A 4-day private trip from Marrakech to the Sahara and back. You cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, visit the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, spend a night in the Dades Valley, ride camels into the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in a desert camp, and return through the Draa Valley, Ouarzazate and the Telouet Kasbah.
Pickup from your riad or hotel in Marrakech · Drop-off at your riad or hotel in Marrakech
Morning (we confirm the exact time with you before the trip)
A private tour with your own multilingual driver-guide. Every itinerary can be adjusted to your dates, pace and choice of hotels, and we send you a personal quote when you get in touch.
Route: Marrakech → Atlas Mountains → Ait Benhaddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura Oasis → Roses Valley → Dades Valley
We meet you in Marrakech and head into the High Atlas, crossing the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the highest mountain pass in North Africa. The road climbs through the land of the Glaoua tribe, dotted with old kasbahs and fortified granaries.
After lunch we visit Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed mud-brick kasbah seen in films like Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia, then pass Ouarzazate, often called the “Hollywood of Morocco”. In the afternoon we drive through the Skoura oasis and the Roses Valley to the Dades Valley, where you spend the night.
Approx. 320 km · 6–7 h driving
Route: Dades Valley → Todra Gorge → Rissani → Merzouga → Camel trek into Erg Chebbi
After breakfast we drive to the Todra Gorge and take time to walk between its towering cliffs, then continue to Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara.
Leave your big luggage at a hotel, get on your camel and ride into the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, with free time to explore the sand. At sunset you have a traditional dinner and live music around the fire at the camp, then a night under a sky full of stars.
Approx. 300 km · 5–6 h driving
Route: Merzouga → Rissani → N’Kob → Tazarine → Draa Valley → Agdz → Ouarzazate
Wake early for sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast and a shower we set off west, stopping at the busy market in Rissani and at villages in the Draa Valley, a long line of palm groves and kasbahs.
We reach Ouarzazate, known for its film studios, in the afternoon. You have time at the hotel pool and a free evening.
Approx. 370 km · 6–7 h driving
Route: Ouarzazate → Ounila Valley → Telouet Kasbah → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech
After breakfast we visit Ouarzazate’s cinema museum, then follow the old caravan route through the Ounila Valley that once linked the Sahara to Marrakech. On the way we stop at an old salt mine, where the salt crystals look like coral.
Next is the Telouet Kasbah, the former seat of the El Glaoui family, with its carved and painted rooms. We cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass again and arrive in Marrakech in the early evening, where your guide takes you to your riad.
Approx. 200 km · 4–5 h driving
