She highlights that Mohammed adapted the itinerary and the accommodation to a family member's health, and that Said, their guide, was the best part of the trip: patient, fun and full of knowledge of places off the tourist track.
Read the full review — Liliana Zaragoza
Departure from Ouarzazate
3-Day Tour from Ouarzazate to the Merzouga Desert
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Departure from Ouarzazate
- Private tour
Departure from Ouarzazate
Tour details
With one more day than the short itinerary, this trip gives you time to travel the Dades Valley without rushing, walk in the Todra Gorge and spend a whole morning in the desert, among nomad villages and the gnawa music of Khamlia.
- Duration3 days / 2 nights
- DepartureOuarzazate
- Places8 places
- Desert1 night
Highlights
- Ouarzazate
- Skoura (Kasbah Amridil)
- Valley of Roses
- Dades Gorges
- Todra Gorges
- Merzouga Desert
- Rissani
- Alnif
5 trip photos
Photo gallery
Departure from Ouarzazate
Tour itinerary
Departure from Ouarzazate towards the Skoura palm grove and the Amerhidil Kasbah, one of the most photographed in the south. We continue through Kelaat M’Gouna, the Valley of the Roses, reaching the Dades Valley in the late afternoon. Time to walk among the rock formations known as the “monkey fingers”. Dinner and overnight at a hotel overlooking the gorge.
Breakfast overlooking the valley and departure for the Todra Gorge, with time to walk beside the river. Lunch in Tinghir and on through Tinejdad and Erfoud to Merzouga. In the late afternoon, camel ride across the dunes of Erg Chebbi to watch the sunset. Berber dinner and a night at a desert camp.
Sunrise over the dunes and breakfast at the camp. Visit to a nomad family and to the village of Khamlia, known for its gnawa music. Passing through Rissani and its souk before returning to Ouarzazate via Alnif and the Anti-Atlas. Arrival in the late afternoon and end of our services.
Route map
Places you will visit each day and where you will spend each night. Tap a day to see it on the map.
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Tour info
Included
6 included- Transport: private air-conditioned vehicle for the whole route
- Driver/Guide: English-speaking professional throughout the tour
- Accommodation: hotels, riads and one night at a desert camp
- Meals: all breakfasts and the dinners listed in the itinerary
- Experiences: camel ride in the desert for sunset and sunrise
- All local fees and taxes
Not included
7 not included- International flights to and from Morocco
- Alcoholic drinks with meals
- Lunches on travelling days
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Personal expenses and travel insurance
- Entrance fees to monuments not mentioned in the itinerary
- Anything not specifically listed as included
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Tell us about your trip
Fill in the form or write to us on WhatsApp. Tell us what interests you and these details, which are what we need to prepare the best proposal for you:
- How many travellers you are.
- Exact dates (if you already have your flights) or the month you prefer.
- How many days you want to travel.
- Accommodation category: standard, superior or luxury.
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Receive your personalised proposal
In less than 24 hours we send you a day-by-day itinerary and the final quote in a complete PDF. We adjust it together until it is perfect.
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Confirm your trip
It is confirmed with a 30% deposit via PayPal, telling us the type of room and beds you prefer (double or twin). You will receive a formal confirmation and we start organising everything.
Know before you go
Yes. It is the most practical way to make the most of your time departing from here, with no connecting journeys and an itinerary built just for your group.
We recommend comfortable clothing, a warm jacket for the cold desert nights, sunscreen, sunglasses and a camera to capture the landscapes of the kasbah route.
Yes. All our itineraries are private: you travel only with your own group, with a dedicated driver-guide and vehicle, and you can adjust timings and stops along the way.
Tripadvisor
Reviews from our travellers
She describes the desert route with Said as one of the best experiences of her life, and values the comfort of the vehicles and how safe they felt at all times.
Read the full review — Sophie HaberShe thanks Youssef for a very well organised private tour and highlights how much they learned from him about Moroccan culture, as well as his friendly and professional manner.
Read the full review — Ester780He tells how Ayoub picked them up at their hotel in Marrakech and looked after everything at every moment; he also highlights the accommodation, above all the tents in the middle of the Merzouga desert.
Read the full review — David SThey took a three-day private trip to the desert and she highlights Ayoub's smile and his willingness to adapt to any change, as well as the hotels and the food.
Read the full review — Elena SA group of eleven friends on a ten-day trip from Marrakech: they value the variety of visits, the riads, the food and the care of their guide Brahim and their driver Redwann.
Read the full review — Kris4429Summaries of reviews published by our travellers on Tripadvisor.
Destinations and attractions
A short guide to every place you will visit on this tour.
Known as the “gateway to the desert”, Ouarzazate is the great crossroads of southern Morocco. Its film studios, such as Atlas Studios, have hosted Hollywood productions, and the Taourirt Kasbah, once a residence of the Glaoui family, is one of the most beautiful in the region.
Skoura is a palm-grove oasis dotted with mud-brick kasbahs, a few kilometres from Ouarzazate. Its jewel is the 17th-century Kasbah Amridil, one of the best preserved in Morocco and so iconic that it appeared on the old 50-dirham banknote.
Around Kelaat M'Gouna, the Valley of Roses fills every spring with Damask roses, used to make rose water and rose oil. The famous Rose Festival is held in May, and rose products can be bought from its cooperatives all year round.
The Dades Valley, known for its kasbahs, narrows into gorges of reddish rock with curious formations such as the “monkey fingers”. The road that climbs the canyon, with its famous hairpin bends, is one of the most photographed in Morocco.
Near Tinghir, the Todra River has carved a spectacular canyon whose rock walls reach about 300 metres high and, at the narrowest point, leave just a few metres between them. It is a perfect place to walk along the river and one of the best-known climbing spots in the country.
The Erg Chebbi dunes, next to the village of Merzouga, rise to around 150 metres and change colour with the light of day. It is the perfect place for a sunset camel ride, a night in a tented camp under a sky full of stars and a sunrise over the Sahara.
Next to the ruins of ancient Sijilmasa, a great caravan city of the Sahara, Rissani is the cradle of the Alaouite dynasty that rules Morocco today. Its lively souk, especially on market days, is one of the most authentic in the south.
Alnif is a small village in the south-east famous among fossil lovers: its surroundings are one of the richest places in the world for trilobites and other fossils. It makes an interesting stop on the route linking the Merzouga desert with the Draa Valley.
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