to Merzouga come to experience the authentic Berber way of life rather than relax on the soft pillows of hotel suites.
Things to see:
Merzouga serves as the starting point for all extreme travelers heading deep into the Sahara. The surrounding area is regarded as one of the most convenient locations for exploring the great African desert’s natural beauty. Merzouga’s main draw is a massive ridge of dunes up to 350 meters high. The sandhills are especially captivating at sunrise, when the shadows on their slopes appear to merge in the first rays of the sun, weaving into a single intricate pattern.
Because of the small settlement, the only way to get around Merzouga and its surroundings is on foot. Though it is preferable to walk in the evenings or early mornings because the desert is unbearably hot during the day.
Another point of interest is the small lake Dayet Srij, which is located west of Merzouga. It only fills with water after heavy rains and in the winter, attracting thousands of birds. Pink flamingos, storks, ducks, and other birds frequent this area.
Things to do:
As previously stated, the majority of visitors to Merzouga come to experience a camel safari through the Erg Chebbi dunes. Purchase a scarf to protect your neck and head from the sun before departing for the desert. The tours cost 55 EUR for one night in the desert. Tents, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as water, are all included. Most groups spend the first night in large Berber tent cities. Dinner is also served here, occasionally with live traditional music. Breakfast is served very early in the morning before it gets too hot.
Some tour companies have their own tent cities that are fully equipped with all of the necessary amenities. Such safaris are more expensive, but the comfort outweighs the cost.
Weather in Merzouga:
Winter (November-February) is quite cold (+10 °C), with sunny days and frosty nights. Spring, which begins in April, is quite pleasant, with temperatures reaching +30 °C during the day and cool nights. Summers are notoriously hot.
It rains occasionally (a few times a month) in the winter and spring, but downpours are uncommon. The months of February to April are considered the best months to visit Merzouga. We highly recommend the 4 days desert tour Marrakech to Merzouga in Spring.
Merzouga Erg Chebbi desert:
This impressive set of dunes, known as Erg Chebbi, is located 35 kilometers from Rissani, 50 kilometers from Erfoud, and 130 kilometers from Errachidia.
It is a climate and desert landscape made up of sand “erg” and stone “hamada.” There are oases on the dry rivers where various population centers that were originally nomads have settled. Today, only a small portion of them remain.
This dune complex (ERG) is 22 kilometers long from north to south, 5 kilometers wide, and has dunes with a maximum height of 150 meters.
Three villages are located next to the dunes, surrounded by palm trees. Hassi labied to the east, which is notable for its palm grove. Merzouga is 5 kilometers to the south and has grown in recent years as a result of the development of this type of tourism and agriculture. Khemliya, 6 kilometers south of the previous one, is notable for its old black African population. The Stony Hamada continues east of Erg Chebbi and reaches Algeria.
Although rain is brief and infrequent, flooding along the dunes in 2006 destroyed many buildings and killed three people.
Ifrane:
Ifrane was the final stop on our three-day tour from Marrakech to Fes and the Merzouga desert. Like in Switzerland, the houses here have sloping roofs, and the palm trees have given way to plane trees, whose leaves fall on the sidewalks.
Despite the fact that the site had been inhabited for centuries, the town of Ifrane as we know it was built during colonization by the French. It was a small winter sports resort as well as a hiking destination.
The town was dubbed “Morocco’s Little Switzerland.” The architecture is distinctive not only because of the climate (we are at 1600m altitude), but also because the desire of the time was that no Frenchman should feel disoriented there, which is why we can see typical roofs from various French regions. A half-timbered house with a stork on the roof, for example, is more reminiscent of Alsace than Morocco.