Sahara Erg Chebbi: 5 Days / 2 Nights in Merzouga

About this tour

A five-day Sahara immersion that gives you two full nights in Merzouga at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes. From Marrakech we cross the High Atlas to Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate, then follow the long Draa Valley through adobe kasbahs and Berber villages to Alnif and the dunes. You sleep two nights in the desert — a camel caravan at sunset, sunrise from the great dune, a 4x4 loop of the Erg Chebbi, a visit to a nomad settlement and the gnawa musicians of Khamlia. The return swings through the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs back to Marrakech.

Highlights

• Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO ksar and the Tizi n'Tichka pass
• The Draa Valley, adobe kasbahs and Berber villages
• Two nights in Merzouga at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes
• Camel caravan at sunset and sunrise from the great dune
• 4x4 loop of the Erg Chebbi and a nomad settlement visit
• Khamlia village and gnawa music with mint tea
• Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley

Itinerary

1. Day 01 — Marrakech to Ouarzazate via Ait Ben Haddou

   08:30 pickup at your Marrakech hotel or riad. Cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass with panoramic stops, visit an argan oil cooperative, then explore the UNESCO ksar of Ait Ben Haddou (backdrop of Gladiator and The Jewel of the Nile). Lunch and continue to Ouarzazate, gateway to the great desert. Dinner and overnight in Ouarzazate.

2. Day 02 — Ouarzazate to the Merzouga dunes

   After breakfast, drive down the Draa Valley — one of Morocco's longest rivers — past adobe kasbahs and Berber villages. Lunch in Alnif, then a two-hour drive to the Merzouga dunes. A hospitality tea while you rest, then leave the luggage at the lodge and ride a camel caravan to the foot of the great dune for sunset. Sleep in a traditional bivouac in the heart of the desert under a spectacular blanket of stars.

3. Day 03 — Merzouga, Khamlia & the Erg Chebbi nomads

   Wake before dawn for the sunrise, then ride the camel back to the lodge for breakfast. Head out by 4x4 around the Erg Chebbi — Morocco's great dune, over 250 m high — following part of the old Paris-Dakar route with the Algerian mountains as a backdrop. Stop at the Tissardmin oasis and continue to a nomad settlement to learn about their life and customs. Next, Khamlia, a village of Malian origin: relax with tea and a small gnawa music concert. Return to the lodge for lunch; afternoon free to climb the dunes if you wish. Second night in Merzouga.

4. Day 04 — Merzouga to the Todra Gorge and Dades Valley

   Leave for Rissani and Erfoud to visit the fossilised marble workshop, then continue through the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad to the Todra Gorge — a sheer-walled canyon carved by the river, a climber's paradise with a chance to cool off and walk. In the afternoon continue to the Dades Valley via Boumalne and arrive at the Dades Gorges. Dinner and overnight in the Dades Valley.

5. Day 05 — Dades Valley to Marrakech via Skoura & Ouarzazate

   Several stops along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs and the Valley of Roses, then the great palm grove of Skoura to Ouarzazate. Visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, the former residence of the Glaoui — pasha of Marrakech — before the return drive over the Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech, arriving between 16:00 and 17:00.

Meeting & pickup

Pickup from your accommodation in Marrakech at 08:30 on day one. The tour ends in Marrakech around 16:00–17:00 on day five.

Gallery