4 Days
From Marrakech
4-Day Marrakech Desert Tour to Merzouga
More time in the dunes on the classic round trip from Marrakech.
from€349 /person
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Dunes, gorges and the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs from Errachidia.
Dunes, gorges and the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs from Errachidia. This 4-day private journey begins in Errachidia and is designed to give you the best of the route without the rush — with hand-picked accommodation, an English-speaking driver-guide and plenty of freedom to stop wherever catches your eye.
Highlights include erg chebbi camel trek, todra & dades gorges, kasbah road scenery. Like every Edita itinerary it is fully flexible: we can lengthen or shorten it, upgrade your riads and desert camp, or change the start and finish cities to fit your flights.
Keep exploring: Morocco Tours from Errachidia · all 39 Morocco tours · What to Pack for the Sahara Desert
You land at Errachidia, the small airport that sits closest of all to the great dunes, where your driver-guide is already waiting to whisk you toward the Sahara. This is the fastest way into the desert in the whole country: within a couple of scenic hours, following the palm-lined Ziz Valley south past Erfoud and Rissani, the flat hammada gives way to the towering orange ridges of Erg Chebbi. If your flight lands in good time we aim to have you on a camel at golden hour, swaying over the crest of the first dunes toward a Berber camp for the night. If you arrive later, we simply adjust and start fresh at first light. Either way, the desert is no longer a distant idea — it begins the moment you touch down.
A full, unhurried day in the heart of the Sahara at Erg Chebbi, Morocco's most spectacular sea of dunes, some rising 150 metres from the plain. You can begin by climbing a high ridge for sunrise, when the sand shifts through pink, gold and deep orange. Later we explore deeper by 4x4: a visit to the village of Khamlia to hear the hypnotic Gnawa music of its Saharan community, calls on nomad families who still live by their herds, stops at desert wells and fossil-strewn flats, and a look at the old routes once walked by camel caravans. There is time to rest in the shade, try sandboarding, or simply sit with the immense silence. As evening returns you ride out once more to camp for a second magical night under the stars.
Leaving the great dunes behind, we set off west along the fabled Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. First we pause in Rissani, the market town built on the ruins of Sijilmassa, once a wealthy caravan capital at the gateway to the Sahara, and pass through Erfoud, centre of the date and fossil trade. The route then climbs into the Atlas foothills to the magnificent Todra Gorge, where sheer rose-coloured limestone walls soar 300 metres and close to just a few metres apart above a clear river — we walk a stretch on foot, dwarfed by the cliffs. Continuing through Tinghir's palm oasis and a string of earthen ksour, we reach the Dades Valley in the late afternoon, checking in near the dramatic gorge with its famous switchback road for the night.
A gentler, more leisurely stage that lets us savour the highlights between the gorges and Marrakech rather than rushing past them. From the Dades Valley we drive back down through the Skoura oasis, stopping at the beautifully restored Kasbah Amerhidil, one of the largest earthen fortresses in Morocco and a wonderful place to understand how these mud-brick strongholds were built and lived in. We continue to Ouarzazate to visit the Taourirt Kasbah and, for film buffs, the famous Atlas Studios where much of Hollywood's desert cinema is made. The day ends at Ait Ben Haddou, the storied UNESCO ksar, where we stay nearby so you can wander its car-free lanes and climb to the hilltop granary at golden hour — enjoying this magical place in soft evening light, long after the day-trip crowds have gone.
“The best trip we have ever taken. Our guide felt like a friend by the end, the desert camp was magical and everything ran perfectly.”
“Impeccably organised and completely private. We changed the plan twice and Edita made it effortless. The Sahara sunrise was unforgettable.”
4 Days
More time in the dunes on the classic round trip from Marrakech.
4 Days
A circular route taking in both the Erg Chebbi and Draa Valley dunes.
4 Days
The most popular one-way desert route across Morocco.