Marrakech desert tours compared: which one suits you?
| Tour | Route in brief | Desert | Ends in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days | High Atlas, Aït Benhaddou, Drâa Valley | Zagora, 1 night | Marrakech |
| 3 days | Tizi n'Tichka, Aït Benhaddou, Dadès, Todra Gorge | Merzouga, 1 night | Marrakech |
| 4 days | Dadès, Todra, a full desert day, Ziz Valley, cedar forest | Merzouga | Fes |
| 5 days | As 4 days, with a night in Midelt and Ifrane on the way north | Merzouga | Fes |
| 7 days | Desert, a guided day in Fes, Volubilis and Chefchaouen | Merzouga, 1 night | Casablanca or Marrakech |
| 9 days | Desert, Fes, Meknes, Chefchaouen, Rabat and Casablanca | Merzouga, 2 nights | Marrakech |
As a rule of thumb: two days gives you a taste of the desert, three days is the minimum for the high dunes of Erg Chebbi, and four days or more lets you finish in Fes instead of driving back the same way.
Zagora or Merzouga: choosing a Sahara desert tour from Marrakech
The biggest decision is which desert to visit. Zagora lies roughly 6 to 7 hours by road from Marrakech, so it fits into a 2-day trip, but its dunes are small and the landscape is mostly stony. Merzouga, around 9 to 10 hours away, borders Erg Chebbi, a large field of high orange dunes that matches the classic image of the Sahara; it needs at least three days.
If you can spare the extra day, most travellers find Merzouga worth it, both for the dunes and for the scenery on the way: the Dadès Valley, the Todra Gorge and the oases of the Tafilalt. Our detailed comparison of Merzouga vs Zagora sets out the differences in full.
Private or shared?
Private tours give you your own vehicle and driver-guide, flexible stops and a choice of comfort or luxury accommodation. For solo travellers and tighter budgets there is also the shared 3 day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga and back, plus a shared version ending in Fes, both with a fixed schedule and an English-speaking driver.
Marrakech to Fes desert tour: why go one way
Many travellers fly into Marrakech and out of Fes, or continue north to Chefchaouen and Tangier. A one-way desert tour avoids the long return drive and shows you two very different sides of the country. After the night in the dunes, the route heads north through the palm groves of the Ziz Valley, the high plains around Midelt and the Middle Atlas cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live, before reaching Ifrane and Fes.
On a 4-day tour you get a full day in the desert with time for a 4x4 excursion to nomad families, while the 5-day version breaks the last leg with a night in Midelt. Arriving in Fes, you are ready to explore the Fes el-Bali medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on foot.
Day trips from Marrakech and adding the Atlas or the coast
Marrakech is also a good base for shorter trips that can be added before or after a desert tour, or tailored into a private itinerary:
- High Atlas: the Ourika Valley, Imlil and the foothills of Toubkal, around 1 to 1.5 hours from the city, for walks among Berber villages. See Atlas Mountains adventures.
- Essaouira: the relaxed, walled Atlantic port about 3 hours west, with fresh seafood and a breezy medina.
- Ouzoud waterfalls: Morocco's highest falls, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours north-east.
- Agafay: a stony desert landscape less than an hour from the city, good for sunset if you have no time for the Sahara.
For the city itself, from Jemaa el-Fna to the Majorelle Garden, read our Marrakech travel guide.
What is included and practical tips
As described on each tour page, packages cover transport with your driver-guide and accommodation during your stay; international flights are not included. In the comfort desert camp each tent is private, normally for two people, with its own bathroom and toilet, and a partner camp with air-conditioned tents is also used. There is no luxury hotel category in Merzouga itself, so the luxury upgrade applies in the Dadès Valley and at the desert camp. The camel ride to camp depends on camel availability that day; if none are free, you go by 4x4 with a sunset stop and ride the next morning.
Carry cash in dirhams (MAD) for lunches, entrance fees and tips, pack layers for the Tizi n'Tichka pass and cold desert nights, and remember that spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, while summer afternoons in the desert are very hot.