Towering rock walls on both sides of the path through the Todra Gorge

Private tour · 3 days

3-day desert tour from Errachidia to Marrakech

A private 3-day desert tour from Errachidia to Marrakech. Along the way: the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou, and a night in the desert. Three days are enough to travel without rushing and sleep among the dunes.

Tour highlights

  • From the airport to the dunes in about two hours
  • The Rissani souk and the Todra Gorge
  • Ait Ben Haddou and the High Atlas to finish

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. Day 1 · Errachidia · Ziz Valley · Erfoud · Merzouga

    We pick you up at the airport or your accommodation in Errachidia. It is about two hours to Merzouga: we follow the Ziz palm grove and pass through Erfoud. On arrival, sunset on the Erg Chebbi dunes, by camel or by 4x4, and a night at the camp.

    Night: Desert camp

  2. Day 2 · Merzouga · Rissani · Erfoud · Todra Gorge · Dades Valley

    After sunrise in the desert, we head west. In Rissani you can wander its souk, one of the largest in the south, and see the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif. We pass Erfoud and follow the kasbah road to Tinghir and the Todra Gorge, explored on foot. The night is in the Dades Valley.

    Night: Dades Valley

  3. Day 3 · Dades · Valley of Roses · Skoura · Ouarzazate · Ait Ben Haddou · Marrakech

    Last day on the road of a thousand kasbahs. We pass the Valley of Roses and the Skoura palm grove, go through Ouarzazate and stop at Ait Ben Haddou to explore the ksar. In the afternoon we climb the High Atlas over Tizi n’Tichka and descend to Marrakech, where the trip ends.

The Ziz Valley palm grove set between rocky plateaus
Crest of an Erg Chebbi dune lit by the orange evening light
The monumental entrance gate of Rissani, with palm trees and Moroccan flags
The hairpin road winding down through the Dades Gorges

What’s included

Included

  • Pick-up from your accommodation in Errachidia and drop-off in Marrakech
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle
  • Multilingual driver for the whole trip
  • Accommodation: 2 nights, including the night in the desert
  • Breakfasts
  • Dinner at the desert camp

Not included

  • Lunches
  • Other dinners (on request: ask when you book)
  • Monument entry fees and local guides
  • Tips

Places along the route

Ziz Valley

The Ziz river cuts through the eastern High Atlas, forming a canyon filled with palm trees that you can admire from viewpoints along the road towards Errachidia. On the way you pass through the Legionnaire’s Tunnel, cut into the rock during the French protectorate. It is a spectacular oasis landscape right on the road to the desert.

Erg Chebbi Dunes

Erg Chebbi is the great sea of orange sand dunes rising beside Merzouga, on the edge of the Moroccan Sahara. At sunrise and sunset the light shifts colour across the ridges, making it the perfect place to walk barefoot on the sand, ride a camel or simply soak up the silence.

Todra Gorge

Near Tinghir, the Todra river has carved a narrow canyon between limestone walls that rise almost vertically. Walking along the floor of the gorge, beside the stream and beneath those cliffs, is genuinely awe-inspiring, and the valley leading up to it is dotted with palm groves and mud-brick villages.

Dades Valley and Gorges

The Dades Valley opens out between the High Atlas and Jebel Saghro, lined with earthen kasbahs, small fields and strikingly shaped rock formations. Further up, the road squeezes into a gorge and climbs in tight hairpin bends to a well-known viewpoint, an ideal spot to stop and take in the scale of the landscape.

Aït Ben Haddou

This earthen ksar, built on a hillside above the Ounila river, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Its mud-brick houses and towers, linked by lanes climbing to an old granary, have appeared in many films. Crossing the river and walking to the top rewards you with one of the south’s most photogenic views.

Tizi n’Tichka Pass

At 2,260 metres, Tizi n’Tichka is the mountain pass that carries the road across the High Atlas between Marrakech and Ouarzazate. The route winds past Berber villages, terraced fields and russet slopes, and it is well worth pausing at the top to watch the landscape change as you head south.

Is this the tour for you?

It’s a well-balanced length: enough time to see the highlights of the route without spending the whole day in the car, and to enjoy sunset and sunrise on the dunes.

As it ends in Marrakech, you don’t retrace your steps: it works well if your trip continues from there or your flight home leaves from Marrakech.

The night in the desert

You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon, in time for sunset over the dunes. The camel ride to the camp is optional: if you prefer, the transfer is done by 4x4 and you miss nothing.

At night, the desert sky with no lights around. In the morning it is worth getting up early: sunrise over Erg Chebbi is one of the best moments of the trip.

For a more comfortable night, we recommend Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, our sister camp in Erg Znaigui, with private-bathroom tents. Ask when you book and we will include it in the proposal.

Berber guide leading three travellers on camels across the dunes

Time on the road

Marrakech to Merzouga is about 560 kilometres across the High Atlas: with stops, 10 to 12 hours on the road.

Errachidia to Merzouga is about two hours by road.

It is a private tour: we stop for photos, meals or a stretch whenever you like, and you set the pace of each day.

Make it yours

As the tour is private, the itinerary can change: start on another day, add or drop a night, or finish in a different city. These are the most requested options:

How to book

Message us on WhatsApp or by email with your dates, how many you are and where you are starting from. We reply with a proposal, a fixed price and what it includes, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions

Is the tour private?

Yes. The vehicle and driver are for your group only, with no other travellers, so stops and timings adapt to you.

Do I have to ride a camel?

No. The camel ride is optional: if you prefer, the transfer to the camp is done by 4x4.

Where do we sleep?

There are 2 nights: the first at the desert camp and the second in the Dades Valley. The proposal tells you the exact accommodation for each night.

Which meals are included?

Breakfasts and dinner at the desert camp. Lunches are not, as we stop wherever you like along the way. Other dinners are on request: if you’d like them, tell us when you book and we’ll include them in the proposal.

What language does the driver speak?

Our drivers speak several languages, including English. If you need Italian, just ask when booking.

How much does the tour cost?

It depends on how many of you are travelling, the dates and the type of accommodation. The vehicle and driver are a fixed cost, so the more of you there are, the less it costs per person. Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll send you the price and availability the same day.

When is the best time to go?

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant; summer is very hot in the middle of the day, and winter nights in the desert are cold.

More tours from Errachidia

Tassili Luxury Desert Camp at dusk, with the tents lit up
The tents of Tassili Luxury Desert Camp among the dunes

Where to sleep in the desert

A night in a private tent

If you want to stay longer in the desert, Tassili Luxury Desert Camp has ten tents with private bathrooms in Erg Znaigui, away from the main camp area.

  • Ten private tents
  • A private bathroom in every tent
  • In Erg Znaigui, away from the main camp area
See the tents
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