2-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga – overview:
Venture deep into the Moroccan Sahara with this 2-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga, a perfect option for those wishing to explore the hidden treasures of the south of Morocco and seize the opportunity to get introduced to the nomadic life in the immense Sahara Desert.
It is an incredible experience that covers a drive over spectacular Toudgha Gorges, visits to the Kasbah Amredhil & Tamnougalt, the verdant Dra’a Valley with its thousands of palm trees, and the massive Dades Gorges. To top off, you will arrive in the tranquil Merzouga Desert, where you will enjoy a camel trek adventure and a celestial overnight in a private tent in a luxury desert camp under the gleaming stars-filled sky.
An unforgettable desert adventure to cherish for a long time to come!
Ouarzazate to Merzouga desert tour 2 days – highlights:
- Visit the beautiful Kasbah Amredhil in Skoura & stop at the cosmetic co-operatives in Kel’aa M’gouna
- Explore Dades Valley, hike Toudgha Gorges, and uncover the fascinating “Khettara” water channel
- Experience a sunset camel ride, sandboarding, capture unique photos & dance to Berber music
- Dine under a sky full of stars and stay in your private tent in a luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi
- Discover the Dra’a Valley’s palm groves with its fortified kasbahs, and life in the Berber villages
- Stop by Agdz, a oasis Berber village famous for its palm dates and cross the Anti-Atlas Mountains
What is included in this Erg Chebbi desert tour from Ouarzazate:
- 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
- One night in a luxury desert camp in the 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 hiking in the midst of beautiful scenery
- Free time to explore sites of interest, for walks, photos and tea/ coffee breaks
- Luggage service to the desert camp
- Entrance fees and local guides
What is not included:
- Drinks
- Tips
- Extras
Good to know about the 2-day Merzouga desert tour from Ouarzazate:
- It is possible to customise this tour to accommodate your areas of interest, preferred budget & timetable
- For an authentic desert-themed experience, we recommend our 2-day tour to Erg Chegaga from Ouarzazate
- Want to visit the desert & ride camels – with lunch in nomad tents over a day trip? Consider our Tinfou Dunes day trip
- There is a 25% reduction for children under 12 years old & we do not charge for children under 5 years old
- 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 persons | 2 Persons | 3 Persons | 4 Persons | 5 Persons | 6 Persons |
| Price per person | 295 € | 265 € | 245 € | 245 € | 225 € |
| Total price | 590 € | 795 € | 980 € | 1125 € | 1395 € |
Ouarzazate to Merzouga desert tour 2 days – itinerary:
1st day: Ouarzazate – Merzouga:
After breakfast, you set out our your 2-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 depicted 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.
From here, you travel through the beautiful Valley of the Roses as far as Kel’aa M’gouna. Here, you can visit a local cooperative producing cosmetic articles from the valley’s abundant roses. These organic products are highly valued. There is no obligation to buy or stop here!
Having arrived in the Dades Valley, you have lunch in one of the nearby restaurants. In the afternoon, 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. 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.
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. 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.
2nd 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 Marrakech 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 2-day desert tour from Ouarzazate to Merzouga to an end.
