HomePackages, Trips & Tours3, 4 or 5-day round trips from Marrakech
3, 4 or 5-day round trips from Marrakech
Shorter Sahara Desert tours for those with less time
In an ideal world the trip from Marrakech to the desert (and back to Marrakech again) is a five-day adventure, with plenty of time to enjoy the magnificent landscapes and sights. On the first night you would stay overnight in a guesthouse, then spend three nights at the desert camp and return on the fifth day to Marrakech. The route to the desert is circular, the trip back being shorter and more direct.
All the trips are private and tailor-made. Start times, places to stop, duration of stops and lunches are decided by you.
However, 'the ideal world' does not always exist. We therefore also offer 3-day and 4-day tours, if you only have limited time.
Berber village en route to the desert
Tizi n'Tichka in April
Ksar of Ait Benhaddou
5-day round trip from Marrakech
The trip to the desert is over two days, with one night being spent at a guesthouse en route to the desert, 3 nights at the desert camp and return to Marrakech in one day.
The summary of the tour is as follows:
Day 1
Overnight at a guesthouse en route to the desert. This is either a 4-hour drive to Ait Benhaddou and overnighting at Kasbah Ellouze or Riad Caravane, or a 5 hour 30 hour drive to the guesthouse of Kasbah Azul in the Draa Valley. The route is via the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi n’Tichka pass (alt. 2300 m),the Ounila Valley, full of ancient villages and kasbahs (including Telouet) and Ait Benhaddou.
Day 2
From Ait Benhaddou, it's a 6-hour drive through the Draa Valley (home to 3 million date palms and hundreds of kasbahs), Zagora, Tamegroute (famous for its green-glazed pottery and ancient Koranic library) and M'Hamid (where the paved road ends and the Sahara begins).
Days 3 - 4
Both days at Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. There are plenty of activities for those who either want to remain at the camp or venture into the desert.
Day 5
Return to Marrakech. The return trip is 8 hours and is more direct and more remote than the route to the desert. The return trip is via the town of Foum Zguid (a 3-hour drive though the desert), Taznakht (known for its rugs) and then back over the Tizi n’Tichka pass.
The cost of the 4-night/5-day trip is 2380 euro for two people (i.e. 1190 euro per person) if staying at Kasbah Azul, 2340 euro at Riad Caravane and 2320 euro at Kasbah Ellouze. This includes:
3 nights at Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. All meals, drinks and guided trips on camels are included. Other activities, including sandboarding, sundowners on the dunes and informal singing and drumming around the fire are also included.
1 night at either Kasbah Azul, Kasbah Ellouze or Riad Caravane. Breakfast and dinner are included. Drinks are extra.
Private transport in a 4WD Land Cruiser with driver.
4-day round trip from Marrakech
The trip to the desert is over two days, with one night being spent at a guesthouse en route to the desert, two nights at the desert camp and return to Marrakech in one day.
The summary of the tour is as follows:
Day 1
Overnight at a guesthouse en route to the desert. This is either a 4 hour drive to Ait Benhaddou and overnighting at Kasbah Ellouze or Riad Caravane, or a 5 hour 30 hour drive to the guesthouse of Kasbah Azul in the Draa Valley. The route is via the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi n’Tichka pass (alt. 2260 m),the Ounila Valley, full of ancient villages and kasbahs (including Telouet) and Ait Benhaddou.
Day 2
From Ait Benhaddou, it's a 6-hour drive through the Draa Valley (home to 3 million date palms and hundreds of kasbahs), Zagora, Tamegroute (famous for its green-glazed pottery and ancient Koranic library) and M'Hamid (where the paved road ends and the Sahara begins).
Days 3
All day at Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. There are plenty of activities for those that either want to remain at the camp or venture into the desert.
Day 4
Return to Marrakech. The return trip is 8 hours, and is more direct and more remote than the route to the desert. The return trip is via Foum Zguid (a 3-hour drive though the desert), Taznakht (known for its rugs) and then back over the Tizi n’Tichka pass.
The cost of the 3-night/4-day trip is 1740 euro for two people (i.e. 870 euro per person) if staying at Kasbah Azul, 1700 euro at Riad Caravane and 1680 euro at Kasbah Ellouze. This includes:
2 nights at Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. All meals, drinks and guided trips on camels are included. Other activities, including sandboarding, sundowners on the dunes and informal singing and drumming around the fire are also included.
1 night at either Kasbah Azul, Kasbah Ellouze or Riad Caravane. Breakfast and dinner are included. Drinks are extra.
Private transport in a 4WD Land Cruiser with driver.
3-day round trip from Marrakech
The trip to the desert is completed in one day, with two nights being spent in the desert camp and the return to Marrakech in one day.
The summary of the tour is as follows:
Day 1
Depending on the season, a start from Marrakech at between 0630 and 0800 is required. It's a 9-hour drive to the camp, plus stops. It might be a long way, but is never, ever, dull. The earlier you start, the more time you have to stop en route. The route is via the High Atlas Mountains and spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass, the UNESCO heritage Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, the Draa valley and its 3 million date palms and hundreds of kasbahs and M'Hamid (where the tar road ends and the Sahara begins).
Day 2
All day at Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. There are plenty of activities for those that either want to remain at the camp or venture into the desert.
Day 3
Return to Marrakech. The return trip is 8 hours, and is more direct and more remote than the route to the desert. The return trip is via the town of Foum Zguid (3-hour drive though the desert), Taznakht (known for its rugs) and then back over the Tizi n'Tichka pass.
The cost of the 2-night/3-day trip is 1480 euro for two people (or 760 euro per person). This includes:
2 nights at Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp. All meals, drinks and guided trips on camels are included. Other activities, including sandboarding, sundowners on the dunes and informal singing and drumming around the fire are also included.
Private transport in a 4x4 Land Cruiser with driver.
Jbel Kissane in the Draa Valley
Green pottery. Tamegroute
Palms near M'Hamid el Ghizlane
More information about the trip to the desert
It's a spectacular trip—the drive is a reason in itself for visiting the desert. It's an eclectic mix of mountain passes, lush valleys, Berber villages clinging to the mountain side, dilapidated kasbahs, palm groves and awe-inspiring rock formations. It is simply an exciting voyage, away from the frenetic activity of Marrakech to the calm and open vistas of the desert.
The trip to the desert is quite long, about 9 hours, but it should not be rushed. There's a timelesness about the desert, and the trip should not be governed by the need to arrive anywhere at a specific time. For sure, one wants to arrive at the camp near sunset, but you don't want to hurry either.
Ideally, the preferred itinerary, provided you have time, is to spend one night at a guesthouse en route to the desert, three nights in the desert and then return to Marrakech in one trip via Foum Zguid (this being a circular route). However, if you don't have so much time available, you can either drive directly to the desert, or reduce the length of stay at the camp to two nights.
So, if you are going directly to the camp from Marrakech, we suggest you depart as early as possible. 07:00 is a good time, but you can depart at 06:00 if you prefer a really early start. If staying en route, a departure sometime after breakfast is fine.
There is no specific itinerary because everyone has different interests and wants to do things at a different pace. But a rough itinerary with interesting places to visit is as follows (I am not going to explain too much about the scenery because half the excitement is the unknown):
Marrakech to Ouarzazate (and Kasbah Ellouze is en route)
– 4 hours
Depart Marrakech. After about 45 minutes one starts climbing, and after a further 90 minutes you reach the top of the Tizi n'Tichka pass (elevation 2260 metres / 7,415 feet). However, it can take longer because there are limitless photo opportunities.
If staying at a guesthouse en route, you have time to turn off the main road and take the spectacular route via Telouet and the Ksar of Aït Benhaddou before re-joining the road about 2 hours later. This is the Ounila Valley, which is full of dramatic vistas. 40 minutes after the turn-off is Telouet, a superb crumbling Kasbah, built by the powerful Glaoui family in the late 19th century. Although never completed, it is full of ornate Moorish architecture and zellige work. It's not touristy at all—you will probably have it to yourself.
A further 60 minutes is the Ksar of Aït Benhaddou (this is 15 minutes from the main road). This is the most visited Kasbah in Morocco, a UNESCO heritage site and well preserved thanks to funding received from the production of films including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Eight families live in the Kasbah. It is a great place to visit, but personally I prefer the lesser known, more dilapidated kasbahs, which feel more dramatic and inspire the imagination.
If going directly to the desert, one should stop at either Aït Benhaddou or Tamegroute (see below).
After about 4 hours one reaches Ouarzazate. The name conjures up exciting notions, but it is merely a rather uninspiring administrative centre. The town houses various film studios, of which Atlas is probably the most interesting. If you are into films the props are interesting. If not, move on.
Kasbah Ellouze is about 30 minutes before Ouarzazate in the hamlet of Tamdakht.
Ouarzazate to Agdz (and the guesthouse of Kasbah Azul)
– 70 minutes
The scenery from Ouarzazate to Agdz (one-hour drive) is full of dramatic rock formations. The film Babel was shot here, although I can never work out exactly where. Five kilometres after Agdz is Tamnougalt. This is a superb kasbah, being the original capital city of the Mezguita region and the home of various local governors. Telouet probably has more ornate architecture, but Tamnougalt is more accessible. There is also a lovely café here with superb views over the palmeraie.
Agdz to Zagora
– 90 minutes
You follow the Draa river from Agdz to Zagora (1½ hours). There are over 3 million date palms in the Draa, and 18 different varieties of dates. The people who live there are a mixture of Berbers and Arabs. There were also many Jews, the kasbahs all having a mellah (Jewish quarter). The Draa, at 1,100 km in length, is the longest river in Morocco, rising in the High Atlas and following a route to the Atlantic. Following the construction of a dam near Ouarzazate it now flows until Zagora, although after snow melts and rains it can flow into the desert.
Zagora to M'Hamid El Ghizlane
– 70 minutes
After Zagora, it slowly gets more arid. After 15 minutes you reach Tamegroute, home of a zaouia (Islamic religious school) and Koranic library which you can visit. The religious brotherhood also set up with the help of craftsmen from Fez a pottery, famous for its green glaze. You can watch them make the pottery at the kilns (where it is mercilessly hot) and also purchase all sorts of plates and tableware at the adjacent shop.
M'Hamid El Ghizlane to camp
– 75 minutes
The tar road ends in M'Hamid. It really feels like the end of the world. M'Hamid has a lovely palmeraie, which somehow survives thanks to an elaborate system of channels which captures all available water.
And then its off-road to the camp—you've arrived in the desert!
The return trip
The return trip is normally via Foum Zguid. It takes about 2 hours less, and is about 150 km shorter in distance. The route is more direct and quite different in character. There are fewer places to stop and sightsee, but the scenery is equally dramatic.
Camp to Foum Zguid
– 3 hours
The camp to Foum Zguid takes just less than 3 hours. It's a fascinating trip through soft sand, dried out lakes and hamada (rocks). You feel (and you are) in the middle of nowhere. The rock formations, especially if the light is right, are a photographer's dream. You will also pass fossil fields, but try and not remove them all… The Chigaga Café in Foum Zguid serves the best French fries in Morocco.
Foum Zguid to Taznakht
– 1 hour
From Foum Zguid it is one hour on a mainly traffic-free road to Taznakht, the carpet-making centre of the area. The scenery is again awe-inspiring, being a mixture of heavily weathered rocks and palmeraie. Taznakht is a good place to purchase rugs, although you need to bargain hard. Just because you are out in the sticks doesn't mean the prices are necessarily any lower than Marrakech.
Taznakht to Ouarzazate (north)
– 1 hour
From Taznakht, it's one hour to the main road, which you join 40 km north of Ouarzazate. Look out for the petrol station, which looks like something out of a spaghetti western. It's the set for The Hills Have Eyes 2, a monstrously awful production.
Ouarzazate (north) to Marrakech
– 3 hours
And then it's back over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech.
Dramatic mountain road near Agdz
Draa Valley near Tagounite
Stony desert near Foum Zguid