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Marrakech
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3-Day Tour to Merzouga Erg Chebbi with food & Camel trek

Badge of ExcellenceMarrakech, Morocco

From $130.72

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
  • 3 days (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Escape the busy streets of Marrakech’s Medina for the stark beauty of the desert during this 3-day excursion to Mezrouga and Erg Chebbi. Cross through the Atlas Mountains via the stunning Tizi-n-Tichka pass, explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Aït Benhaddou kashbah and visit the desert oasis at Skoura. Then discover the Todra Gorge and the sacred city of Rissani before spending the night amidst the stark beauty of the Sahara Desert. This 3-day, 2-night excursion also includes a driver (who also serves as guide), 2 nights of accommodation (one at a desert camp), camel trek, meals as per the itinerary, round-trip air-conditioned transport from your hotel.
  • Traverse the High Atlas Mountains via the magnificent Tizi-n-Tichka pass
  • Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aït Benhaddou kasbah with a guide
  • Take a camel trek from Merzouga to Erg Chebbi and enjoy dinner under the stars at a Berber desert camp
  • Tour includes some meals and round-trip travel from Marrakech

What's Included

  • Accommodation at hotel with breakfast and dinner (toilets and showers inside rooms)
  • Camel trekking in Erg Chebbi
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (hotels inside marrakech only)
  • English speaking Driver
  • Accommodation at desert camp with breakfast and dinner (toilets outside, showers in lodge)
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Breakfast (2)
  • Dinner (2)
  • Lunch & Drinks
  • Local guide in Kasbah Ait Ben Hddou (available for an extra charge 2€ pp)
  • Tips to driver

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:00 AM

Pickup details

Directions: Hotel pickup is available from hotels and riads located in Marrakech. Please be sure to advise your hotel details at the time of reconfirmation to arrange your pickup time. If your riad is inside the Medina, you will be asked to make your way to the nearest place accessible to vehicles, which may involve a short walk. Return point: Returns to original departure point or Djemaa El Fna around 8h pm.

What To Expect

Trade the bustling city of Marrakech for the solitude of the desert during this 3-day, 2-night excursion to Mezrouga and Erg Chebbi, Over the course of your journey you’ll get an up-close-personal experience in the desert, including a chance to visit a desert oasis, explore a UNESCO World Heritage site and spend the night under the stars at a camp in the Sahara Desert.

Start the first day with a pickup from your Marrakech accommodation, continuing into the Atlas Mountains as you pass Berber villages and cross the Tizi-n-Tichka pass. You’ll also visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Aït Benhaddou kashbah, a historic meeting place and trading site, and check out the desert oasis at Skoura before spending the night in Bourmaine du Dadès.

On day two travel the “Road of 1,000 Kashbahs” to the Todra Gorge, stopping at the holy city of Rissani in the afternoon. Then climb aboard a camel for an unforgettable ride in the late afternoon sun toward Erg Chebbi and your evening camping accommodations in the desert. Spend the evening enjoying dinner and serenades of traditional music from local nomads under the stars. On day three you’ll ride your camel back to Mezrouga, heading back through the High Atlas Mountains to your Marrakech accommodations to finish the trip.
Day 1

Marrakech – Ouarzazate –Dades

1 Stop

Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou

5 hours Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Overnight stay at Dades Kasbah & similar

Meals: Dinner

Day 2

Dades– Merzouga – Erg Chebbi

1 Stop

Merzouga Desert

6 hours Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Auberge sahara desert camp

Meals: BreakfastDinner

Day 3

Erg Chebbi – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

1 Stop

High Atlas Mountains

9 hours Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Breakfast

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Good walking shoes, sunscreen and sunglasses are recommended
  • It can be cold at night and in the winter so please bring appropriate clothing.
  • luggages allowed to carry, there’s enough space for it in the trunk of the bus
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Infant seats available
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Dress code (seasonal recommendations
  • Meals included are dinner and breakfast (vegetarian option: available).
  • Return time to Marrakech : around 8 pm .
  • Drop off place : once you specify your drop off address , just inform our driver on your return day.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips


It will be a long and bumpy ride on the way to Merzouga so be prepared.
Dont throw tissue into the toilet as it can't be flushed.

Reviews

4.5
1,288 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 1,288 reviews
great!
Michael_T, May 2023
The tour was great. We were picked up at our hotel in the morning as planned. Travel was in a minibus and there were around 12 people. On the first day we visited Ait Ben Haddou. For the night we stayed in a hotel halfway between Ouarzazate and Merzouga. The hotel was located in mountainous valley with some nice views. The gave us single rooms after asking for it, although that ment two in the group had to go to another hotel being two minutes down the road. The hotel was basic but ok. Next day we visited an old kasbah and park and a water source, before going to Merzouga after lunch. From there it is 20min in a jeep to the dunes. If you had booked the luxury option, you could take all your stuff, that was driven to the tent for the night. If not, you could only take a small back and had the leave your bigger back at a guesthouse in Merzouga. The camel ride lasted about 45min there and back in the next morning. We stayed in the luxury tent, which was really nice with proper shower and toilet. It is electrified, so you can charge your phone in the tent. Dinner was really nice, in the evening there was a bonfire. The third day is just driving back from Merzouga to Marrakesh. There a plenty of stops on the way to buy food or drinks.
1 traveler found this review helpful
All the guides were...
Clmence_F, May 2023
All the guides were really great and our driver Abdu always had a kind word for us! Thank you so much for this amazing experience !
1 traveler found this review helpful
Great Trip, definitely recommend
Jack_M, Mar 2023
This was an amazing trip which surpassed our expectations. We would definitely recommend, especially for this price! My partner and I went on this trip late March, it was definitely a good time to go. There was a lot of driving, but at the end of the day we wanted to go to the Sahara and that’s not close to Marrakech! There is a lot of amazing, diverse scenery on the way too. We stayed in the Medina in Marrakech before the trip, and were picked up just outside the Medina (about a 10 min walk from our Riad) at 7am. We were messaged the pick-up point at 6pm the evening before. There were 16 of us in the minibus - a mix of English, French and Spanish speakers - and we did most of the tour with just this group, however there was a second minibus (same company) who we met with a few times. On the first day we went to the stops mentioned, as well as some view points on the way through the Atlas Mountains and other places. The highlight was Aït Ben Haddou, it was an amazing Ksar with a lot of history and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The guide here cost 30dirham per person, but the tour was well worth it. We then went to lunch in Aït Ben Haddou. We were ushered into a restaurant, but decided we wanted to go elsewhere, we found much better value (and what we were actually fancying) a minute down the road. The evening of the first day we stayed in a family-run hotel. It was nice, the food was delicious, and we had Moroccan entertainment after dinner. We were up at 6:45 and left the hotel at 7:30. We had some more good stops and viewpoints, including a family of traditional carpet makers, Todra Gorge (amazing scenery here) and stopped off for lunch on the outskirts of Tinghir. The food here was nice, and was a fairly good price (this was obviously a bit of a tourist trap, but there was nowhere else nearby). We went for a walk during a bit of free time after eating and the scenery was just something else. We got some of our best pictures from the trip here. Back in the minibus, we continued on to Merzouga, where we met the camels and went out into the Sahara. We took a soft bag each, which was hooked over the camel’s saddle. This was a great experience, and we got some great photos. We also did some sand boarding whilst the sun set. After this, we headed over to the camp, where we had dinner at about 8pm, then did some stargazing followed by some Moroccan entertainment around a fire. This was a great day - but very tiresome! It didn’t get too cold overnight - about 15°C when we woke up. I was glad that I had a jumper in the morning, but I only needed that for about an hour. There was an electric outlet, but only 6 sockets in a communal area to be shared by about 30 people. In the morning of the last day we woke up for the sunrise at 6. We got some more photos and headed back to Merzouga by camel. We had breakfast at Merzouga and then headed back to Marrakech in the minibus, making a few refreshment stops on the way. We would definitely recommend, especially for this price! (We found out there in a luxury version of this trip for about 2x the price - the only difference is the desert camp. The luxury is a lot nicer, but the standard is still nice and plenty good enough - plus more social.) We took 700 dirhams between the two of us and returned with about 100 - though we were careful with it, and also saved about 160 on the first day lunch.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Breathtaking
Zohra_M, Feb 2023
Meeting great people on the trip (travellers and locals!) Discovery the history of the berberes and of course amazing landscape changing through out the days :)
Amazing experience! Saw everything in 3 days.
Rajesh_K, Feb 2023
It was a well organized trip with awesome sightseeing. Combined with a camel trip to a tent in the dessert, it was amazing. Mazozi, a man with almost every knowedge about Morocco and a very friendly personality. It was a joyful experience sharing this tour with him as our main guide. We enjoyed this tour so much and met some great friends.
Amazing trip
Malcolm_C, Feb 2023
Thank you so much for an amazing three day trip. We had an awesome time with a variety of things to see and do. The Camel trick in the desert was awesome. Not like anywhere we have been before, the campsite was a unique experience and one we would thoroughly recommend. I would like to say a massive thank you to our guide Agouim who was friendly helpful, and made the trip even better. Would recommend this tour as a really good way to see the mountains, desert and another part of Morocco. Thank you
Sunset in the desert
Joan_C, Dec 2022
Sunset in the desert was beautiful and calm; riding a camel was bumpy but fun, and the darkness at the campground allowed us to have a fabulous view of stars B
1 traveler found this review helpful
Magical 3 day trip to Atlas Mountains and desert
Joanne_S, Nov 2022
Camel Trek at Sunset plus night time under the stars. Meeting Berber guides and seeing traditional village life
Average experience for a low price
NoraG, Oct 2022
It’s quite a long trip just to see the Sahara desert for such short period of time and stay in the standard camp which is super close to the city. The trip is well organised and the driver Omar very friendly. However, if you want to have a “real” Sahara experience, I d recommend hire a private driver, and stay in the luxury camp for 2 nights. The price for the tour is fair for what you get: Average food, little stops & tours aiming to sell you scarfs and carpets, lunch breaks at restaurants paying tourist prices for below average food, 2x nights of accommodation and a minibus ride with (in our case) great people. But if you are not on a super tight budget, I d recommend to just get your own tour organised.
2 travelers found this review helpful
All in all I would...
Zsuzsa_M, Oct 2022
All in all I would recommend this trip to others. Prepare for a long camel ride (I think in total about 3 hours in 3 different occasions). Our driver was very kind and he kept the schedule very well. First night more ppl were complaining about the hotel because there was no hot water or water at all. Maybe it would be a good idea for the organizers to look into it. But the luxury camp was magical. Super clean and it really exceeded our expectations with the evening music and good vibes under the stars around the camp fire.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Amazing experience. Completely worth the money
Marc_S, Oct 2022
We had a lot of fun on this trip. The guides and the driver (ours was Karim) were amazing, and the places we visited were completely outstanding. Being able to view the sunrise from the Sahara and share a night and dance with the local nomads is something we will never forget.
Don't go if you wanna see Sahara because is just Bazar
Klara_K, Sep 2022
I need to tell you that this trip was a waste of my money and time. I wanna see Sahara. The whole point of this trip is Sahara and of course here on Viator, they have pictures just of Sahara and Camel. And how great this trip is... Well is so very tiring. All I see was Markets / Bazar and how they were selling carpets to me! And All you have a choice to ate is Tanžin!!! very tiring trip for 3 days you just drive around in a van all day
Incredible experience
Victoria_R, Jul 2022
I went solo on this tour and didn’t know what to expect, but I had an absolutely incredible time and would 100% recommend it to anyone - solo or in small groups. The highlight absolutely was the camel ride and sleeping under the stars in the Sahara and this was the reason I booked the trip. All the other bits were wonderful extras - especially the gorge walk. Our driver Mohamed was brilliant, very funny and incredibly kind, especially when the tour picked me up and on our first rest stop when I didn’t know anyone. He created an atmosphere where the bus was relaxed and happy, even in the incredible heat. The food stops were a bit interesting but always in a really scenic place and generally the food was good. Eating in a group was fab as it allows solo travellers like me to get to know everyone else. The other tour members were so friendly and made an apprehensive solo female traveller like me feel relaxed and welcomed. There was a lot of driving (12 hours home on the last day) but it was worth it to see so much of Morocco and gave us chance to catch up on much needed sleep. I loved this tour and wish I could do it all over again
2 travelers found this review helpful
Amazing 3 day Merzouga tour from Marrakech
Hashika_D, Jul 2022
Such an amazing experience! We wish we got to stay longer. The camel trek, amazing luxury tents, entertainment provided by the staff, food and stargazing was incredible. Photos don’t do justice to how beautiful it all was. Thank you to the amazing staff who made the experience easy and relaxing
Amazing experience. Don’t hesitate. Book this!! 100% worth it
r57wb8hb5k, Jun 2022
Read this for a thorough review of the entire experience. I’ll start by saying everyone in my tour (17 people) said the value of the tour was unbelievable. We were all shocked how great this tour was. Day one we were picked up by the driver and started our drive to the various points. I won’t spoil the different locations but the driver took us to some AMAZING sights. Alooli, sorry not sure if that’s the correct spelling, Alooli was our driver and he was so nice and so funny. He was a funny character! Loved having him as the driver, very smart, great conversation, great driver. I hope you get him as your driver, he’s an amazing man. We got so many great photo opportunities at various look out points. The first tour at the old Amazigh village was great, this tour brought us to a scarf shop but my recommendation is to not buy scarves here, wait till later in the trip and buy it off the old men who sell it on the side of the road at the various photo stops. Once we got to the hotel almost all of us went for a swim at the pool. We enjoyed a great dinner together and all got to know each other. A lot of the complaints I saw in older reviews were that the food spots weren’t good, but I disagree, the restaurants had a lot of food options and they were actually really good, if you’re tired of Tajine, just pick a different item on the menu. The dinner at the desert stay was especially delicious, it was made really really well I think because it was made by real nomadic people. So back to the tour, the second day you go to another village stop before the desert. A local guide named Ali showed us around a Amazigh village and we had a incredible time. He was one of the greatest tour guides I ever met. So funny and so knowledgeable. Finally, the desert tour was amazing. We got to the location that would take us out into the desert, the young men leading the camels were so incredibly kind. They love talking and sharing stories, all these men are authentic nomadic people who left the nomadic lifestyle to work at these desert camps. They have incredible stories. I loved this tour so much, I can genuinely say it changed my life. I met so many incredible people on my tour. I just left the tour less than 24hrs ago but I had to share my thoughts because I loved this tour so much
3 travelers found this review helpful
Amazing experience...
Humberto_S, May 2022
Amazing experience overall, great time with our friends... would like the family experience to be more real and not just sell carpets in the "family home tour". Also, driver could be telling stories or sharing tips
Excellent trip
Charlotte_P, May 2022
We did a two nights basic tour out of Marrakech and back again. Everything ran like clockwork and the tour was very good value for money. Considering all the variables, the smooth running and timing was amazing. All down to the driver. The van was comfortable and modern and the driver, Alloli, was very helpful and looked out for us. 15 in our van in 5 groups, and you meet 2-3 other vans at the big stops to socialise if you want to. The tours on day one and two had helpful and fun guides, Mohammad and Ali. They gave the tour in English, but seemed to be able to have small talk in any language (at least four in our group), and were fluent in French. The guides told you many interesting things about their Berber culture, often things I was wanting to ask and they would anticipate it. We saw the ancient city Ait Ben Haddou (scene of game of thrones filming and many others), and toured a Berber farm and village near Tinghir. Both were good stops to keep us entertained. The initial drive through the Atlas mountains was breathtaking too. I was very happy to not feel like I was being taken around to buy things very often. You'll get some opportunities (fabrics, and rugs, which you may want), but there wasn't much expectation. Only advice would be about buying your sahara head scarf: there will be lots of opportunities and you can get them for example on the side of the road at a viewpoint cheaper than in the shops. Total drive time was about 6 hours, 5 hours, 9 hours respectively. Longer including stop times. You've got to drive far to get the scenery! You will be taken for lunch at local restaurants offering a choice of set menus for 100mad (10 dollars/euros). Choice of local, European, and vegetarian options to suit all tastes. The included meals (breakfast and dinner) were buffet and sharing plates, with veggie options on request. The first hotel was very nicely decorated. We did the basic camping, which I think was best value. It had everything you need, and was comfortable and warm. Probably basic for some tastes (e.g. shared camp toilets) but fine for me, and I would not change my decision for the other luxury option. The young camel guides (ours was Ahmad) were fun and helpful and made us feel very welcome at the camp. Some of them were excellent musicians and I really liked the campfire music, singing, and dancing. Camel rides for sunset and sunrise were phenomenal and the peak of the trip. Once in a lifetime experience I am very thankful for. Some of our group got up in the middle of the night to walk out and see the stars, which I'm sad I didn't do. Be prepared for the early start for sunrise (depart at 5am for us), and pack some warm clothes. Finally, I recommend keeping small denominations (10 and 20mad) for tips. We paid directly for the first tour (3 euro, only thing not included) and took that as the bar to tip the second tour guide, camel drivers, and bus driver. But we didn't always have enough change and I would have tipped a bit more if I could have. In total I would advise 200mad per day for lunch, tips, snacks, and water. You can also purchase beer and wine at the first hotel. For the price, and the limited time we chose, I can't imagine a better tour.
2 travelers found this review helpful
Must-do to enjoy in Morocco
Julen_C, Feb 2022
This tour could not be better, honestly. The guide and his explanations were faultless, as well as the food, and all the places that we visited were the crown jewel of our trip to Morocco. Without that tour, we would not have left the country with the same feeling and perception. It is simply a must-do.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Good budget friendly option
Kristen_G, Nov 2021
I think this was a good budget friendly option to see the Sahara (if I wasn't on a tight budget, I probably would have done a luxury or private experience). Our driver Hussine was top notch - friendly, communicative and a great driver. All of the other guides were also great. As other reviewers mention the food was meh and the drive back is long -- 11 hours -- but bathroom breaks and lunch stop is well planned out. I enjoyed all of the stops along the way and learning some of the Berber history. As a solo female traveler, I felt safe and didn't get any creepy vibes from the tour guides. Sadly, it rained the day we got to the desert (first time it rained like this in 2 years) - so not able to see stars, full moon, sunset or sunrise - but your chances of sunny weather are pretty high!
4 travelers found this review helpful
Great value for money trip to the Sahara
Ronan_K, Sep 2021
Excellent trip and great value for money. Our driver Hajj was a lovely man who drove well and looked after us. The two guides at the stops were also very nice, particularly Ali who showed us around the Tondra gorge. The Sahara camp was basic but the hosts were great and really enjoyed the desert. Would recommend!
Response from Host, Sep 2021
Dear Customer, it's a great pleasure to here that your trip was amazing and you've enjoy it as you wish. you welcome anytime for any further request or help you may need. Regards, HICHAM and team
Shared 3 days desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
linda_p, Mar 2020
A trip to the desert is probably a once in a lifetime experience and the 3 day trip is enough time to get a glimpse into what life is like for the locals. Everything was well organised and the pick-up was on time. We had a great driver, Hussien, who made the trip even more enjoyable with his local knowledge and history. He is a very experienced and competent driver and this was evident on the road over the Atlas Mountains which is still in the making. I quite enjoyed all of our breaks and the guides were all very friendly too. The hotel for the first night wasn’t too bad, even a lovely swimming pool. The desert camp is good, food not bad, best bit was the entertainment - drums and campfire and of course you will be asked to join in the singing and dancing. It’s a long drive back to Merzouga but a chance to catch up on sleep. An excellent trip, good travelling companions from various contries and of course our friendly driver and guide Hussien.
3 travelers found this review helpful
Great Experience
JuanPaolo, Mar 2020
Hussein our driver was accomodating and hospitable. The roads were rough but the driver was good. Our favorite was the camping experience. That was our first time and we enjoyed it.
2 travelers found this review helpful
Great trip to the desert
Katie_A, Mar 2020
We had a wonderful time on our tour. Our driver was wonderful and our local guides were knowledgeable! We would highly recommend this company!
1 traveler found this review helpful
Camels are fun but a lot of driving
Catharina_R, Feb 2020
Trip was as described. A LOT of hours on the road, but frequent stops for refreshments and bathroom breaks and a couple of photo ops helped. Bus is fairly comfortable except for the back seat which is truly HORRIBLE with a bumpy ride and a really limited view through the low windows. Excursions (3) are OK except for the one to a Berber village which is mostly a long sales stop at a carpet merchant. Driver Mohammed was friendly, cheerful and capable, but is NOT a guide, so very little information from him along the way. The local guides at the excursion sites are adequate but you don't learn much from them about Morocco. The big deal here is the camel trek. You ride for about a hour to the campsite, stopping for just long enough to watch the sun set, and getting to the camp after dusk. A rather meagre dinner and some drumming around a campfire before bed (quite comfortable). Up before dawn, then another hour on the camels with a very short sunrise stop (not even getting off the camels) going back to the van for the 12 hour return drive to Marrakech. Some of the "romance" of the camel trek was diminished by all the ATV tracks along the route and the occasional 4x4 blowing by. No feeling of being in the middle of nowhere as we'd expected. It all felt a bit rushed and commercial but you DO get a real camel ride and a starry night in the desert. Fairly cheap trip: you get what you pay for. Once is definitely enough. Note: there was a lot of road construction that made the drive extra long, slow and painful.
2 travelers found this review helpful
Traveling through Morocco
barreirocv, Jan 2020
Overall the experience is very rewarding. If you have only a few days to experience Morocco, I highly recommend this tour. Although the car rides are long, one gets to view the outskirts of Marrakech city, enjoy the berber villages and see the everyday-life of nomad tribes. Our car ride was better than expected and Abdou is a great driver and friendly host. He stops whenever a person needs and is very attentive to everyone. A few suggestions would be to be able to choose different restaurants when having lunch and that Ando Travel SARL might consider to further train their drivers to not only be good drivers but also be some sort of tourist guide.
1 traveler found this review helpful
Amazing tour
Lukas_D, Dec 2019
I booked the 3 days tour to the dessert and I’m so glad I booked it with Ando travel! The driver Simu is just a nice and helpful person with a huge knowledge of his country!
2 travelers found this review helpful
Great tour
nir b, Nov 2019
I enjoyed it very much. The driver was very nice and accommodating. The tour was not crowded and I loved it.
Great tour
nir b, Nov 2019
It was better than expected. The driver, Ahemed, was very nice, accommodating, and made sure we are comfortable. The program was very interesting and not too much.
Great tour
nir b, Nov 2019
It was great tour, beyond what I expected. The driver, Ahmed was nice and accommodating, and the program was not too crowded.
An amazing adventure..
a c, Nov 2019
An excellent trip. Great value for money. Lots of driving but driver Mohamed stopped loads of times to make it better. Camel trip was amazing. We upgraded to luxury camp which was fabulous.
...

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Product code: 7674MERZOUGA

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