Two days is enough to reach the desert and back from Marrakech, taking in the High Atlas, a UNESCO kasbah, and the palm-lined Draa Valley on the way to Zagora.
You leave Marrakech and cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, then visit Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah before driving along the Draa Valley through Agdez to reach the Zagora desert. There you ride camels into the dunes and take in the sunset and sunrise over the Sahara, with a night in a desert camp and drum music around the fire under a starry sky. The return leg tracks back to Marrakech with stops along the way.
The tour starts early with a pick-up from your accommodation or the airport in Marrakech. You drive over the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres and through various Berber villages, with stops for the panoramas. You reach Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah for a short hike up the World Heritage site, which has served as a set for epics such as Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia, and for series including Game of Thrones.
Lunch is taken at Ait Ben Haddou or in Ouarzazate. You then drive through the Anti-Atlas Mountains and along the Draa Valley, the longest river in Morocco and the country’s largest palm plantation. You reach Zagora in the afternoon for a camel trek in the desert, watching the sunset before continuing to your Sahara camp, where a Moroccan dinner is served with drum entertainment under a sky of bright stars.
Approx. 6 hours driving · Overnight: Luxury desert camp, Zagora
An early wake-up brings a camel ride over the dunes for the sunrise, followed by a warm Moroccan breakfast. You then set off for Ouarzazate, the gate of the desert, where you visit the Taourirt Kasbah and the studios in which famous films were shot. From there you continue back to Marrakech across the Tizi n’Tichka pass and the High Atlas. The tour ends with a drop-off at your accommodation or the airport in Marrakech.
Approx. 5.5 hours driving
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It is a private experience: only the travellers who make the enquiry take part, with no one else joining. Our focus is on high-quality, personalised trips, which is why we mainly run private tours.
The tent at the luxury camp is private and has a private bathroom with hot running water.
The camel ride runs from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on which camp you stay in. If you’d rather not ride, the camp has a 4×4 that carries people and luggage in and out. ATVs can also be arranged at extra cost.
Either an SUV (4×4) or a minivan, both air-conditioned. The 4×4 is a Land Cruiser Prado (up to 4 passengers); minivans are a Mercedes Vito Tourer or Ford Custom Van (up to 8 passengers). For groups larger than 8, a minibus for up to 18 can be provided.
Yes, though it involves roughly 6 hours of driving a day. The vehicles are new and comfortable and we make regular stops, but if you aren’t used to this amount of travel you may prefer a longer tour, such as our 5-day Marrakech to Merzouga.