8 Days Tour From Marrakech To Merzouga Desert

Arrive in Marrakech and transfer to your riad in the medina. As evening falls, head out to Jemaa el-Fnaa square — snake charmers, storytellers, henna artists, and food stalls filling the air with grilled meat and spice smoke.

A full day inside the Red City: Jardin Majorelle's cobalt-blue villas and cactus gardens in the morning, the Bahia Palace's carved cedar ceilings and painted stucco, and an afternoon threading through the medina souks.

An early departure crossing the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, with photo stops at viewpoints and Berber villages along the way. Visit Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified ksar used in Gladiator and Game of Thrones, then continue to Ouarzazate for a look at the Atlas Film Studios. Overnight in Ouarzazate.

Drive from Ouarzazate to Merzouga, passing through the Skoura Oasis and its kasbahs, the Dades and Todra region, and the fossil towns of Erfoud and Rissani. Arrive at the Erg Chebbi dunes in the late afternoon for a camel trek into the desert, watching the sunset over the Sahara before an overnight stay at a traditional Berber desert camp.

A full day exploring Merzouga: an optional sunrise excursion over the dunes, a camel ride back to the village, and a relaxed visit to a nomad family for mint tea. In the afternoon, visit Khamlia village to hear traditional Gnawa music, and stop by the old fossil mines. Overnight in Merzouga.

A dedicated adrenaline and picnic day in the Sahara. Set off by 4x4 for dune bashing across Erg Chebbi, then push further out across the open black desert plateau, where there's genuinely nothing around — no road, no signs of anyone, just open desert in every direction. Stop at a nomad tent for tea before the highlight of the day: lunch prepared fresh on the spot in the deep desert, cooked over a fire rather than packed and handed to you. Return to Merzouga by evening.

Drive south and west from Merzouga into the Draa Valley, a scenic alternate route lined with palm groves and centuries-old kasbahs, passing through Alnif and Nekob before arriving in Agdez. Overnight in this quiet Draa Valley town, a change of pace from the desert.

Continue from Agdez to Ouarzazate, then cross the Tizi n'Tichka Pass one final time back into Marrakech, with transfer for departure.