Kasbahs, Gorges, Merzouga Tour from Ouarzazate – 3 days

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3-day Ouarzazate to Erg Chebbi desert trip – overview:

Explore the Moroccan Sahara on a 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga. Ideal for those eager to discover the hidden treasures of southern Morocco. The trip offers a deep insight into the life of the nomads and Berber people in the magnificent Sahara Desert.

This incredible adventure includes a drive through the stunning Atlas Mountains, visits to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou & Telouet, the lush Dra’a valley with thousands of palm trees, the massive Toudgha Gorges, and the peaceful Merzouga Desert. You’ll ride camels to a luxurious nomad camp for an unforgettable overnight stay at the foot of the imposing dunes.

A desert experience to cherish in your memories for a lifetime!


Ouarzazate to Erg Chebbi desert tour 3 days – highlights:

  • Tour the beautifully repaired Kasbah Amredhil in Skoura Oasis and discover the Valley of the Roses
  • Explore the Dades Valley, hike the Toudgha Gorges, and uncover the fascinating “Khettara” water channel
  • Stay in a luxury rural guest house and savour some of Moroccan cuisine’s best dishes
  • Enjoy a camel ride at sunset, try sandboarding, take memorable photos & dance to Berber music
  • Dine under a star full of stars and sleep in your private tent in a luxury camp among the big dunes
  • Discover Dra’a Valley’s unlimited palm trees with its kasbahs and cross the Anti-Atlas Mountains

What is included desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga – 3 days:

  • Transportation in a private air-conditioned vehicle, 4×4 Toyota Prado TX or deluxe van
  • Experienced English, French, Spanish, Italian-speaking Berber/Nomad driver-guide
  • Pick-up from and drop-off at your hotel in Ouarzazate
  • Accommodation in air-conditioned rooms/suites with private bathrooms
  • Overnight in a luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi dunes: private tent with bathroom & shower, king-sized beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets, lamps & traditional furniture
  • All meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
  • Bottled water, tea, and coffee in the desert camp
  • Sunset camel ride with guide plus free sandboarding if desired
  • Possibility to go for short hikes in the midst of beautiful scenery
  • Free time to explore sites of interest, for walks, photos and tea/ coffee breaks
  • Entrance fees and local guides
  • Luggage service to the desert camp and all accommodation
  • Personalised service throughout the trip

What is not included:

  • Drinks
  • Tips
  • Extras

Good to know about this 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga:

  • It is possible to customise this tour to accommodate your areas of interest, preferred budget, and timetable
  • For an authentic desert-themed experience, we suggest our 3-day desert tour to Erg Chegaga from Ouarzazate
  • There is a 25% reduction for children under 12 years old & we do not charge children under 5
  • We ask for a 30% deposit to confirm your booking. The balance can be paid to the driver or at our Ouarzazate office.
  • We accept payment through PayPal, credit card, bank transfer, or cash(USD, Euro, GBP or MAD)
  • These prices can be subject to an increase over the high season, Christmas and New Year’s Eve period

Price details

Number of persons2 Persons3 Persons4 Persons5 Persons6 Persons
Price per person395 €375 €355 €335 €335 €
Total price790 €1125 €1420 €1675 €2010 €

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3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Erg Chebbi dunes – itinerary:

1st day: Ouarzazate – Dades Gorges

After breakfast, you set out our your 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga as your driver picks you up at 08:30 from your riad. You follow the route of a thousand Kasbahs to Skoura Oasis. Here, you will stop to visit Kasbah Amridhil, which used to be featured in the old 50 dirham banknote. The kasbah has been beautifully restored and is well worth visiting; constructed entirely of adobe, an excellent building material that keeps room temperature cool in the summer and warm in the winter due to the thickness of the walls.

After lunch, you travel through the beautiful Valley of the Roses as far as Kel’aa M’gouna, where over 4000 tons of roses are harvested every spring from this desert oasis! Here, you can visit a local cooperative producing cosmetic articles from the valley’s abundant roses. These organic products are highly valued.

Having arrived in the Dades Valley, you will have time to walk in the valley, stroll by the fields and gardens and explore life in the oases. You will spend the night with dinner and breakfast in a beautiful guest house overlooking the valley.

2nd day: Dades Gorges – Merzouga

After breakfast, you continue your adventure southeast. In Toudgha Gorges, there are plenty of opportunities to walk alongside the river through the gardens or up the road on the other side of the gorges.

Next, you continue your desert trip alongside the Ziz Valley, which is very remarkable for its huge groves and fortified kasbahs standing tall among the palm trees. Between Tinjdad and Erfoud, you can stop to go down into “Khettara,” a fascinating underground water channel system deep below the earth, always cool and preventing the evaporation of water.

In Erfoud itself, you can stop at a local workshop to see the workings of thousands of fossils made into all sorts of artefacts. From here, we continue driving east as far as Merzouga, where sand dunes indicate the start of the mighty Sahara Desert.

At the campsite, you check into your tent and enjoy a relaxing glass of tea and Moroccan biscuits. Then, you take a camel ride up to the summit of the Erg Chebbi dunes (250 m). You will enjoy the sunset from the top of the dunes!

Back at the camp, dinner is served, followed by an evening of nomad music and drumming around a campfire. You spend the night in your tent, equipped with a private toilet & shower, king-sized beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets & carpets, lamps and beautiful Moroccan furnishings, all tastefully arranged to enhance your stay.

3rd day: Merzouga – Ouarzazate

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an incredible sight. You will also have some time to wander the dunes and experience the tranquillity of this magical setting.

After breakfast, the drive back east to Ouarzazate takes us along the length of the Saghro Mountains via the villages of Rissani, Alnif, Tazarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’), and then N’Qob just in time for lunch.

After a visit to Kasbah Tamnougalte, you travel north via the Dra’a Valley’s unlimited palm trees and green oases along the ancient Caravans road. We rejoin the paved road in Agdez and reach Ouarzazate, crossing the Anti-Atlas Mountains and the pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifite (1660m). You arrive back in Ouarzazate by the end of the afternoon.

Your driver will transfer you to your hotel bringing your 3-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga to an end.


Map of 3-day Ouarzazate to Merzouga desert tour


Read Our Customers Reviews on TripAdvisor:

Anita K
Anita K
27/07/2024
Verified
Bahia Palace, Medrassa Ben Youssef and Souk We visited Bahia Palace, Medrassa Ben Youssef , Medina &Souk of Marrakech with travel guide Brahim ! Great experience! The most beautiful palaces in the city. Brahim was so politely, well informed, with charisma and sense of humour.we appreciated so much that he never forced to go and buy anything in the souk ! We strongly recommend this beautiful activity ! Thank you so much
Wendy B
Wendy B
22/07/2024
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Beautiful Medina tour We had Yassine as a guide and he did an excellent job! He showed us the beautiful Medina, the palace and Madrassa Ben Youssef. It was a very nice experience for us because it is a bit quieter in the morning so you can observe everything clearly! Recommended!
zhlf233
zhlf233
08/07/2024
Verified
Tour We had a wonderful tour with our guide, Yassine. He was informative, answered all of our questions and gave us time to explore independently. Would definitely recommend.
Ashley K
Ashley K
04/07/2024
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Great intro to Marrakech with our guide, Yassine We loved our guide, Yassine! He did a great job going at a pace that was suitable for our two young boys (ages 7 & 4) and kept them engaged as my husband and I shopped for rugs. He brought us to very high quality vendors as well but we never felt pushed to purchase.
Steve B
Steve B
03/07/2024
Verified
Outstanding The tour was amazing! The guide, Brahim was an awesome. Great experience for the price. The walking part of the tour took us through multiple areas of the Souk and was very fulfilling culturally.
Aleksandra M
Aleksandra M
15/06/2024
Verified
Great city tour - strongly recommended Me and my friend came to Marrakesh for 1 day and a city tour was what we needed. Our guide, namesd Said, comes from a Berber tribe and speaks good english. Very friendly and chatty guy who has a lot of information about the monuments and history. We took a walk through Medina (old city) passing by multiple shops and food stols. Onlybthat itself was an experience. Combination of colors, smells, proportions, design, esthetics of the architecture was overwhelming. Absolutely senses stimulating. Use reccommendations for the tour - comfy shoes, water and a sunscreen are a must. The tour took us nearly 4h, we walked over 8km. If you need a toilet there are free ones in the Bahia Palace ( go to the one AFTER small riad). Make sure to have cash on you because very often ATMs are not working, currency exchange points, restaurants and local shops don't accept cards. We also visited a para pharmacy to learn about argan oil, spices, herbs and teas. We got a cup of fantastic local tea and tested a lot of products - we could pay by card there. However, it wasn't the cheapest place, so if you have time, have a strall in the market to compare the prices. Tips for the guid are more then welcome. Read how to tip in Morocco because it's usually higher in european countries. Strongly recommended. Thank you Said!
Katarzyna Z
Katarzyna Z
15/06/2024
Verified
Great day in Marrakech Said was great guide and made our day showing us the best gems of the city. Highly recommend for all who want to experience not a regular sight seeing ✨????
Antoine T
Antoine T
15/06/2024
Verified
A memorable trip with a dedicated team!! Hamza and his team are very, very professional! We loved our trip, especially thanks to Aziz who was an exceptional guide in every way. Traveling with 3 young children is never easy, especially when you cover a lot of kilometers but it was really great. We recommend without reservation
Erica Gall
Erica Gall
24/05/2024
Verified
Very knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommend! Brahim was very knowledgeable and led us through the medina. He even took me to a very reputable rug shop and waited for me after. We chatted a lot about the craftsmanship and architecture on our walk and I could tell he sincerely loves Morocco. He was patient while everyone took photos as we waded through the crowds
Nicole A
Nicole A
16/05/2024
Verified
A successful and unforgettable stay We spent 3 unforgettable days. Magnificent landscapes and sites, superb walks and especially in the company of Abdel. In a very relaxed atmosphere and with measured discretion, he guided us to the right places and made great discoveries. We learned a lot alongside him. It was a real success. Nicole and Co.

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