Overview:
This 4-day Morocco desert tour is perfect for travelers staying in Marrakech who wish to discover the wild beauty beyond the High Atlas Mountains. Once you cross these majestic peaks, a different world unfolds—pure, quiet, and timeless. You will explore the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga, meet the welcoming people of Khamlia with their Gnawa rhythms, and visit semi-nomadic families who will share their ancestral way of life in the desert.
With its circular route, this tour reaches the desert through the Draa Valley and returns via the spectacular Dades Valley, following the legendary Route of the Thousand Kasbahs. Along the way, you’ll encounter ancient Berber fortresses, lush palm groves, and traditional villages nestled in vibrant oases. This unforgettable 4-day / 3-night journey begins and ends in Marrakech, offering a complete and immersive desert experience.
Included/Excluded
- Pick up in Marrakech (hotel, airport or any other place)
- Chauffeur and comfortable private vehicle for the whole trip
- One night in a hotel in Ouarzazate, half-board (dinner and breakfast)
- One night in a luxury tent camp in the dunes of Erg Chebbi, in the desert of Merzouga, half board (dinner and breakfast). Depending on the package, the morning shower will be taken at the camp or in a hotel in Merzouga.
- One night in a charming riad in the Dades Valley, half-board (dinner and breakfast)
- Dromedary excursion (one per person) in the Erg Chebbi dunes.
- International flights in and out of the country
- Midday lunches
- Beverages
- Tips
- Entrance fees to the monuments along the route
Tour Plan
From the red city starts this circuit. And more specifically, from your hotel or from the place you indicate us, because our driver will pick you up there, at the wheel of the premium vehicle that will be your transportation during the whole route.
The first part of the route will be ascending, going up the fertile valleys that lead to the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the most important of the High Atlas. Shortly after cresting the port, we will take a detour to enjoy the kasbah of Telouet, a castle-residence of Thami El Glaoui: admiring its refined rooms and impregnable structure we will understand the power of this Lord of the Atlas and Pasha of Marrakech, until the mid-twentieth century.
The oldest is probably the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, built centuries ago by the Berbers who inhabited this territory. Their strategic position on the caravan routes led them to create this jewel of defensive adobe architecture, which has been very well preserved to this day. For this reason it is a World Heritage Site and is often chosen for the filming of movies and series:
Lawrence of Arabia
,
Game of Thrones
…
The next city on the route is also very cinematographic: Ouarzazate, as it has the most important film studios in the country, where scenes of these and other blockbusters were filmed. In our trip, it will be the city where we will have dinner and rest on this first night, in a hotel with all the comforts.
- Pick up in Marrakech and start of the tour:
- Ascent to the pass of Tizi n’Tichka
- Kasbah of Telouet. Visit
- Ait Ben Haddou. Visit
- Arrival in Ouarzazate
- Dinner and night in hotel in Ouarzazate
The second day of the route takes us to the Draa Valley, and for this we will have to overcome the Tizi N’Tinifift pass which, although it is not as high as those of the High Atlas (1,660 meters above sea level), offers a very unique stamp for its dark rock mountains. In addition, shortly after we can see on the horizon the palm grove that covers this valley, considered one of the largest in Africa for its 150 km in length.
We will pass through some characteristic cities of the valley, such as Agdz, and late in the day we will arrive at Rissani, one of the most original and beautiful destinations in the desert, where its medina and its popular market, still visited by local citizens on their traditional means of transport: the donkey, stand out.
And shortly after, in Merzouga, we will do something similar: we will leave the motor vehicle to get on another very traditional means, such as camels. These animals, of infinite nobility and patience, are the best suited to roam the dunes of Erg Chebbi, where our luxury tent camp is located. Here, between welcome teas, a dinner to recharge your batteries and a fireplace, you will spend the last hours of the day under the watchful eye of the glittering stars.
- Breakfast at hotel in Ouarzazate
- Road trip by:
- Pass of the Tizi N’Tinifift pass
- Draa Valley and its vast palm grove
- Rissani. Visit
- Arrival in Merzouga
- Dromedary ride in the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Dinner and night in luxury tents camp in Erg Chebbi
On this third day of the circuit, we started our return journey. But to give it more charm and interest, we will do it by another route and living other unforgettable experiences. The first of them is precisely the sunrise of this day, which will dye the landscape with magical tones.
After breakfast and return to Merzouga, we will board our vehicle and travel by road to the village of Khamlia. It is known as the ‘black village’ because many of its inhabitants are of sub-Saharan origin, specifically descendants of former slaves probably from Sudan, who brought their folklore, such as gnawa music, here. They will offer us a concert to get to know better that special sensitivity that characterizes them.
From Khamlia we continue to Erfoud, whose wealth of fossils can be seen with the naked eye. And after that, we will head for the Dades Valley, another fertile valley that is dotted with palm groves and farmland, all between hills and arid mountains. At the foot of one of them is Tinghir, which will be part of the tour. In addition, very close to here we will visit the Todra Gorges, a unique corner in nature for being a canyon of vertical walls through which the river that gives it its name runs very boxed.
After that, the route will continue but with the intention of reaching the nice riad that will welcome us for dinner and the night of this day, in this valley so characteristic.
- Sunrise on the dunes of Erg Chebbi
- Breakfast at the tented camp and return to Merzouga.
- Route by road to the Dades Valley, passing through:
- Khamlia. Gnawa music concert
- Erfoud
- Tinghir
- Todra Gorges
- Dinner and night in a charming riad in the Dades Valley
On this fourth and last day of the circuit we will return to Marrakech through the Dades Valley, which still has charming corners to show us. In particular, the section known as Valle de las Rosas. Its name indicates the main source of wealth of its villages, such as Kelaa M’Gouna: roses of different varieties, used for various purposes such as cosmetics or handicrafts. They fill every corner with color, especially in privamera, when their famous moussem or festival takes place.
From here, the route takes us back to Ouarzazate and the High Atlas with the Tizi n’Tichka pass, which will now be the beginning of the descent to Marrakech, between mountain vegetation and villages perched on the slopes. Upon arrival in Marrakech, our driver will take you to the place where you wish to end the tour, thus putting an end to four days of great experiences in the south of the city.
- Breakfast in riad in the Dades Valley
- Route by road through:
- Valley of Roses
- High Atlas pass through Tizi n’Tichka
- Arrival in Marrakech and end of our services.
Tour Map
Contact us
- Riad El Moukha, Darb El, Bazioui, N 14, Morocco
Informations
Morocco Desert Tours
Cultural Travel Morocco Tours
