Travellers riding camels along a track through the palm groves of Zagora

Private tour · 4 days

4-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga

A private 4-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga, round trip from Ouarzazate. Along the way: the Dades Valley, the Todra Gorge, the Erg Chebbi dunes and the Draa Valley, and a night in the desert. These days give you time for the road and for the desert.

Tour highlights

  • The Skoura palm grove and the Valley of Roses
  • The Todra Gorge and sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes
  • The Saghro massif on the way to Zagora
  • The green pottery and library of Tamegroute

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. Day 1 · Ouarzazate · Skoura · Valley of Roses · Dades Gorges

    The road of a thousand kasbahs. We walk through the Skoura palm grove, home to the Amridil kasbah, and continue along the Valley of Roses: Kelaat M’Gouna distils the rose water sold all over Morocco, and celebrates it with a festival in May. In the afternoon we head into the Dades Gorges, with the rock formations known as the monkey fingers and the hairpin bends of Tissadrine.

    Night: Dades Valley

  2. Day 2 · Todra Gorge · Tinghir · Erfoud · Merzouga

    In the morning, the Todra Gorge: a narrow canyon with walls of around 300 metres, explored on foot beside the river. We pass the Tinghir palm grove and Erfoud, the town of fossils, on the way to Merzouga. At the end of the afternoon the Erg Chebbi dunes appear: you ride up on a camel for the sunset or, if you prefer, go by 4x4 to the camp. Night in the desert.

    Night: Desert camp

  3. Day 3 · Merzouga · Alnif · Saghro massif · Zagora

    From Erg Chebbi to the Draa Valley on one of the loneliest roads in the south. We pass Alnif and the volcanic landscapes of the Saghro to Tazzarine and Zagora, home of the famous «Timbuktu, 52 days» sign.

    Night: Zagora

  4. Day 4 · Zagora · Tamegroute · Draa Valley · Ouarzazate

    In Tamegroute we visit the workshops of its green pottery and the old Koranic library. Then we follow the Draa Valley north, between palm groves and kasbahs, via Agdz to Ouarzazate.

The hairpin road winding down through the Dades Gorges
Towering rock walls on both sides of the path through the Todra Gorge
Crest of an Erg Chebbi dune lit by the orange evening light
Mud-brick houses in front of the Draa Valley palm grove, with mountains behind

What’s included

Included

  • Pick-up from your accommodation in Ouarzazate and return
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle
  • Multilingual driver for the whole trip
  • Accommodation: 3 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

Skoura Palm Grove

Skoura is a sprawling palm grove near Ouarzazate, scattered with earthen kasbahs among olive trees, date palms and irrigation channels. The best known is the Amridil kasbah, which you can visit to see how a large fortified family home was organised. It makes a peaceful, green stop on the Road of the Kasbahs.

Valley of Roses

Around Kelaat M’Gouna, the fields of the valley are edged with hedges of Damask roses that bloom in spring. Their petals are distilled into rose water, oils and cosmetics, which you will find in the local cooperatives. Beyond the scent, the valley offers gentle walks between gardens, kasbahs and Berber 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.

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.

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.

Draa Valley

The Draa is Morocco’s longest river, and its valley forms a long ribbon of date palms between Agdz and Zagora. Along the road you pass mud-brick ksour and kasbahs, gardens watered by irrigation channels and bare mountains behind, a contrast that sums up life in the south better than almost anywhere.

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.

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 a caravan of saddled camels, with the dunes in the background

Time on the 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 3 nights: the first in the Dades Valley, the second at the desert camp and the third in Zagora. 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.

Can it be done in 3 days?

Yes: we have the 3 days from Ouarzazate to Merzouga tour. With fewer days there are more hours of driving in a row, which is why this itinerary spreads the journey better.

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 Ouarzazate

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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