Day 1: Marrakech to Dades Gorges via Tizi n’Tichka and Ait Benhaddou

Get up early in your 3 Days Tour of Marrakech to Merzouga Desert! We start with this fantastic Atlas Mountains Day Trip From Marrakech where we head southwards into the High Atlas Mountains. Our vehicle is a comfortable, private and we make sure ofto insure a smooth ride.

It is well thee an entire travelling day, and you must be ready to be dramatic in the drive across the Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass, which is at an astonishing 2,260 meters (7,415 feet) in elevation. Thus, the sceneries are nothing less than magnificent, Furthermore, Passing through the High Atlas Mountains is instantly alluring; you will be passing by small Berber villages hewn into the mountainsides. Once passing through the Tizi n’Tichka pass the landscape totally changes to a very strong feeling of distance covered.

Then, we arrive to the renowned Ait Benhaddou Kasbah a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the most popular attractions. The ksar is a beautiful old fortified village, with gorgeous mud-brick work, which makes one feel as though he or she is on a movie set, which, ironically enough, it usually is! Then we continue to Ouarzazate, the so-called ordeal to the Desert, and we visit the most well-known Taourirt Kasbah along with a film studio anew, and that is marvelous. We then pass the picturesque Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, and reach lastly the dramatic landscapes of the Dades Gorges.

The high reddish-orange cliffs of the gorges in the Dades Valley showcase a wonderful frame to the winding road and make you feel very small. You can experience the true hospitality of the Berber people when we spend the night in a guesthouse in the Dades Gorges region.

Day 2: Dades Gorges to Merzouga Desert (Erg Chebbi Dunes)                        

On the second day, the history of the upper valley of Dades and its magnificent winding road will be studied. So now it is time to bring your camera out and take the fantastic monkey fingers rock formation! Next, we proceed to the grandiose Todra Gorge where sheer cliffs of limestone are set soaring up to form a canyon that is ideal to a short quiet walk along the running river. It is a nice spot to stretch your legs and experience the coolness of the deep shade and continue farther into the dry country.

The walls in the Todra Gorge are very high and standing at the bottom of the same makes them utterly overwhelming and offer a moment of relief and proportions before the desert. As you go on, the scenery changes considerably, and you enter rocky plains, but the first signs of sand can be noticed, and we head towards Erfoud and Rissani.

The trip goes on until it reaches the small town of Merzouga, the entrance to the massive Erg Chebbi dunes. It is at this point that the magic will really start. On the dune-head, your sure camel waits! It is an experience of a classic Morocco Desert Trip- a camel ride through the spacious golden dunes. This is a quiet hour-long walk when the sun sets behind the horizon and the sand turns an amazing deep orange and rose, which will be one of the memories you never forget.

The Sahara is perfectly still and extremely overwhelming as the sun goes down, throwing the tall, theatrical shadows over the great sand dunes. You arrive at your luxury desert camp, where you take a wonderful meal and spend the night under an unbelievably clear sky dominated by stars.

Day 3: Merzouga Desert to Marrakech via Nkob and the Draa Valley

The last day opens with a really magic scene: getting up before the daybreak and hiking up the nearest dune to enjoy the splendid Saharan dawn , Then we get to enjoy our traditional Berber breakfast in the camp followed by a ride on our camels once again or a 4×4 transfer that takes a short ride back to Merzouga village.

The dawn light reaching the Erg Chebbi dunes is a religious unforgettable experience that makes you happy to be on an extended trip back to Marrakech. This last morning of your 3 Days Tour of Marrakech to Merzouga Desert is a perfect epitome of the calmness of the Moroccan Sahara.

The most important thing about the 3 Days Tour between Marrakech and Merzouga Desert is the return journey, which is the most lengthy adventure; hence, we choose the route which is the most scenic and provides us with a diversified adventure. We head south, through the beautiful and fortified village of Berbers known as Nkob which has more than 45 historical kasbahs and spectacular palm grove- perfect place. Next comes the beautiful Draa Valley, along the ancient road of the caravan traffic, and thousands of palm trees spread along the bottom of the river.

The Atlas Mountains provide a rougher alternative form of beauty to the High Atlas with their geological diversity of this area. At last we cross the mountains again after taking a quick pause to have a classic lunch at the Moroccan, and we understand that we are heading to the lively city Marrakech. The return trip is long, but it is a constant feast of varying sceneries in Morocco, and your 3 Days Tour of Marrakech to Merzouga Desert comes to an end.