Merzouga Desert Tours:
our Routes to Erg Chebbi

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 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. Drop-off at your accommodation in Fes at the end of the day.

Day 1 — Fes to the Merzouga desert

An early pick-up at your accommodation in Fes. The road climbs into the Middle Atlas through Ifrane, nicknamed Morocco's Switzerland, then Azrou, where the cedar forests shelter Barbary macaques. It then drops south through mountain landscapes, valleys and Berber villages, with panoramic stops and lunch in a local restaurant. In the late afternoon the scenery turns to desert: at Merzouga the camel caravan takes you into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset, then on to camp — dinner, music and a night under the stars.

Day 2 — Dadès to the Merzouga desert

The morning follows the Todra gorges and their sheer rock faces, then the palm groves of Jorf and the town of Erfoud, known for its fossil workshops. At Merzouga the vehicle stays behind: camels carry you into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset. The night is spent at a Berber camp, around dinner and music, under open sky.

Day 3 — Merzouga to Marrakech

Sunrise over the dunes, a camel ride back to the village, then breakfast. The road heads west through the Draa palm groves and Ouarzazate, before crossing the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass. Arrival in Marrakech in the late afternoon or evening, with drop-off at your address.

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 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, whose distilleries work in April and May; then Tinghir, where you walk into the Todra gorges between rock walls close to 300 metres high. 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 5 — Ouarzazate, Skoura, Tinghir and Merzouga

The landscape changes several times in a day. The Skoura oasis and the Amridil kasbah open the road, followed by the Valley of Roses, known for its rose products in April and May, then the Todra gorges at Tinghir, whose limestone cliffs rise to 300 metres. Arrival at Merzouga in the late afternoon: camels carry you to camp across the Erg Chebbi dunes, for sunset, mint tea, a Berber dinner and music around the fire. Night in a private tent.

Day 6 — Merzouga to Fes through the Ziz valley

Up before dawn for sunrise over Erg Chebbi, then breakfast at the camp and a camel ride back to the village. The road north is full of stops: the Ziz valley and its vast palm grove, Midelt for an optional lunch break, the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, and finally Ifrane, nicknamed Morocco's little Switzerland for its architecture and mountain air. Arrival in Fes in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Fes.

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 at over 2,200 metres, 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 Gladiator and for Game of Thrones. The night is in Ouarzazate, often called the gateway to 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, historic capital of the Tafilalet, whose souk is among the best known in southern Morocco. 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 the night, in a hotel or at the camp depending on the programme chosen.

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, whose walls rise 300 metres. The road then runs through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate, for dinner and the night.