2 Day Desert Tour From Marrakech To Merzouga

Day 1: Marrakech to the Camp

The van collects you at your hotel between 5:00 and 6:00 and climbs through the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, on a road that rises to 2,260 m above sea level. The route passes Ouarzazate, the Valley of Roses and the Dades Valley. The operator states the drive from Marrakech to the desert camp can take up to 10 hours, with few long stops, so the van reaches Merzouga before sunset.

Guides and camels wait at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, and after about 50 minutes on a camel you reach the camp. Mint tea is served, then dinner, a campfire and drums. Sandboarding is available if you ask the staff on arrival before the camel ride.

• Pickup 5:00 to 6:00 at your Marrakech hotel
• Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m
• Ouarzazate, Rose Valley, Dades Valley
• Camel ride of about 50 minutes at sunset

Day 2: Sunrise, Then Marrakech or Fes

Get up early and walk over the dunes for sunrise. The listing notes the Algerian border is about 50 km from Merzouga, so sunrise comes from that direction. After breakfast and a shower the trip splits.

The Marrakech option crosses the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs and the High Atlas with a few quick stops and reaches Marrakech in the evening around 8 PM, with expected arrival around 7 to 8 PM depending on traffic. The Fes option runs through Rissani, the Ziz Valley, Berber villages and the Middle Atlas, arriving in Fes in the evening.

What Is Included

The listing ticks six things at the base price: a professional driver, transport by air-conditioned vehicle, 1 night in the desert camp with 3 tent options, 1 breakfast and 1 dinner at the camp, sandboarding if you ask the staff on arrival before the camel ride, and the camel ride itself, which you can also skip. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start. Reserve now and pay later is available.

A local guide at Ait Ben Haddou is not in the inclusions, and the Ait Benhaddou and Todra Gorge stops are available at an extra cost from spring to summer. Quad biking is available at an extra cost. Head scarves are excluded, so buy or bring your own before the camel ride.

• Professional driver and air-conditioned vehicle
• 1 night in desert camp, 3 tent options
• 1 dinner and 1 breakfast at the camp
• Camel ride of about 50 minutes, skippable
• Sandboarding on request
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start

What You Pay Extra for

Lunch on both days is not in the inclusions. A restaurant is suggested but joining is optional. Drinks and water are excluded, and the operator suggests asking the driver to stop at a store for snacks or water, or bringing your own.

Monument fees are excluded. Quad biking, the Ait Benhaddou and Todra Gorge stops from spring to summer, and head scarves all cost extra. A transport-only option exists if you prefer to book your own camp, and it does not include the overnight or activities.

The Long Days

The operator states the drive from Marrakech to the camp can take up to 10 hours with few long stops, and day 2 is expected to end around 7 to 8 PM. The fix is simple: add a day. The Classic 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour puts a hotel night in Tinghir between the two drives, and the 4-Day Tour via Dades breaks the return journey with a night in the Dades Valley.

Motion Sickness, Groups and Camp Facilities

The listing says the tour is not suitable for people with motion sickness, and the mountain roads over the Tizi n'Tichka pass make that easy to understand. The group is shared, up to 17 on the small-group option and up to 19 on the standard option, so you do not choose your travel companions or the departure pace. Camp bathrooms depend on the tent tier you pick: the listing offers 3 tent options, and the ensuite bathroom and shower shown in the highlights belong to the higher tiers.

If a private bathroom in the tent matters, compare the 3-Day Tour with Luxury Camp, which includes a private-bathroom tent in its price.

Families and the Return City

The listing sets no minimum age, so check with the operator directly before booking young children into two long van days. The trip can end in a different city from where it starts: the Fes option suits travellers moving on north, and the Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga does the same one-way journey over three days instead of two, with a hotel night between the drives. If you would rather end where you started without the rush, the one-way Fes route is the better shape.

Seasons on This Route

The route crosses the High Atlas and drops to the desert edge at Errachidia's elevation of about 1,009 m. Summer days are the challenge in the van, winter nights the challenge in the camp. The listing itself warns that summers from June to August bring high temperatures and winters from December to February can be cold, especially at night.

What to Pack

Bring a small overnight bag for the camp and leave the main luggage in the van, as desert listings commonly ask. Pack layers for the night, a headlamp for walking between tent and campfire, and sun protection for the dunes. Bring comfortable shoes and clothes, as the listing requires, plus a head scarf, which is excluded from the tour.

A small personal fan helps in summer per the operator's own advice. Cash covers both lunches, monument fees and tips, since the dirham is a closed currency that cannot easily be exchanged outside Morocco.

Documents and Money Rules

Carry your passport. UK travellers can visit Morocco without a visa for up to 90 days, and UK passports need an expiry date at least 3 months after arrival. The US State Department says US passports need at least six months of validity and one blank page per stamp.

Foreign currency worth 15,000 Moroccan dirham, about USD 1,500, must be declared on arrival. Browse the route stop by stop and the weather by season sections on the homepage for more detail.