The camel line leaves the camp at sunset after two days on the road over the High Atlas, and on a Marrakech to Merzouga tour that is the moment the drive pays off. Choose 2, 3 or 4 days, finish back in Marrakech or carry on to Fes, and sleep in a shared camp or a tent with its own bathroom.
Most Marrakech to Merzouga tours run 3 days and 2 nights, one in a hotel and one in a desert camp, from $65 per person. You ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset, sleep in a camp, watch the sunrise and come back over the Atlas. Prices go from $65 to $501.80 per person depending on the camp, the group size and whether the trip is private.
Key takeaways
Prices are per person and the from-price is the lowest option on each listing, usually the shared standard camp. The booking platform handles payment. Each card says the nights, the camp tier and where the tour ends.
The route most people book: Ait Ben Haddou, a night in Tinghir, Todra Gorge, then a sunset camel ride to a camp in the dunes. Back in Marrakech about 7:30 pm on day 3.
The cheapest seat to the dunes with reviews behind it: a private tent in the camp, a local guide at Todra Gorge and entry tickets included. Up to 40 in the group.
Eighteen seats instead of a coach-sized group, a Jemaa el-Fnaa start at 8 am and the distances printed day by day: 375, 255 and 562 km.
Sold around a luxury desert tent with its own bathroom (pick that option at checkout), a pool hotel in the Dades Gorge and the Ait Ben Haddou guide already paid.
Starts in Marrakech, ends at your hotel in Fes. You see the dunes and skip the long drive back, and the luggage rides with you.
One night in the dunes for travellers with two days: a 5 am pickup, about 50 minutes on a camel, and a choice of ending in Marrakech or in Fes.
The only listing here with a whole day at Merzouga: tea with a nomad family, Khamlia music, then a second night in the camp. Fifteen seats.
One night in the dunes and the long drive home broken by a night in the Dades Valley, so no day runs Merzouga to Marrakech in one go.
Your own car and guide, a superior hotel in Dades, a camp tent with its own shower, and a return through the Draa Valley instead of the road you came on.
The table lines up every option by price per person, the nights on the trip, the camp tier and the city where it drops you. Prices come from the listings, with the from-price being the lowest booking option. Figures current in Q4 2026.
| Tour | Price | Nights | Desert camp | Ends in | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic 3-Day Merzouga Tour | $114.05 | Tinghir + camp | Standard camp | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
| Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour | $65 | Dades + camp | Private tent | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
| Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour | $141.42 | Tinghir + camp | Standard, shared bathrooms | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
| 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp | $148.26 | Dades + camp | Private bathroom | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
| Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga | $109 | Dades + camp | Tier by option | Fes | Check Availability Details |
| 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip | $106 | Camp only | Option of 3 tents | Marrakech or Fes | Check Availability Details |
| 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert | $235.56 | Dades + camp + camp | Standard or deluxe tent | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
| 4-Day Merzouga Tour via Dades | $181.33 | Dades + camp + Dades | Standard or luxury tent | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
| Private 3-Day Merzouga Tour | $501.80 | Dades + camp | Private bathroom and shower | Marrakech | Check Availability Details |
Every Marrakech to Merzouga trip comes down to six choices, and here is the short answer to each one.
Most travellers book the Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour, rated 4.9 from 12,690 reviews at $114.05 per person. It covers the Tizi n'Tichka pass, Ait Ben Haddou, Todra Gorge and a sunset camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes.
THE PICK: 4.9 FROM 12,690 REVIEWS
Three days and two nights is the format most people book, with one hotel night and one camp night. If you are short on time there is a 2-day trip, and the 4-day tours add a third night to break up the road.
MOST BOOKED: 3 DAYS, 2 NIGHTS
The return leg is the hardest day, with one listing printing 562 km back to Marrakech. The Marrakech to Fes tour skips the drive back entirely and ends at your Fes hotel through the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas.
LONGEST DAY: 562 KM BACK
Prices run from $65 to $501.80 per person. The budget 3-day tour at $65 still gets you a private tent, while the private tour at $501.80 puts you in the Amanar luxury camp with your own bathroom and shower.
PRICE RANGE: $65 TO $501.80
Every option means long hours in a van, and the Marrakech to Fes listing warns the trip is not suitable with back problems or motion sickness. Small-group travellers can cap the van at 18 seats instead of up to 40 on the budget option.
SMALLEST VAN: UP TO 18 SEATS
Bring a small overnight bag for the desert, because the camel carries your bag into camp while the big suitcase stays in the van. Bring cash too, since lunches are bought on the road and are not part of the price on any listing.
PACK: ONE SMALL OVERNIGHT BAG
UNESCO inscribed the Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou under cultural criteria (iv) and (v), and its criterion (iv) wording calls it an eminent example of a ksar in southern Morocco illustrating the main types of earthen construction dating from the 17th century.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The ksar is a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls, a traditional pre-Saharan habitat, with houses crowding together within the defensive walls.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The Moroccan National Tourist Office says Morocco's biggest dunes, up to 160 metres high, are near Merzouga.
Source: Visit Morocco
UK travellers can visit Morocco without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism, and passports must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the date of arrival.
Source: GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice
The camp night is the point of the trip, and the difference between a standard tent and a luxury tent is mostly the bathroom. Here is what each listing offers.
The base camp and the paid upgrade differ tour by tour. The from-price buys the base camp in the middle column. An upgrade costs more and is chosen at checkout on the listing.
| Tour | Base camp | Upgrade on the listing |
|---|---|---|
| Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour | Standard camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes | Luxury camp with a private bathroom, or private tour for 2 or more |
| Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour | Private tent in a Merzouga camp | A tent with air conditioning as an add-on |
| Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour | Standard Merzouga camp with shared bathrooms | Shared luxury tent with your own shower, AC and heating, or private premium with quad biking |
| 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp | Luxury desert camp tent with a private bathroom | Standard camp, deluxe camp, or private vehicle |
| Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga | Erg Chebbi camp, tier by the option booked | Camp tier chosen with the option |
| 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip | Desert camp in Erg Chebbi | Three tent options |
| 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert | Berber camp in Erg Chebbi | Deluxe private tent with bathroom, or private luxury upgrade |
| 4-Day Merzouga Tour via Dades | Desert camp in Erg Chebbi | Luxury tent with a private bathroom |
| Private 3-Day Merzouga Tour | Amanar luxury camp: tent with a private bathroom and shower | Private is the only format |
A Berber camp below the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga. Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A standard camp on these listings means shared bathrooms and toilets. On the small-group listing the tents have no air conditioning and no heating, so the luxury upgrade there adds your own shower and toilet plus AC and heating in the tent. The 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp and the Private 3-Day Merzouga Tour make the private bathroom the default rather than the upgrade.
One caution from the 4-day listing: in summer the second desert night moves to a hotel at the edge of the dunes, such as Riad Chebbi, because tent heat can go over 40 C (100 F). If you travel in the hottest weeks, that detail matters more than the tent tier.
The evening follows the same pattern across the listings. Dinner at the camp, then Berber drumming and music around a fire, which the Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga and the 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert name in their inclusions. The sunrise camel ride or walk comes before breakfast and the drive.
Pack a small overnight bag for the desert. The listings say the same thing: leave the big suitcase in the van or the hotel, because the camel carries your small bag into camp.
Length is the first decision. More days means less time in the van per day, a second desert night, or no drive back to Marrakech at all.
The table sets the trip lengths side by side with the price per person and the number of nights in the dunes, read from each listing. The budget 3-day tour at $65 and the private 3-day tour at $501.80 per person sit in the sections above.
| Length | Tour | Price | Nights in the desert |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days, 1 night | 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip | $106 | 1 |
| 3 days, 2 nights | Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour | $114.05 | 1 |
| 3 days, 2 nights | Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga | $109 | 1 |
| 4 days, 3 nights | 4-Day Merzouga Tour via Dades | $181.33 | 1 |
| 4 days, 3 nights | 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert | $235.56 | 2 |
The dunes of Erg Chebbi, Morocco's highest, near Merzouga. Photo: Merzougaloisirs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip runs 38 hours in total, with hotel pickup between 5:00 and 6:00 on day 1. You ride a camel about 50 minutes into the camp, sleep one night in Erg Chebbi, and finish in Marrakech or in Fes, with the Fes route going through Rissani, the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas.
It suits travellers with exactly two days who accept the heavy driving. The listing itself says it is not suitable for people with motion sickness, which tells you what the pace is like. The 3-day tours spread the same road over an extra day.
The 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert is the only listing with a whole day at Merzouga: tea with a nomad family, optional Mfis mines and Gnaoua music in Khamlia, quad bikes as an add-on, then a second night in the Berber camp. In summer that second night moves to a hotel at the edge of the dunes such as Riad Chebbi. It takes up to 15 travellers.
The 4-Day Merzouga Tour via Dades keeps one desert night but sleeps in the Dades Valley on the way home, leaving 7:30 on day 4 over the Tichka pass. No day runs Merzouga to Marrakech in one go.
If Fes is your next city, the Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga removes the long drive back entirely. Day 1 crosses the Atlas to Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate, day 2 reaches the camp, day 3 goes through the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas to a drop-off at your Fes hotel. Your luggage rides with you the whole way.
The listing warns of long hours of driving and says the trip is not suitable with back problems or motion sickness.
The second decision is the format. A shared seat keeps the price down. A private tour changes the car, the camp, the hotel and even the road home.
The Private 3-Day Merzouga Tour costs $501.80 per person, against $65 to $235.56 for the shared listings. For that you get your own vehicle with a driver and an accompanying guide, a superior hotel in the Dades Valley such as Xaluca Dades or Ksar Sultan Dades, and the Amanar luxury camp, a tent with its own bathroom and shower. Day 3 returns by a different road through Alnif, Nkob, Agdz and the Draa Valley, so you never repeat the Tichka route.
The refund terms are stricter: full refund 6 or more days before, 50 percent between 2 and 6 days, nothing within 2 days.
You do not need the full private tour to get the format. The Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour offers a private option from 2 people, and the Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour offers a private premium option with quad biking.
Shared tours are the lowest-priced way to reach the dunes, and you travel with a group of fellow travellers rather than alone in a car. The group sizes on the listings vary a lot, and that is part of the choice: up to 15 on the 4-day small-group tour, 17 to 19 on the 2-day trip, up to 18 on the small-group 3-day tour, up to 40 on the budget listing, and up to 100 on the listing of the most reviewed tour. If a coach-sized group sounds like too much, the small-group listings cap the seats instead.
Source: Visit Morocco.
Three days and two nights is the format most travellers book, and these listings run it as a round trip back to Marrakech. They share a route but differ in price, group size and the camp you sleep in.
The table compares the 3-day round trips on price per person, group size, the first night and the camp tier. Prices come from each listing, and the from-price is the lowest booking option.
| Tour | Price | Group | Night 1 | Desert camp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour | $114.05 | Shared, up to 100 on the listing | Hotel Saghro in Tinghir or similar | Standard, shared bathrooms |
| Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour | $65 | Shared, up to 40 | Hotel in Boumalne Dades | Private tent |
| Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour | $141.42 | Small group, up to 18 | Bougafer hotel in Tinghir or similar | Standard, shared bathrooms |
| 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp | $148.26 | Shared group | Riad Canyon Dades or similar, with a pool | Luxury tent with a private bathroom |
A camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes, the moment every tour builds up to. Photo: Fbrandao.1963, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Each one leaves Marrakech in the morning (7:00 hotel pickup on the classic tour, 7:30 or 8:00 at Jemaa el-Fnaa on two others) and crosses the Tizi n'Tichka pass, signed at 2,260 m. Day 1 brings the UNESCO-listed ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, inscribed in 1987, plus Ouarzazate, and ends with a night near Tinghir or in the Dades area. Day 2 covers Todra Gorge and the ride to Erfoud before the camel takes you into the Erg Chebbi camp at sunset.
You get the sunset camel ride, sunrise on the dunes, two breakfasts and two dinners, and then the drive back over the Atlas on day 3. Lunches and drinks stay out of the price on every one of them, so bring cash for restaurant stops on the road.
The Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour is the lowest price at $65 per person and runs a group of up to 40 in a minibus of 8 or 17 seats, with entry tickets and a local guide at Todra Gorge already paid. The Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour caps the van at 18 seats and is the only one that prints the kilometres day by day: 375 km to Tinghir, 255 km to the dunes and 562 km back. The 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp is sold around a desert tent with its own bathroom (pick that option at checkout), a pool hotel in the Dades Gorge, and pays the local guide at Ait Ben Haddou, at $148.26 per person.
The Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour carries the review record, 4.9 from 12,690 reviews, and drops you back in Marrakech about 7:30 pm on day 3 for $114.05 per person.
Every Marrakech to Merzouga tour crosses the High Atlas on the same backbone of stops before the dunes. The order rarely changes, only where each tour sleeps.
This is the sequence the listings follow, with the day each stop usually falls on. The small-group listing prints 375 km for day 1 and 255 km for day 2, and the stops sit along those two legs.
| Stop | Day | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Tizi n'Tichka pass | Day 1 | The sign at the top says 2,260 m, a GPS reading gives 2,205 m |
| Ait Ben Haddou | Day 1 | UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, a ksar of earthen buildings on the old caravan route |
| Ouarzazate | Day 1 | The town below the Atlas, with a supermarket stop on the classic tour |
| Rose Valley and Kelaat M'Gouna | Day 1 or day 3 | Rose country, and the lunch stop on day 3 of the luxury-camp listing |
| Dades Valley | Day 1 or the return | Night stops in Boumalne Dades, Tinghir or the valley hotels |
| Tinghir and Todra Gorge | Day 2 | A tall rock gorge, with a local guide on some listings |
| Erfoud | Day 2 | Fossil town before the dunes, with optional mines at nearby Mfis on the 4-day tour |
| Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes | Day 2 | Camel ride from the village edge into the camp |
Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar every Merzouga tour stops at on day 1. Photo: Guillaume Baviere from Uppsala, Sweden, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UNESCO inscribed the Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou in 1987 under cultural criteria (iv) and (v). UNESCO's criterion (iv) wording calls it an eminent example of a ksar in southern Morocco illustrating the main types of earthen construction dating from the 17th century. The village stands on a former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, built of rammed earth, adobe, clay brick and wood.
The local guide at the kasbah is not part of the price everywhere. On the Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour and the Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour the guide is excluded. On the 4-Day Merzouga Tour via Dades it is optional at $2.33 (EUR 2). On the 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp the Ait Ben Haddou guides are included in the price.
Merzouga sits at the Erg Chebbi dunes near the Algerian border, about 55 km from Erfoud and 50 km from the border. Moroccan National Tourist Office material says Morocco's biggest dunes, up to 160 metres high, are near Merzouga. The erg runs about 28 km north to south and 5 to 7 km east to west, rising up to 150 m above the surrounding stone plain.
The tourist office lists camel rides and sand skiing among the dune activities, and quad and 4x4 trips at Erg Moulay Omar or Erg Znigui. Nearby is Dayet Srij lake, where migrating birds stop. Every tour here reaches the camp by camel, and the luxury camp tour also offers a 4x4 transfer instead.
Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Visit Morocco.
Merzouga sits on the far side of the High Atlas, and every tour spends most of its time in the van. One listing prints the distance of each day, and the numbers are worth reading before you pick a length.
The Small-Group 3-Day Sahara Tour is the only listing that prints the kilometres for each of its three days. They add up to a lot of road, and day 3 is the longest of the three.
| Day | From and to | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Marrakech to Tinghir | 375 km |
| Day 2 | Tinghir to Merzouga | 255 km |
| Day 3 | Merzouga back to Marrakech | 562 km |
Day 3 is the longest day on the three-day round trips: the listing shows 562 km in one go. The Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour is back in Marrakech about 7:30 pm on day 3. Another listing, the camel-and-quad one, states the tour includes long driving distances of up to 7-8 hours per day. The 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip picks up at your hotel between 5:00 and 6:00, and its listing warns that the first day to the camp can take up to 10 hours, with few long stops so the van reaches the dunes before sunset.
The Marrakech to Fes listing warns of long hours of driving and says the trip is not suitable with back problems or motion sickness. Sit up front if the winding pass road turns your stomach, and carry water for the van.
The one-way tour to Fes and the two 4-day tours are the answer to the long last day. The private tour returns by a loop, so you never repeat the road out.
| Tour | How it splits the return | Ends in |
|---|---|---|
| Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga | No return leg at all, it drives on to Fes through the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas | Fes |
| 4-Day Merzouga Tour via Dades | A third night in the Dades Valley, leaving 7:30 on day 4 | Marrakech |
| 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert | A second desert night, then the return via Rissani and Agdz | Marrakech |
| Private 3-Day Merzouga Tour | A different road home through Alnif, Nkob, Agdz and the Draa Valley | Marrakech |
Sources: Visit Morocco, GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice.
The sticker price on a Marrakech to Merzouga tour covers most of the trip, but not every meal and not every guide. Here is what the listings include and where you still spend.
Every shared tour in the catalog includes the transport, both nights, breakfasts and dinners, and the camel ride. Lunches are the usual gap: the vans stop at restaurants along the road and you pay for your own plate. Drinks are excluded everywhere. The Ait Ben Haddou local guide is included on the luxury camp listing and optional elsewhere, at EUR 2 (about $2.33) on the 4-day Dades tour. Tips stay with you on every tour.
The table compares the main items across the listings, using the inclusions and exclusions each operator prints.
| Item | Usually in the price | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Transport and pickup | Air-conditioned minibus or van, hotel pickup in Marrakech | The small-group 3-day tour meets at Jemaa el-Fnaa at 8:00 instead |
| The hotel night | Included, night 1 in Tinghir, Boumalne Dades or the Dades area | The 2-day trip has no hotel night, only the camp |
| The desert camp night | Included on every tour | A tent with a private bathroom costs more than a standard tent |
| Breakfasts and dinners | 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners on 3-day tours, 3 and 3 on 4-day tours | Lunches never included |
| The camel ride | Sunset and sunrise ride, one camel each | The 2-day ride is about 50 minutes and can be skipped |
| Lunches | Not included | The van stops at restaurants where you buy your own |
| Drinks | Not included on any tour | None |
| The Ait Ben Haddou local guide | Included on the luxury camp 3-day tour | Optional elsewhere, EUR 2 (about $2.33) on the 4-day Dades tour |
| Tips | Not included | Budget cash for the driver and guide |
| Upgrades | Standard tent at the base price | Luxury tent with private bathroom, private vehicle or a quad add-on cost extra |
Prices run from $65 per person on the Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour to $501.80 per person on the Private 3-Day Merzouga Tour. The shared 3-day round trips sit between $65 and $148.26, the one-way tour to Fes is $109, and the 2-day trip is $106. The two 4-day tours cost $181.33 and $235.56.
Four things push a price up: a luxury tent with your own bathroom, a smaller group cap, a private car instead of a shared minibus, and a fourth day. The 3-day with luxury camp at $148.26 buys the private bathroom in the dunes. The 4-day tour with two nights in the desert at $235.56 buys a whole day at Merzouga and fifteen seats. The private tour buys the vehicle and guide for your party only.
Every shared listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund. The private tour is the exception: full refund only 6 or more days before, 50 percent between 2 and 6 days, and nothing within 2 days.
Bring dirhams in cash. The listings ask for cash at the lunch stops and for tips, and cards are not reliable at small roadside restaurants. The Moroccan dirham is a closed, non-convertible currency that cannot be easily exchanged outside Morocco, so change what you need on the spot and spend the rest before you fly out.
Source: GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice.
These trips sell hard on the dunes at sunset, so here are the limits the listings print, before you pay.
Enter your dates and party size to see live availability on the Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour at $114.05 per person.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
4.9/5
★★★★★ ★★★★★
12,690 reviews on Viator for Marrakech to Merzouga 3-Day Desert Tour with Camel Trek
★★★★★ ★★★★★
Had an amazing time on this tour. Mohammed was a great guide who gave us good advice and was very engaging. Quadbiking was definitely the highlight of the trip but costs an additional 50 euros.
Braiden · October 27, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour
★★★★★ ★★★★★
Wonderful experience! I recommend! Ibrahim Obama was our guide, very professional and funny!
Andrei · October 30, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga
★★★★★ ★★★★★
One of the best trips of my life! A huge part of the credit goes to Moha, our driver and guide. His enthusiasm and sense of humor were infectious! I also learned so much about Morocco. The evening at the camp was fantastic, and we even met some wonderful people there! When I return to Morocco, I’ll definitely head out to the desert with Moha again!
Grzegorz · November 1, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip
★★★★★ ★★★★★
good trip, amazing experience jalal was always there to explain explain and show us the region yes because of jalal I know more about the sahara he's 1 good one
el mehdi · October 6, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for Budget 3-Day Merzouga Tour
★★★★★ ★★★★★
The trip was very nice, we enjoy all 3 days. Abdessalam (guide) is very nice, he explain a lot during our trip, he also make a good jokes. Driver drive safe and calm. I recommend it. 5/5
Nikola · October 29, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga
★★★★★ ★★★★★
We had an incredible two days in Merzouga, starting with Ibrahim and ending with Labhar. Both tour guides were amazing, and I would highly recommend this tour. The only thing that made my group feel a little uncomfortable was right after the camel ride, when the person leading the camels had us get off the camels and tried to sell us stuff. It was dark and raining; we didn't know how far away from camp we were, and the person didn't speak English. We felt trapped until someone purchased something.
Vanessa · October 13, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip
★★★★★ ★★★★★
The tour was the highlight of my Morocco trip. Abdel was our guide and was very accommodating. He helped solve a variety of issues that came up along the way and continued to ensure everyone was having a good time. 5 - stars Highly recommend.
Ethan · October 29, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga
★★★★★ ★★★★★
Amazing tour with breathtaking landscapes and a really nice camp with delicious food. But most importantly, our guide, DJ Said Jamai, made the whole trip so much more fun with his amazing energy and incredible voice. He was fantastic and made the experience truly unforgettable! Highly recommended! ⭐️
NIKOLAOS MICHAIL · October 7, 2026
Review on GetYourGuide for 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.6 · 2,647 reviews on GetYourGuide
Reviews, ratings and counts are the platforms' own, shown as published for each listing. They are not reviews of this site.
Three films to watch before you book a Marrakech to Merzouga tour: an honest look at the 3-day trip, the route day by day, and a night in a desert camp. Third-party videos, this site has no link to their creators.
What the 3-day tour from Marrakech is really like, long drives included.
Video: Chris KermisThe route day by day: Ait Ben Haddou, Tinghir and the dunes.
Video: May Deanne MarieA night in a Sahara camp near Merzouga, from arrival to sunrise.
Video: Kristina's TravelsPack light and pack warm. The van does the heavy lifting, but the camp night and the cash box catch travellers out every week.
Merzouga sits in a hot desert climate. The nearest long-term weather station is Errachidia, on the road in north of Erfoud, and these figures come from its 1991-2020 normals.
The table gives day highs and night lows at Errachidia, the closest station with published climate normals to Merzouga. Errachidia sits at 1,009 m elevation and records about 3,321 hours of sunshine a year. Use the figures as a guide for the dunes rather than a forecast.
| Months | Day highs | Night lows | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| June to August | 35.4 to 39.5 C | Not in the published figures | Tent heat can pass 40 C, one 4-day tour moves its second desert night to a hotel |
| March and April | 22.1 and 26.1 C | 8.8 and 13.0 C | Mild days and cool camp nights |
| October and November | 26.8 and 20.6 C | 14.2 and 7.7 C | Mild days again, October is the wettest month at 20.8 mm |
| December to February | December low 3.5 C | January low 2.0 C | Cold nights at the camp, a recorded minimum of -8.1 C |
The Tichka pass in winter, when snow and storms can slow the drive. Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
July is the hottest month at Errachidia with a daily high of 39.5 C, and August follows at 38.2 C. Tents out at Merzouga can push over 40 C, which is why the 4-Day Tour, 2 Nights in the Desert moves its second desert night to a hotel at the edge of the dunes such as Riad Chebbi in summer.
Winter flips the problem. The January daily low averages 2.0 C and the station has recorded -8.1 C. Pack real layers and a warm hat for the camp night, even when the afternoon felt warm.
March to April and October to November are the mild months, with highs between 20.6 and 26.8 C and the most comfortable camp nights. October is the wettest month of the year at 20.8 mm, though the whole year totals only about 133 mm.
The route crosses the High Atlas on the Tizi n'Tichka pass, and the UK Foreign Office warns that secondary routes and mountain roads can be especially hazardous in poor weather. Flash flooding in mountains and near rivers can make walking and driving dangerous, mainly in winter. If you travel in the colder months, expect the van schedule to bend around the mountain weather rather than fight it.
Source: GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice.
You can reach the Erg Chebbi dunes without a packaged tour, but each option trades cost against hours on the road. Here is what the official sources say about each way.
The table compares a tour, the Supratours coach, a flight to Errachidia and self-drive. Where no fare or timetable is published here, check the operator directly before you commit.
| Way | What the official sources say | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| A tour | Pickup, both nights, meals and the camel ride in one price | The van sets the pace and the schedule |
| Supratours coach | The ONCF subsidiary runs coaches to the South from Marrakech | No fare or timetable printed here, check oncf-voyages.ma |
| Flight to Errachidia | Royal Air Maroc flies Casablanca to Errachidia, airport code ERH | Still far from the dunes, you need onward transport |
| Self-drive | UK drivers need the 1968 international driving permit and a green card from the insurer | Night driving is dangerous per FCDO, mountain roads worsen in bad weather |
Merzouga village and its palm grove, where the van stops and the camels take over. Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Moroccan National Tourist Office's own Desert Break route lists the Errachidia-Midelt-Merzouga leg at 303.0 km and 4 h 20 min, and that is only the last stretch after the Atlas. Marrakech sits on the far side of the High Atlas, so the total journey is long however you cut it.
A tour folds the whole thing into one booking: the pickup at your hotel, the night in the Dades or Tinghir area, the camp in the dunes, the camel ride and the meals. That is why most travellers book one, and why the choices that matter are the length, the group size and the tent, not the way there.
Sources: Visit Morocco, ONCF, GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice.
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Independent guide to desert tours from Marrakech to Merzouga. This website is not a tour operator, travel agency, or seller of travel, and it is not the official website of any tour operator or booking platform. We independently research and compare the tours and experiences featured here; all bookings, payments, changes, and customer service are handled by the operator or booking platform on their own website.
For most travellers it is a tour, because it folds the pickup, both nights, the camel ride and the meals into one price of $65 to $148.26 per person on the shared 3-day trips. The alternatives are the Supratours coach, a flight to Errachidia (ERH) or self-drive, each with a transport gap at the dunes end. The details are in the section on getting there without a tour.
Yes, and it is the standard format. The shared 3-day round trips run from $65 to $148.26 per person, with nights in Tinghir or the Dades Valley and a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes. Compare them in the 3-day round trips section.
The best-rated shared option is the 3-day tour with a luxury camp, at 5.0 from 576 reviews and $148.26 per person, sold around a desert tent with its own bathroom. If reviews by volume matter more, the classic 3-day tour holds 4.9 from 12,690 reviews at $114.05. Both are compared in the catalog.
Yes. The 2-day Merzouga Desert Trip runs 38 hours with a 5:00 to 6:00 pickup, one camp night in the dunes and about 50 minutes on a camel, at $106 per person. It ends in Marrakech or Fes. See the 2-day trip section.
Shared 3-day tours cost between $65 and $148.26 per person, the one-way tour to Fes is $109, the 2-day trip is $106, and the 4-day tours are $181.33 and $235.56. The private 3-day tour tops the range at $501.80 per person. The full breakdown is in the cost section.
It is a long haul over the High Atlas. The small-group 3-day tour prints the distances day by day: 375 km on day 1, 255 km on day 2 and 562 km straight back on day 3. Another operator states up to 7-8 hours of driving per day. The details are in the drive section.
No, lunches and drinks are excluded on every tour in the catalog. The vans stop at roadside restaurants where you buy your own lunch, so carry dirhams in cash. Breakfasts and dinners are included, 2 of each on 3-day tours and 3 of each on 4-day tours. See what is in the price.
Yes. The Marrakech to Fes tour via Merzouga costs $109 per person and drops you at your Fes hotel on day 3 through the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas, so you skip the long drive back. The 2-day trip also offers a Fes finish. Both appear in the length section.
Tours from Marrakech to Merzouga
