Camel caravan crossing the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset

Private Expeditions

Marrakech to Merzouga Grand Sahara — 4 Days / 3 Nights

The classic desert crossing: Atlas passes, kasbahs, gorges and two nights deep in the dunes.

4 Days / 3 NightsDeparts MarrakechMax 6 guestsModerate4.8 · 168 reviews
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About this journey

Four days from Marrakech to the great sand sea and back, with a private 4x4 and a driver-guide who knows every village on the road. You cross the High Atlas at Tizi n'Tichka, walk the corridors of the Todra Gorge, follow the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs and finish with two nights in a luxury camp in Erg Chebbi, where the camels and the drumming are waiting.

Highlights

  • Tizi n'Tichka pass and the kasbah of Aït Benhaddou
  • Todra Gorge and the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs
  • Two nights in the Sahara with sunset camel trekking
  • Private 4x4 circuit of the erg, Khamlia and the salt lake

Day by day

  1. 1

    Day 1 · Marrakech to the Dades Valley

    Leave Marrakech early and climb the Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas. Visit the kasbah of Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO site, then follow the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to Dades for the night.

  2. 2

    Day 2 · Gorges and into the Sahara

    Walk the Todra Gorge in the morning and drive through the Jbel Saghro to Merzouga. Late afternoon camel trek into the dunes, then dinner and drumming at your desert camp.

  3. 3

    Day 3 · Erg Chebbi in depth

    Sunrise over the dunes, then a private 4x4 circuit of the erg: the Gnaoua musicians of Khamlia, nomadic families and the black hamada desert. Return to camp for a second night under the stars.

  4. 4

    Day 4 · Return to Marrakech

    An early start back across the Atlas with stops for photographs and lunch, arriving in Marrakech by evening.

What is included

  • Private air-conditioned 4x4 with driver-guide
  • Three nights: two boutique guesthouses and one luxury desert camp
  • Daily breakfast and dinner
  • Camel trek and sandboarding in Erg Chebbi
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off in Marrakech

Not included: international flights, travel insurance, alcoholic drinks and tips for your guide and cameleer, which are always at your discretion.

Moments from this route

Earthen kasbah architecture in southern MoroccoThe limestone canyon walls of Todra Gorge in MoroccoMilky Way above a Sahara desert camp
Milky Way above a Sahara desert camp

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