Overview of This 4 Day Desert Tour from Marrakech
Our 4-day Sahara desert tour goes from Marrakech to Merzouga through the Dades Valley and Todra Gorge, spends a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and returns by the Draa Valley and Ait Ben Haddou, with no day over 7 hours of driving.
Four days is the length we recommend for a desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga. The 3-day version works, but its last day is 9 hours in the car. Here the return is split with a night at Ait Ben Haddou, which you see at sunset after the day visitors have left, and the last morning takes the old caravan road past the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet.
- The Dades Valley and a walk in Todra Gorge
- Camel ride and a night at camp in Erg Chebbi
- N’Kob and the Draa Valley on the way back
- Ait Ben Haddou at sunset
- The Ounila Valley and the Telouet kasbah
Your 4-Day Desert Tour, Day by Day
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Day 1: Marrakech over the Atlas to the Dades Valley
About 6 h 30 min driving · 320 kmYour driver collects you in Marrakech in the morning. The first stop is a Berber village in the Atlas foothills, then the Tizi n’Tichka pass. You pass Ouarzazate, the film-studio town, and follow the Skoura palm grove east. The evening is in the Dades Valley, among red rock folds and fig trees.
- Stops
- Tizi n’Tichka, Ouarzazate, Skoura, Kelaat M’Gouna
- Overnight
- Kasbah-style hotel in the Dades Valley
- Meals
- Dinner
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Day 2: Todra Gorge to Merzouga
About 5 h driving · 290 kmIn the morning, walk the narrow part of Todra Gorge, where the cliffs close in to a few meters apart. The road east crosses the hamada, the stony desert, to Erfoud and Merzouga. At the foot of Erg Chebbi you swap the car for a camel and ride into the dunes for sunset and dinner at camp.
- Stops
- Todra Gorge, Tinghir, Erfoud
- Overnight
- Desert camp in Erg Chebbi
- Meals
- Breakfast · Dinner
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Day 3: Merzouga to the Draa Valley and Ait Ben Haddou
About 7 h driving · 400 kmAfter sunrise and breakfast, the return takes the southern road: the fossil workshops of Alnif, the kasbah village of N’Kob below the Jbel Saghro, and the palms of the Draa Valley at Agdz. You arrive at Ait Ben Haddou in the late afternoon and walk up through the ksar at sunset.
- Stops
- Rissani, Alnif, N’Kob, Agdz
- Overnight
- Kasbah-style hotel at Ait Ben Haddou
- Meals
- Breakfast · Dinner
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Day 4: Ounila Valley, Telouet and Marrakech
About 4 h 30 min driving · 200 kmInstead of the main road, we follow the Ounila Valley, the old caravan route, through terraced villages to Telouet, where the Glaoui family’s kasbah still has its painted ceilings. You rejoin the Tichka road for the last pass and reach Marrakech in the afternoon.
- Stops
- Ounila Valley, Telouet kasbah, Tizi n’Tichka
- Overnight
- Arrival in Marrakech
- Meals
- Breakfast
Route Map: 4 Days from Marrakech to Merzouga
About 1,200 km as a loop from Marrakech, out through the Dades Valley and back through the Draa Valley.
What’s Included in This 4 Day Desert Tour
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for 4 days
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- 3 nights: kasbah hotels and desert camp
- Daily breakfast and dinner
- Camel trek in Erg Chebbi
- Pickup and drop-off at your Marrakech riad or hotel
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches and drinks
- Monument entrance fees
- Tips for driver and guides
- Travel insurance
Where You’ll Stay
- Dades Valley · 1 night Kasbah-style hotel Options sent with your quote
- Merzouga · 1 night Desert camp Options sent with your quote
- Ait Ben Haddou · 1 night Kasbah-style hotel Options sent with your quote
4 Day Desert Tour Prices
Every private tour is priced for your group, so we quote it rather than list one fixed price. Three things set it:
- Group sizeThe vehicle and driver cost the same whatever the size of your party, so the more of you travel, the less each person pays.
- Hotel levelComfortable riads and hotels, or a step up to superior riads and a luxury desert camp.
- SeasonSpring and fall are the busiest months for riads and desert camps.
Customize This Tour
Add a second night in the dunes, end in Fes instead of Marrakech, or upgrade to a luxury camp.
Customize This 4-Day Tour
Your driver/guide
One professional, English-speaking driver/guide for all four days, in an air-conditioned 4×4 or minivan depending on your group size. Other languages are available on request.
Meet our drivers and guides4-Day Desert Tour FAQ
Is a 4 days desert tour from Marrakech better than 3 days?
For most people, yes. It visits the same dunes but no day has more than about 7 hours of driving, and you see Ait Ben Haddou at sunset and the Telouet kasbah on the way back.
Do we drive back the same way?
No. You go out through the Dades Valley and Todra Gorge and come back through N’Kob, the Draa Valley and the Ounila Valley.
Can the 4 day tour from Marrakech to Merzouga end in Fes?
Yes. Days 3 and 4 then become Merzouga to Fes via the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas, with time in Fes on the last day.
What is the best month for a 4 day Sahara tour?
March to May and September to November. December to February is fine with warm layers for the night in the dunes.
