Our top pick22,054 reviews
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga and Sahara Desert Tour
★ 4.9 · 22,054 reviews
- 3d, The most booked desert run
- Departs from Marrakech
- Most booked
- Free cancellation
$137$1.90 / hour
Check availability→ Three days, day by day
3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga: what happens on each day, and what separates 17 listings
A 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga is the standard shape of this trip: 17 of the 20 listings gathered on this site run exactly that long, they carry 51,166 of the 51,486 reviews here, and they cost between $63 and $188. Three days means two nights away and one of them in a camp among the dunes of Erg Chebbi. It also means two substantial driving days, because Merzouga is about 560 km from Marrakech and the road crosses the High Atlas at the Tizi n’Tichka pass, 2,260 m up. This page walks the three days in order and then shows what actually differs between listings that look identical in a search result.
The three-day shape in numbers
- Listings that run three days
- 17 of 20the other three run four days; nothing here runs fewer than three
- Reviews behind them
- 51,166out of 51,486 across the whole site — the three-day shape is where the evidence is
- Nights away
- 2one on the road in the Dades area, one in a camp behind the first ridge at Erg Chebbi
- Fares run from
- $63 to $188seventeen listings inside that range, with most of them between $90 and $140
- Our top pick
- $1374.9 from 22,054 reviews, meals and the camp night named in the listing
- Our fare from
- $63the lowest fare of the twenty, a round trip at 4.9 from 157 reviews
- Highest rating here
- 5.0$90 holds it, on a record of 85 reviews
- Listings ending in Fes
- 3$100, $102 and $145 finish there instead of returning
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationshown on the listings gathered here — read the window before you pay
Quick answer
The short answer. The most booked 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga is $137 at 4.9 from 22,054 reviews, and it is our top pick for a first trip: the camel ride at sunset and sunrise, the camp night and Ait Ben Haddou are all named in the listing itself. If food in the fare matters, $120 at 4.7 from 14,306 reviews includes it. If you want your own tent, $80 and $94 both name a private one. If the fare is the deciding factor, $63 is the lowest here and still rated 4.9.
Day one
Marrakech to the gorges: the mountains, the kasbah and the studios
A 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga starts early, because the first day has to reach the far side of the High Atlas. The climb to the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 m is the first hour and a half of scenery: switchbacks, Berber villages on the slopes, and snow on the summits in winter. Several listings describe this as the highest road in North Africa.
Ait Ben Haddou. On the southern side the road drops to the Ounila river and the earthen kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed cluster of clay towers on a hill. Listings mention that it has stood in for other places in well-known films. It is the main stop of the first day and the photograph most people come home with.
Ouarzazate. Then the gate of the desert, a town with film studios and the Kasbah Taourirt, which $80 names specifically. From here the landscape stops being mountainous and starts being pre-desert: flat, stony, wide.
Where day one ends. Most listings stop for the night in the Dades area, between the valley and the gorges. That is the practical halfway point of the road, and it is why a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga can reach the dunes in the afternoon of day two rather than the evening. The overnight accommodation belongs to the operator and is named on the listing page.
Every trip, current fare
All twenty listings, grouped by what is included
Not sorted by fare. The round trips with meals come first, then the private tents and private vehicles, then the listings that finish in Fes, with the three four-day trips last. Read the included column against the fare: two listings twenty dollars apart can differ by a tent and two meals.
| Tour | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga and Sahara Desert TourThe most booked desert run | 72 h | $137 | The most booked desert run | $1.90 | 4.9 · 22,054 |
| From Marrakech: Merzouga 3-Day Desert Safari with FoodThree days with meals included | 72 h | $120 | Three days with meals included | $1.67 | 4.7 · 14,306 |
| Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Experience Camel & MealsCamel ride and dinner in camp | 72 h | $99 | Camel ride and dinner in camp | $1.38 | 4.6 · 6,429 |
| 3-Day Merzouga Desert Safari from Marrakech with FoodThree days, food on the road | 72 h | $123 | Three days, food on the road | $1.71 | 4.4 · 134 |
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Safari & Berber foodBerber cooking along the way | 72 h | $74 | Berber cooking along the way | $1.03 | 4.8 · 167 |
| Marrakech: 3-Days Morocco Sahara Desert Tour Via MerzougaThrough the gorges to the dunes | 72 h | $126 | Through the gorges to the dunes | $1.75 | 4.9 · 2,203 |
| From Marrakech: 3 Day Round Trip To Merzouga Desert & CamelBack to Marrakech at the end | 72 h | $123 | Back to Marrakech at the end | $1.71 | 4.9 · 945 |
| From Marrakech: 3 Day Round Trip to Merzouga DesertThe cheapest round trip here | 72 h | $63 | The cheapest round trip here | $0.88 | 4.9 · 157 |
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Ultimate Merzouga Desert LoopThe full loop back to Marrakech | 72 h | $90 | The full loop back to Marrakech | $1.25 | 5.0 · 85 |
| Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga and Sahara Desert TourThe plain three-day Sahara run | 72 h | $113 | The plain three-day Sahara run | $1.57 | 4.0 · 194 |
| Marrakech: 3 Day Luxury Merzouga Tour With Private tent IncA private tent in the camp | 72 h | $80 | A private tent in the camp | $1.11 | 4.7 · 2,411 |
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour with Private TentPrivate vehicle, same route | 72 h | $94 | Private vehicle, same route | $1.31 | 4.6 · 1,111 |
| From Marrakech 3 Days Desert Merzouga with Camel & Quad bikeCamel and a quad on the dunes | 72 h | $139 | Camel and a quad on the dunes | $1.93 | 4.9 · 217 |
| Marrakech → Fes : 3-Day Merzouga Sahara Desert TourEnds in Fes, not Marrakech | 72 h | $145 | Ends in Fes, not Marrakech | $2.01 | 4.8 · 228 |
| Marrakech to Fes: 3-Day Premium Desert Journey via MerzougaPremium rooms on the way to Fes | 72 h | $102 | Premium rooms on the way to Fes | $1.42 | 4.9 · 221 |
| From Marrakech: 3 Day tour to Fes via Merzouga DesertOne way across to Fes | 72 h | $100 | One way across to Fes | $1.39 | 4.9 · 164 |
| From Fes: 3-Day Luxury Desert Tour to Marrakech via MerzougaLuxury camp, ends in Marrakech | 72 h | $188 | Luxury camp, ends in Marrakech | $2.61 | 4.7 · 140 |
| From Marrakech to Merzouga Erg Chebbi: 4-Day Desert TourFour days, two nights in the sand | 96 h | $190 | Four days, two nights in the sand | $1.98 | 4.8 · 139 |
| 4-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Sahara Adventure & Camel TrekFour days with the long camel trek | 96 h | $201 | Four days with the long camel trek | $2.09 | 4.8 · 102 |
| 4 days Sahara Desert Tour From Marrakech To Merzouga dunesFour days out to the high dunes | 96 h | $256 | Four days out to the high dunes | $2.67 | 4.8 · 79 |
Day two
The gorges, the long run east, and the camel ride at the end of it
Day two of a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga is the one that earns the trip. It opens in the Dades Valley, works through Todra Gorge where red walls rise up to 300 m with a river running along the floor, and passes the Tinghir oasis, a green strip of palms between bare rock. $99 and $63 both name a guided walk here.
The long stretch to Merzouga. After the gorges the road turns east and flattens out, and this is the least eventful part of the whole trip: a few hours of desert road through Erfoud and Rissani country. It is also the reason a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga has to leave the gorges by the middle of the day.
Arriving at the dunes. Erg Chebbi appears as a wall rather than a slope — sand standing up to 150 m above the flat ground around it. Vehicles stop at the edge, and the last stretch to the camps behind the first ridge is covered on a camel or in the operator’s four-wheel-drive vehicle.
The camel trek and the camp. Almost every listing on this page describes a camel ride in the late afternoon and a second one the next morning. The camps themselves differ: $120 names dinner and music in the camp, $74 names Berber cooking and a nomad breakfast, and $80 names a private tent. What no listing settles is the sky, and this page will not either — winter nights in the desert can bring cloud and sand in the air.
Day three
Sunrise, and the drive that closes the loop — or does not
The third day of a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga begins in the dunes and ends in a city. Listings describe the morning camel ride out of the camp at first light, and then the road.
If your listing is a loop. You retrace the road west and reach Marrakech in the evening. It is a long day in a seat, and the listings do not pretend otherwise. Eleven of the seventeen three-day listings work this way, including $137, $123 and $90, which holds the highest rating on the site at 5.0 from 85 reviews.
If your listing ends in Fes. Three of them do: $100 at 4.9 from 164 reviews, $102 at 4.9 from 221, and $145 at 4.8 from 228. Instead of driving back you head north through the Ziz valley, Ifrane and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas. If your route continues that way, this version of a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga hands you a whole travel day. One listing, $188, runs the same road in reverse from Fes.
How long the last day really is. On a loop, day three is the same road you drove on day one, in reverse, and it fills the daylight. That is the part of a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga that photographs never show, and it is worth planning around: an evening arrival in Marrakech is not an evening for anything else. If your listing ends in Fes the day is just as long, but it is spent on new ground, which many people find easier to sit through.
What separates listings that look the same. Four things, and they are all on the listing page: whether dinner and breakfast at the camp are in the fare, whether the tent is shared or private, whether the vehicle is shared or yours, and where the trip ends. $139 adds a fifth by putting quad bikes on the dunes at Merzouga alongside the camel trek.
Nearby searches
If you actually wanted a single day in the mountains
These phrases bring people to this page, and they are not the same product. Nothing here runs to Merzouga and back inside a day, so it is worth being plain about what each one means.
| What people search | What it actually means | How it relates to this page |
|---|---|---|
| “Atlas Mountains day trip”also “day trip to Atlas Mountains” | A single day in the High Atlas from Marrakech, back the same evening | The three-day trips here cross the same range on day one and keep going another 400 km |
| “Atlas Mountains Morocco day trip”also “Atlas Mountains day tour” | The same single day, phrased for people searching the country rather than the city | Merzouga is not reachable and back in a day; the pass is |
| “Atlas Mountains day trip from Marrakesh”the alternative spelling of the city | Departures from Marrakech, spelled the other way | Every listing on this site leaves from the same city, however it is spelled |
| “Atlas Mountains private day trip”one vehicle, one party | A private car for a single mountain day | Two listings here sell a private vehicle for the full three days instead |
| “Atlas Mountains day trip winter”also “Atlas Mountains day trip spring” | Seasonal versions of the same day — snow on the summits, or green slopes | The pass carries snow in winter on the way to the dunes as well |
| “Atlas Mountains day trip autumn”also “Atlas Mountains day trip view” | Autumn light and viewpoints on the mountain road | The same viewpoints sit on day one of the trips listed above |
| “Agadir to Atlas Mountains day trip”a different departure city altogether | A mountain day starting on the coast at Agadir | Nothing on this site departs from there; all twenty leave from Marrakech |
| “3 day Sahara tour from Marrakech”also “3 days tour Marrakech to Merzouga” | The trip this page is about, phrased shorter | Seventeen listings, from $63 upwards |
| “Marrakech Sahara tour 3 days”also “3 day Sahara tour” | The same seventeen listings, word order rearranged | Start with $137 — 4.9 from 22,054 reviews |
Before you book
Six lines to read on the listing page
A 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga is two long driving days around one desert night, and these six lines decide how that feels.
- The departure hour on day one
The first day has to clear the High Atlas and reach the Dades area, so these trips leave early. The pick-up point and time are on the listing, not in any comparison table.
- Whether the camp dinner and breakfast are included
$120, $99, $74 and $123 all name food in the listing. Others leave meals along the road to you.
- Shared tent or private tent
Two listings name a private tent with its own bathroom. The rest put you in the shared camp, which is what most reviews here describe.
- Shared minibus or private vehicle
$94 names a private vehicle and flexible pick-up in Marrakech, Ouarzazate or Fes. A shared vehicle keeps the fare down and fixes the stops.
- Where day three puts you down
Marrakech, or Fes. Three listings finish in Fes and one starts there. Check this against your onward booking before you pay.
- The cancellation terms as they stand today
Free cancellation is shown on the listings gathered here, and the window belongs to the operator. Read that line on the page you pay on.
Book direct
Every trip, grouped by what is included
Each 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga here is shown with its fare, rating and review count read off the live listing; the four-day trips sit at the end for comparison.
72 h14,306 reviews
72 hFrom Marrakech: Merzouga 3-Day Desert Safari with Food
★ 4.7 · 14,306 reviews
- 3d, Three days with meals included
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$120$1.67 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h6,429 reviews
72 hMarrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Experience Camel & Meals
★ 4.6 · 6,429 reviews
- 3d, Camel ride and dinner in camp
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$99$1.38 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h72 h
72 h3-Day Merzouga Desert Safari from Marrakech with Food
★ 4.4 · 134 reviews
- 3d, Three days, food on the road
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$123$1.71 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h72 h
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Safari & Berber food
★ 4.8 · 167 reviews
- 3d, Berber cooking along the way
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$74$1.03 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.92,203 reviews
72 hMarrakech: 3-Days Morocco Sahara Desert Tour Via Merzouga
★ 4.9 · 2,203 reviews
- 3d, Through the gorges to the dunes
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$126$1.75 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9945 reviews
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3 Day Round Trip To Merzouga Desert & Camel
★ 4.9 · 945 reviews
- 3d, Back to Marrakech at the end
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$123$1.71 / hour
Check availability→ 
Lowest price here72 h
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3 Day Round Trip to Merzouga Desert
★ 4.9 · 157 reviews
- 3d, The cheapest round trip here
- Departs from Marrakech
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$63$0.88 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 5.072 h
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3-Day Ultimate Merzouga Desert Loop
★ 5.0 · 85 reviews
- 3d, The full loop back to Marrakech
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$90$1.25 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h72 h
72 hMarrakech: 3-Day Merzouga and Sahara Desert Tour
★ 4.0 · 194 reviews
- 3d, The plain three-day Sahara run
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$113$1.57 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h2,411 reviews
72 hMarrakech: 3 Day Luxury Merzouga Tour With Private tent Inc
★ 4.7 · 2,411 reviews
- 3d, A private tent in the camp
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$80$1.11 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h1,111 reviews
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour with Private Tent
★ 4.6 · 1,111 reviews
- 3d, Private vehicle, same route
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$94$1.31 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9217 reviews
72 hFrom Marrakech 3 Days Desert Merzouga with Camel & Quad bike
★ 4.9 · 217 reviews
- 3d, Camel and a quad on the dunes
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$139$1.93 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h228 reviews
72 hMarrakech → Fes : 3-Day Merzouga Sahara Desert Tour
★ 4.8 · 228 reviews
- 3d, Ends in Fes, not Marrakech
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$145$2.01 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9221 reviews
72 hMarrakech to Fes: 3-Day Premium Desert Journey via Merzouga
★ 4.9 · 221 reviews
- 3d, Premium rooms on the way to Fes
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$102$1.42 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.972 h
72 hFrom Marrakech: 3 Day tour to Fes via Merzouga Desert
★ 4.9 · 164 reviews
- 3d, One way across to Fes
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$100$1.39 / hour
Check availability→ 
72 h72 h
72 hFrom Fes: 3-Day Luxury Desert Tour to Marrakech via Merzouga
★ 4.7 · 140 reviews
- 3d, Luxury camp, ends in Marrakech
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$188$2.61 / hour
Check availability→ 
96 h96 h
96 hFrom Marrakech to Merzouga Erg Chebbi: 4-Day Desert Tour
★ 4.8 · 139 reviews
- 4d, Four days, two nights in the sand
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$190$1.98 / hour
Check availability→ 
96 h96 h
96 h4-Day Marrakech to Merzouga Sahara Adventure & Camel Trek
★ 4.8 · 102 reviews
- 4d, Four days with the long camel trek
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$201$2.09 / hour
Check availability→ 
96 h96 h
96 h4 days Sahara Desert Tour From Marrakech To Merzouga dunes
★ 4.8 · 79 reviews
- 4d, Four days out to the high dunes
- Departs from Marrakech
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$256$2.67 / hour
Check availability→ Through the year
What each season does to the three-day version
The three days cover the same 560 km in every month. What changes is the snow on the pass, the heat in the dunes and how full the camps are.
Dec–Feb
Cold nights in the camp
Snow on the Tizi n’Tichka summits and cold after dark at Erg Chebbi. Quieter camps, and the shortest daylight for two long driving days.
Mar–May
The easiest three days
Warm afternoons in the south without the summer heat, and the Rose Valley in flower. The busiest season for these listings.
Jun–Aug
Hot in the sand
The dunes are hard work in the middle of the day. The mountain half of the drive stays comfortable, and camps are cooler after dark.
Sep–Nov
The second good window
Heat drops back and the camps fill again. By November the desert nights cool quickly and daylight shortens on day three.
If two long driving days around one night in the sand sounds tight, three listings spread the same road over four days and add a second night.
Compare the four-day trips→Common questions
Common questions about a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
How many nights is a three-day trip?
Two. One on the road in the Dades area at the end of day one, and one in a camp among the dunes at Erg Chebbi at the end of day two.
How much of it is driving?
A lot. Merzouga is about 560 km from Marrakech, so day one and day three are largely road, with the gorges and the dunes filling day two. That is the honest shape of a 3 days tour from Marrakech to Merzouga.
Which listing should I start with?
$137 — our top pick at 4.9 from 22,054 reviews, which is more than four in ten of all reviews behind this site.
What is the cheapest three-day option?
$63 at 4.9 from 157 reviews. It covers the same road, the same kasbah and the same camel ride in Erg Chebbi.
Do meals come with it?
On some listings. $120 names food, and so do $99, $74 and $123. Others do not mention meals at all.
Can I have my own tent?
Two listings name a private tent with its own bathroom: $80 and $94. Both also run the standard three-day route.
Is there a version that does not drive back?
Three of the seventeen finish in Fes: $100, $102 and $145. They swap the return leg for the Ziz valley and the Middle Atlas.
How cold does the camp get?
Desert nights drop sharply once the sun is down, most of all between December and February. None of the listings publishes temperatures, so pack layers rather than trusting a forecast.
Can I add anything on the dunes?
$139 names quad biking on the Merzouga dunes alongside the camel trek, at 4.9 from 217 reviews. $100 mentions an optional four-wheel-drive outing.
Go deeper
More on desert tours from Marrakech to the dunes at Merzouga
Desert tour
All twenty trips
560 km of road each way, two nights away and 20 listings from $63 to $256. What the product is and which fork decides your booking.
4 daysThe fourth day
Three listings add a day to the same road. What the extra day buys, and what it costs against the three-day price.
2 daysTwo days: the honest answer
No listing gathered here runs in two days, and the road explains why. What comes closest, and what you would give up.
Sahara toursThe Sahara part
Erg Chebbi, the camp behind the first ridge and the hours of sand that the whole drive is built around.
The routeThe route itself
Tizi n’Tichka, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Dades and Todra — the road every listing follows, in order.
At MerzougaAt Merzouga
The village, the dunes behind it, the camps and the hours between the camel ride and breakfast.
