4-Day Merzouga Desert Tour from Marrakech

Day 1: Marrakech, the Ounila Valley, Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate

Your driver meets you at your riad in Marrakech around 8 a.m. First, you climb the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 meters, with stops at viewpoints over Berber villages. Next, instead of the main road, you follow the quiet Ounila Valley past the Glaoui kasbah of Telouet, known for its carved ceilings, to the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, where you walk up to the old granary for the view. In the afternoon, you continue to Ouarzazate and can visit the Taourirt kasbah or a film studio before dinner at your hotel. About 4.5 hours of driving.

Day 2: The Draa Valley, Nkob, Rissani and the Merzouga Desert Camp

After breakfast, you cross the Tizi n’Tinifift pass into the Draa Valley, a long ribbon of palm groves and earthen villages around Agdz. Then, you drive east through Nkob, a village of many kasbahs, and the mining town of Alnif, in wide desert landscapes. In the late afternoon, you pass Rissani and reach the Erg Chebbi dunes. You leave your main luggage in the vehicle and ride a camel for about an hour to your camp for sunset. Dinner and Berber drums around the fire end the day, under a sky full of stars. About 6 hours of driving.

Day 3: Merzouga, Rissani, Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes, then return for breakfast. Next, you visit Rissani, an old caravan town whose souk is busiest on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with its mud-walled alleys and donkey parking. Then, you drive west through the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad to Tinghir and walk along the river in Todra Gorge, between limestone cliffs about 300 meters high. In the afternoon, you continue up the Dades Valley to see the rock formations known as the monkey fingers, and check in to your hotel for dinner. About 4.5 hours of driving.

Day 4: The Rose Valley, Skoura and Marrakech

After breakfast, you drive through Kalaat M’Gouna and the Rose Valley, where roses bloom in spring and cooperatives sell rose water, oils and creams all year. Next, you pass the Skoura palm grove, with its earthen kasbahs among the date palms, and the city of Ouarzazate. Then, you cross the High Atlas again by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with a last photo stop over the mountains and a short break in a village for mint tea. You reach your riad in Marrakech by early evening, completing your loop through the desert and the kasbah road. About 6.5 hours of driving.

Know Before You Go: 4-Day Merzouga Desert Tour from Marrakech

• Start and end: your riad or hotel in Marrakech.
• Meals: dinner and breakfast each night. Lunches are not included.
• What to bring: a small bag for the camp and a warm layer. See our desert packing list.
• Best season: spring and autumn. Read the best time to visit Morocco.