3-Day Morocco Tour from Marrakech: the Sahara & Ait Ben Haddou
Overview
A 3-day private tour of Morocco, beginning and ending in Marrakech. It runs south over the High Atlas to the edge of the Sahara and back by a different road, so no stretch is driven twice.
Highlights
- The Marrakech souks, and Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls open at dusk
- The UNESCO-listed ksar at Ait Ben Haddou, and the climb through its kasbahs to the granary at the summit
- The Dades gorge and its switchback road
- The Todgha Gorges, where the cliffs close to a few hundred metres apart
- A camel trek into Erg Chebbi and a night at a desert camp beneath the dunes
The route
Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley – Todgha Gorges – Merzouga – Ouarzazate – Marrakech
3 days, 2 nights. The day-by-day itinerary is below.
Good to know
- One night is spent at a desert camp, reached by camel in the late afternoon.
- Some days involve long stretches of driving. Where that is the case it is stated plainly in the day it applies to, rather than buried in the small print.
- The tour runs as a round trip, starting and finishing in Marrakech, with pickup and drop-off at your accommodation.
Included/Excluded
- Private air-conditioned vehicle
- Driver throughout the tour
- 2 nights accommodation
- Breakfast & Dinner
- Camel Ride at Erg Chebbi
- One night in a desert camp
- Pickup and drop-off at your accommodation
- International flights and airport taxes
- Lunches, except where stated in the itinerary
- Drinks and beverages
- Entrance fees to monuments, museums and sites
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and anything not listed as included
Tour Plan
The longest crossing comes first. We climb out of the Haouz plain and over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, around 2,260 metres, then drop into the pre-Sahara where the rock turns red and the valleys fill with palms. Roughly seven hours of driving, broken by stops.
- Morning pickup from your accommodation in Marrakech
- Ascent of the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with photo stops on the switchbacks
- Ait Ben Haddou: the fortified earthen ksar that guarded the old caravan route, now UNESCO listed
- Time to walk up through the kasbahs to the granary at the summit
- Lunch below the ksar
- Ouarzazate and the Taourirt Kasbah
- East past the Valley of Roses turn-off toward Boumalne Dades
- Late afternoon arrival in the Dades gorge
Overnight in the Dades Valley.
A shorter driving day that ends on foot. We follow the valley east through Tinghir and the Todra gorge, then cross the hamada to Merzouga, timed so the camels leave in the late afternoon and you reach camp as the light goes.
- Morning through the Dades gorge and its switchback road
- Tinghir, with its palm oasis strung along the valley floor
- Todra Gorge, where the cliffs close to a few hundred metres apart
- Lunch in Tinghir
- Afternoon across the hamada by Tinejdad and Erfoud
- Arrival at the edge of Erg Chebbi
- Camel trek into the dunes, roughly ninety minutes
- Dinner and Gnawa drumming at camp
Overnight in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi.
An early start for the sunrise, then the long drive back. This is the biggest day on the road at around nine hours, so we leave the dunes soon after breakfast and take the direct route over the pass.
- Sunrise over Erg Chebbi before breakfast
- Camel trek back to Merzouga
- West through Rissani and Erfoud
- Lunch in the Todra or Dades area
- Return through Ouarzazate
- Second crossing of the Tizi n'Tichka, in afternoon light
- Evening arrival and drop-off in Marrakech
A long final day on the road. Where your schedule allows, the four-day version breaks the return with a night in Ouarzazate and is considerably more comfortable.
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Amodou Tours offers expertly planned multi-day trips across Morocco, from Marrakech to the Sahara and beyond. Our local guides create authentic, stress-free experiences.
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- Casablanca, Morocco
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