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Want to visit Morocco’s Sahara Desert? The best way to do it is to take a Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech.
The Sahara Desert stretches north-south along Morocco’s eastern border with neighboring Algeria, covering an area roughly the size of the entire United States. It’s the world’s largest hot desert, with beautiful sand dunes that stretch on seemingly forever.
A Sahara Desert tour gives you the chance to see the Sahara’s sand dunes, meet local Berbers, hang out with camels, and sleep in a desert camp.
Most tours include your overground transfer from Marrakech to Merzouga, which is a small Moroccan town that’s known as a gateway to Erg Chebbi, a huge expanse of Sahara sand dunes north of town.
- Editor’s Pick: Luxury 3 Day Desert Trip Marrakech to Merzouga
To help you decide what Sahara Desert trip is right for you, I’m breaking down 4 of the best Sahara Desert Tours from Marrakech. Plus, I’ll cover what to expect on the drive from Marrakech to the Sahara, and tips for your multi-day tour experience.
Is it Worth Going to the Sahara Desert in Morocco?
Yes, it’s absolutely worth going to the Sahara Desert. The Sahara Desert is one of the most impressive natural wonders in the world – its landscape is truly otherworldly. And, on a Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech, you get to make several stops along the way to visit interesting sites like Ait Ben Haddou and the Todgha Gorge.
3 Best Sahara Desert Tours From Marrakech
Let’s dive into the best Sahara Desert tours from Marrakech! These tours all do the same thing. They take you from Marrakech to the desert and back in 3 days.
But there are differences between these tours. Be sure to read the description of each carefully to understand which one is the best fit for you.
1. 3-Day Sahara Desert To Merzouga From Marrakech
- RATING: 5 out of 5 stars | TOUR LENGTH: 3 days
This Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech takes you to the Sahara Desert, with several stops on the way there and back. You’ll be transported in an air-conditioned minivan, and this tour includes 2 nights of accommodation as well as most meals.
When you book this tour, you have 4 options to choose from: Shared group luxury camp, regular shared group camp, shared group with a quad bike ride add-on, and shared group ending in Fes.
This 3-Day Sahara Desert To Merzouga From Marrakech is unique because it offers the ending in Fes. If you’re planning to travel to Fes, this is a great option to get there. Rather than traveling back to Marrakech to connect to Fes, you can go straight there after your desert camp experience.
While the overnight stay in a camp in the Sahara Desert is the highlight of this tour, you’ll also get to stop in epic places along the way, like the High Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou, and Todra Gorge.
This 3-Day Sahara Desert To Merzouga From Marrakech includes:
- Pick up and drop-off from hotel or riad
- Accommodation in the hotel Tinghir (Hotel Bougafer or Similar)
- Accommodation in shared desert camp in Merzouga
- Camel ride in the sunset and sunrise in Merzouga
- Local guide
- Transport by air-conditioned minibus
- Fuel surcharge
- Dinner (2) and breakfast (2)
2. Luxury 3 Day Desert Trip Marrakech to Merzouga
- RATING: 5 out of 5 stars | TOUR LENGTH: 3 days
This Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech is basically the same as the first one in this list. This tour includes all the same stops, 2 nights of accommodation, 2 dinners, and 2 breakfasts. The key difference is the type of accommodation.
This Luxury 3 Days Desert Trip Marrakech to Merzouga is a little pricier because the Sahara Desert camp accommodation is much nicer. You’ll have a private tent, and you’ll have your own bathroom. If you’re looking to have more privacy and comfort, this is the Sahara Desert tour for you.
This Luxury 3 Days Desert Trip Marrakech to Merzouga includes:
- Professional Driver Speaking: English / French
- One night in private room in Dades Valley
- One night in luxury tent camp in Merzouga Desert with a private bathroom
- Camel ride in the Sahara Desert Merzouga
- Pick up & drop off from your hotel
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Breakfast (2) and dinner (2)
3. 3-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Sahara Desert Adventure
- RATING: 5 out of 5 stars | TOUR LENGTH: 3 days
This Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech takes you to the Sahara Desert and back to Marrakech, with stops at the High Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou, Todra Gorge, and more.
You’ll be transported in an air-conditioned minivan, and this tour includes 2 nights of accommodation as well as most meals.
This 3-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Sahara Desert Adventure is a great one to book because you have the option to choose how simple or luxurious you’d like your accommodation to be.
You can select between a standard camp tent (shared bathroom), deluxe camp tent (private bathroom), or a luxury camp.
This tour is also unique because it includes sandboarding! Once you arrive at the desert camp, you’ll have the option to strap on a sandboard and go riding down the Sahara sand dunes.
This 3-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Sahara Desert Adventure includes:
- Camel Ride
- SandBoarding
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Dinner (2) & Breakfast (2)
What to Expect Driving From Marrakech to the Sahara Desert
The drive from Marrakech to Merzouga, which is the entry point to the Sahara Desert, takes about 9 – 11 hours, depending on how often you break. Luckily, there are lots of stops along the way which break up the long drive.
1. High Atlas Mountains
The first stop on the drive from Marrakech to the Sahara is for a view of the High Atlas mountain range.
The mountains serve as a home to some of North Africa’s Berber communities, who live there in remote villages. The High Atlas mountains stretch on for ages, and this is part of why the drive to the Sahara is so long.
2. Ait Ben Haddou
Ait Ben Haddou is a fortified village and UNESCO world heritage site that’s a popular stop for tours from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert. Most Moroccans no longer live in Ait Ben Haddou itself, but in a newer village on the other side of the river.
While visiting Ait Ben Haddou, it looked oddly familiar to me. Our local guide explained why: This site has been used as a film location for films since the 1960s, including The Mummy, Gladiator, Prince of Persia, and television show Game of Thrones.
3. Dadès Gorge
The Dadès Gorges are a series of rugged wadi (an Arabic word for canyon) that were carved out by the Dadès river. The walls of the gorge range from 200 to 500 meters high, and appear in various colors.
On your way to visit the Sahara Desert, it is necessary to drive through these gorges. Most tours will make a couple stops to take in the beautiful views, and to walk around the Dadès Gorges.
On my tour, I learned that some parts of the gorges are used to grow roses, which are then used to produce rose water. If you have the chance, buy a rose water product to bring home with you!
4. Todgha Gorge
The Todgha Gorges are limestone river wadi, carved out by the Dadès and Todgha rivers. Driving through the Todgha Gorge was super exciting with its winding roads and huge cliffs. Most tours include a stop in the gorge so you can rest, wander around, and take some photos.
Overnight in the Sahara Desert: What to Expect
The main thing to know about a Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech is that you’ll be doing lots of driving. But the drive is worth it.
As you drive more and more south from Marrakech, past the Atlas Mountains and gorges, the landscape becomes more flat. You’ll start to see rocky terrain mixed with pockets of sand. As you enter the desert region, you might spot a Berber person, walking along with a procession of camels.
And eventually, the rocky desert turns to golden sand. When you start to see sand dunes, it means you’ve reached the Sahara!
Once you reach the Sahara, you’ll make a final stop in Merzouga. This is a town near the border with Algeria. It’s from here that you’ll depart on your desert safari into the Sahara.
Most tours arrive in the late afternoon, so that you head into the Sahara when the sun is starting to set. This way, it isn’t as hot.
I made sure to stock up on water in Merzouga. There will be plenty of roadside shops where you can buy a couple liters to bring with you. Lastly, you’ll be brought to a warehouse where you can leave your bigger luggage for the night.
On these Sahara Desert tours you spend just one night in the desert, and so it doesn’t make sense to bring all your luggage. You’ll just bring a backpack with what you need for the night.
It’s here that your Berber guides will arrive to bring you to the desert camp. On my tour, the guides were super friendly, helping us tie scarves around our heads to protect us from the sun.
The guides then bring you over to the camels! These animals were larger than I’d imagined, and full of character.
Camels appear always to be smiling, and seemingly are always chewing. One of the Berbers explained that camels regurgitate their food so that they can continue to chew it. This is called chewing the cud, and it helps them to digest.
At this point, you’ll be helped onto a camel that you’ll ride into the Sahara to your desert camp. The journey in takes about an hour.
Now, I need to make a note about camel riding and responsible animal tourism. In general, the most responsible way to choose activities that are observation only. This is something I learned after I went on this trip. If I were to do it again, I would ask to walk alongside the camels rather than ride.
After about an hour of walking over sand dunes, you’ll arrive at the Sahara desert camp. I stayed in a budget camp, and so I can only share what that camp was like.
We were shown around the camp tents: the main tent where we would eat, and various smaller tents where we would sleep. It was a permanent camp, and it was clear that the camp serviced an ongoing cycle of tourists, there for one or two nights.
After you’ve settled into the camp, it’s time to enjoy the desert! You’re allowed to wander off into the dunes. I recommend taking your shoes off so you can feel the warm sand on your feet while watching the sun set over the desert.
Climbing the massive Sahara sand dunes is a work out – I see now why desert survival is notoriously difficult. I found the climb up a dune was difficult, but it was worth the fun of leaping and bounding back down them!
After the sun sets, the camp comes together to eat dinner together while chatting with the Berber guides. Following dinner, there is a desert bonfire. You can lay in the sand and take in a view of the stars that’s like no other.
The Berbers in our camp stayed awake all night to watch over the camels. Many people in my group stayed up with them, but I tucked myself into bed eventually for a short sleep.
At sunrise, you’re woken up to pack up and get back on the camels for the ride back to Merzouga.
Tips For Your Sahara Desert Tour From Marrakech
Going on a Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech is an unforgettable experience, but it can sometimes be an uncomfortable trip. There is lots of driving, and at some times of the year, it can be uncomfortably hot.
Here are some tips to keep in mind for your Sahara Desert tour.
1. Prepare for the Weather in Morocco
The summer months in Morocco (June – August) can be excruciatingly hot, and from what I was told during this period the trips to the Sahara tend to be shorter because the heat in the desert is unbearable. For pleasant weather, aim to go in the spring (April & May) or fall (September & October).
The winter months are a good time to visit if you don’t mind cooler weather – there will be way less tourists, which helps reduce overtourism.
Regardless of the time of year, deserts do get cold at night. Be sure to pack a sweater and long pants to wear while you’re sleeping, so you get a comfortable night of rest while sleeping in the Sahara Desert.
2. Respect of Local Customs
What not to do in Morocco? Don’t be ignorant of local customs. Morocco is a conservative nation, specifically when it comes to gender roles. Women dress very modestly and tend to take on domestic duties. Although it can admittedly be very frustrating to adjust to these customs, it’s important to do when you’re a guest in another country.
I think it is best as a visitor to educate yourself and be respectful of local tradition. It’s a good idea to dress modestly (loose pants, shoulders and chest always covered) and carry a light scarf with you to cover your head, if needed.
3. Pack Toilet Paper
Once you’ve left Marrakech, many toilets will not supply toilet paper, so if this is a comfort that you can’t bear to live without, make sure to bring your own tissue. When you are out at the Sahara camp, there will not be toilets (time to squat in the sand!).
4. Plan Your Onward Travels
You have the option to stay in Merzouga after the Sahara, return to Marrakech, or book a tour that brings you onward to Fes.
I opted to travel from the Sahara north, to spend 4 days in Fes. I went by private taxi, because returning back to Marrakech did not make sense for my itinerary. I regret that I didn’t book a tour that went to Fes, but at the time I didn’t actually know these existed.
Final Thoughts: Visiting the Sahara Desert, Morocco
The bus driver that drove my group from Marrakech to the Sahara was a man of few words, but many exaggerations. When we asked how long the drive would be he always told us, “1 hour, we will be there soon.”
I quickly learned that this answer was a prime example of Moroccan time: his time estimates were meaningless. Sometimes 1 hour meant 5, other times 1 hour meant 10 minutes.
Regardless of the long drive and all the Morrocan time answers, the trip to the Sahara was absolutely worth it. The Sahara Desert truly is special.
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Erin has been traveling for over a decade, both solo, and with her partner. She’s now traveled to countries across 6 continents, and has lived in 2 countries abroad. Erin also hosts the travel podcast, Curious Tourism, where she interviews travel industry thought leaders and experts about responsible tourism. Learn more about Erin, and get in touch with her, here.
What an unforgettable adventure! This is right up on my list of must-do experiences. Really smart tips too. Especially about the TP 🙂
If you’re ever going to head off an do anything remotely like this again, TAKE ME WITH YOU PLEASE!
Sounds like a bucket list item to me!
Interesting how you observed that certain aspects of the trip were things we tend to over-romanticize, but you still loved it on the whole.
I have always wanted to see the Sahara! It’s in my 40 before 40 list actually. Did you do anything in the Atlas Mountains? I want to hike them, but need more information first.
I didn’t do any hiking in the Atlas Mountain range, only in the Todgha Gorge and some other gorges. But in talking with other travellers I learned that Ait Bouguemez is a great region to trek in, and if you’re up to a greater challenge, you can hike Mount Toubkal (Morocco’s highest peak at 4,167 meters). Researching those regions might be a good starting point!
This would be such a fun adventure! I visited a place in California that reminded me of the sand dunes like this, it was totally unexpected to see in CALIFORNIA! This is definitely a bucket list experience that I hope to complete in my lifetime! Thanks for sharing 🙂
California has such incredible landscapes! I am in love with deserts, and so California is on the bucket list for sure.
What an adventure! And sleeping in the Sahara is so unusual. The sand dunes are lovely. And your photos have a nice element of fun to them!
I was so excited to read this since my boyfriend and I were just talking about this last weekend! We’re tentatively planning to tour Morocco including sleeping in the Sahara next September. What a great adventure you had!
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Wow! I know how tough the conditions can be in a desert, especially at night but your adventure gave me the courage to try it! Thank you.