Merzouga Desert Tours:
our Routes to Erg Chebbi

Day 1: Fes over the Middle Atlas to the Merzouga dunes

An early departure from Fes, from your accommodation on the private option. Climbing into the Middle Atlas, you pass Ifrane, often called Morocco's Switzerland, and Azrou, where Barbary macaques live in the cedar forests. The road then descends south through valleys, gorges and Berber villages, with viewpoint stops and lunch at a local restaurant. By late afternoon sand has replaced the mountains: the camel caravan sets off from Merzouga into Erg Chebbi for sunset, then camp, with dinner, music and a starlit night.

Day 2: Todra gorges, Erfoud and a camel into Erg Chebbi

A short morning leg takes you into the Todra gorges, between their sheer rock faces. The road then runs through the Jorf palm grove to Erfoud, a small town of fossil workshops. At Merzouga the car stays in the village and you carry on by camel into Erg Chebbi, reaching camp for sunset, a Berber dinner and music beneath the stars.

Day 2: Dades, Tinghir, the Todra Gorges and camp at Merzouga

After breakfast, the road crosses the rocky landscapes of the Dades towards Tinghir and the Todra Gorges, whose cliffs reach three hundred metres. It follows the Road of the Thousand Kasbahs, between Berber villages and oases. A walk inside the gorges before continuing to Merzouga, reached in the afternoon. A camel caravan takes you at sunset across the Erg Chebbi dunes to the camp. Dinner, Berber music and a night under the stars.

Day 3: Sunrise over the erg, Rissani, then transfer to Fes

Wake before dawn for the sunrise over the dunes, followed by a Berber breakfast outside the camp. Camel ride back to the centre of Merzouga, then the road to Rissani, where the transfer to Fes begins. This final stage is a road journey of about seven to eight hours, in a vehicle separate from the tour's own: it follows the Ziz valley and crosses the Middle Atlas via Midelt and Ifrane, but includes no guided stops. Arrival in Fes at the end of the day, with drop-off at your accommodation on the private option.

Day 2: Todra Gorge, the Sahara and Erg Chebbi

The morning follows the Todra Gorge and its sheer walls, then the road east through Tinghir and Erfoud until the dunes appear. At Merzouga the vehicle is left behind: camels, or a 4x4 if you prefer, carry you into Erg Chebbi for sunset. Dinner, Berber drums and a night at the camp booked with your option.

Day 3: Sunrise over the dunes and return to Marrakech

Up before dawn for sunrise over Erg Chebbi, then breakfast and the ride back out of the dunes. The road west runs through the Draa palm groves and Ouarzazate before crossing the High Atlas again. Arrival in Marrakech in the evening, with drop-off at your hotel or riad.

Day 4: Ouarzazate, Dadès valley, Todra gorges and Merzouga

Day 4 carries you from Ouarzazate to the Sahara's edge. The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs leads through the Dadès valley, past Berber villages and forts of earth, to the Todra gorge, where the rock walls narrow to a few metres apart. You reach Merzouga as the afternoon ends and switch to a camel, crossing the Erg Chebbi dunes to camp before sunset. Dinner and the night are at the camp.

Day 5: Sunrise at Merzouga, Ziz valley, Middle Atlas and Fes

From here the circuit turns north. You rise before dawn to watch the sun come up over the dunes, with breakfast at the camp. The road runs up the Ziz valley, through some of the south's most striking palm groves, and on through the Middle Atlas cedar forests. Stops in Berber towns such as Midelt or Azrou come before you reach Fes as the day ends; dinner and breakfast are at the hotel.

Day 5: Ouarzazate, Skoura, Tinghir and Merzouga

Day 5, the first of two long driving days, runs east through changing scenery. It opens with the Skoura oasis and the Amridil kasbah, continues through the Valley of Roses, known for its rose products, and reaches Tinghir for the Todra gorges and their towering limestone walls. You get to Merzouga in the late afternoon and swap the vehicle for camels to cross the Erg Chebbi dunes to camp at sunset. Mint tea, a Berber dinner and music by the fire follow; the night is spent in a private tent.

Day 6: Merzouga to Fes through the Ziz valley

Day 6 turns the loop north. Up before dawn for sunrise over Erg Chebbi, breakfast at camp, then the camels carry you back to the village. The long drive to Fes is broken by several stops: the vast palm grove of the Ziz valley, Midelt, where lunch is an option, the Middle Atlas cedar forests, and Ifrane, whose architecture and mountain air earned it the name of Morocco's little Switzerland. Fes comes into view as the afternoon ends, in time for dinner and the night.

Day 4: Skoura, Tinghir and the Merzouga desert

From Ouarzazate the loop heads deeper into the south, and the land dries out around you. Skoura comes first, a palm-grove oasis with the Amridil kasbah; then the Valley of Roses and its distilleries; then Tinghir, where you walk into the Todra gorges between towering rock walls. You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon, and from there camels, not the car, take you through the Erg Chebbi dunes to camp: sunset, mint tea, dinner beneath the stars and Berber music by the fire, then a night in your own private tent.

Day 5: Merzouga to Fes through the Ziz valley

The alarm goes before dawn for sunrise over the dunes, one of the best moments of the ten days. After breakfast you return to the village by camel or 4x4, and the loop turns north for the long run to Fes, broken up by stops: the palm-lined Ziz valley, Midelt for lunch, the Middle Atlas with its cedar forests and mountain lakes, and Ifrane, known as Morocco's little Switzerland. You pull into Fes late in the afternoon for dinner and the first of two nights.

Day 4: Marrakech, High Atlas, Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate

Day 4 leaves Marrakech and climbs the hairpin bends of the Tizi n'Tichka, the High Atlas pass, with Berber villages scattered through the mountain views. The main visit is the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, listed as a World Heritage site and used as a set for many films. The night is in Ouarzazate, often called the last stop before the desert, before the long drive to Merzouga.

Day 5: Ouarzazate, Draa valley and Merzouga

The first of three long road days. From Ouarzazate the route follows the Draa valley, with its palm groves, fortified villages and oasis scenery, on to Merzouga. There the Erg Chebbi dunes rise like waves, and at sunset camels take you across the sand to the camp for a traditional dinner, Berber music around the fire and a night under a sky full of stars.

Day 6: Merzouga, Khamlia and Rissani

Day 6 stays in the desert region and is about the people who live there. In Khamlia, a village known for its Gnawa music and a Saharan culture with sub-Saharan roots, the music is played for a small group right there in the village. The next stop is Rissani, a historic Tafilalet town, and its traditional souk. The drive back to Merzouga runs through the Erg Chebbi dunes.

Day 7: Merzouga to Fes through the Ziz valley

Day 7 turns the loop north. You rise before dawn to watch the sun come up over the Sahara, and breakfast is taken in the desert before the long drive to Fes. The road follows the palm groves of the Ziz valley, passes through Midelt and crosses the Middle Atlas cedar forests; around Azrou, Barbary macaques are often seen in the trees. You reach Fes in the evening.

Day 7: Fes, Ifrane, Middle Atlas and Merzouga

From Fes the circuit swings south: a long drive, broken by several stops. First Ifrane, nicknamed the little Switzerland of Morocco, then the Middle Atlas cedar forests and their scenery, and later wide views over the Ziz valley. The drive ends at Merzouga, on the Sahara's edge, for dinner and a night in a desert camp.

Day 8: Merzouga, Khamlia and Rissani

Day 8 is spent in the desert region around Merzouga, where you stay a second night. First Khamlia, a village noted for Gnawa music, and a meeting with nomad families; then Rissani, a historic Tafilalet town with a traditional souk at its centre. A camel ride or 4x4 outing can be added as options. You dine and sleep again in Merzouga.

Day 9: Merzouga, Erfoud, Todra gorges and Ouarzazate

Day 9 heads west, away from the dunes. First stop: Erfoud, known for its fossils and cutting workshops; then the Todra gorges and their towering walls. The road then runs through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate, for dinner and the night.