Four days gives the desert the time it deserves: a full day around Merzouga with sandboarding, Gnawa music in Khamlia and the old caravan town of Rissani, and a night at camp under the stars.
This is a shared student departure: you join other students and young travellers from different universities, which keeps the cost down. Rooms and tents are shared with students of the same gender unless you travel as a couple or as friends.
The trip starts and ends in Marrakech. Tell us your preferred date on WhatsApp or through the form; we confirm your place and the meeting point.
Meeting point in central Marrakech · Back in Marrakech on Sunday night
Thursday around 7:00 AM
Two long driving days (the first and the last). Day 3 is mostly in and around the dunes.
Route: Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka → Ait Benhaddou → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley
Night: guesthouse or kasbah in the Dades Valley · Meals: dinner
Approx. 330 km · 6–7 h driving
Over the High Atlas to Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate and the Valley of Roses, ending in the Dades Valley.
Route: Dades → Tinghir → Todra Gorge → Erfoud → Merzouga
Night: guesthouse in Merzouga at the foot of the dunes · Meals: breakfast, dinner
Approx. 300 km · 5–6 h driving
A walk in the Todra Gorge, then east to Merzouga. Sunset on the dunes behind the guesthouse.
Route: Merzouga → Khamlia → Rissani → Merzouga → camp
Night: Berber desert camp in Erg Chebbi (shared tents) · Meals: breakfast, dinner
Approx. 90 km · about 2 h in short drives driving
Gnawa music in the village of Khamlia, the market town of Rissani and the ruins of Sijilmassa, the old caravan city. In the afternoon, camels into the dunes for sunset, sandboarding and a night at camp.
Route: Merzouga → Rissani → Alnif → Ouarzazate → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech
Night: end of trip in Marrakech · Meals: breakfast
Approx. 560 km · 9–10 h driving
Sunrise over Erg Chebbi, then the long road back to Marrakech, arriving in the evening.
