This 4-day Desert tour from Marrakech links together all the classics – mountains, oases, kasbahs and dunes – in one big loop.
Marrakech – where the chaos begins
Your Desert tour from Marrakech starts in the red city: busy souks, rooftop cafés, honking scooters and lantern-lit alleyways. Rolling out of Marrakech at sunrise and watching the city shrink in the rear-view mirror makes the whole trip feel like you’re stepping out of “city mode” and into something bigger.
High Atlas & Tizi n’Tichka – the climb
The road winds up into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the Tizi n’Tichka pass with hairpins, tiny villages and huge viewpoints. It’s your first real “wow” moment, the kind of scenery that reminds you this isn’t just transfer, it’s already a Sahara Desert tour in the making.
Ouarzazate & Draa Valley – gate to the south
Past Ouarzazate, film hub of Morocco, the landscape softens into the Draa Valley: a long ribbon of palm groves, mud-brick villages and old kasbahs. This is where the south really begins, slower pace, more date palms, and that feeling that the desert is getting closer with every kilometre.
Zagora – desert introduction
Zagora sits on the edge of a wide, rocky desert plain. It’s not yet the big dunes, but it’s your first taste of desert light, wide skies and quiet evenings. Spending a night here eases you into the rhythm of your Desert tour from Marrakech before you hit the full Sahara.
Merzouga & Erg Chebbi – the real Sahara
At Merzouga, the flat land suddenly gives way to the golden Erg Chebbi dunes. This is the Sahara you’ve seen in films: rolling sand, camel caravans and sunsets that look unreal. You ride out to camp on camelback, sleep in a tent under the stars and wake up to silence and sunrise, the core of your Sahara Desert tour.
Tinghir & Todra Gorge – cliffs and palms
Leaving the dunes, you head to Tinghir, an oasis town wrapped in palm gardens, then walk into Todra Gorge, where sheer rock walls rise above a small river and path. It’s one of the most dramatic stops on the route and a good reminder that Morocco is as much about gorges and oases as it is about sand.
Dades Valley – road of kasbahs and curves
The Dades Valley mixes winding roads, red rock formations and scattered Berber villages. Old kasbahs sit above the river, and viewpoints make it hard to stay in the car. An overnight here breaks up the return journey and gives your Desert tour from Marrakech another completely different landscape.
Skoura, Ouarzazate & Ait Benhaddou – oasis and movie set
On the way back, you pass the palm groves of Skoura Oasis, then Ouarzazate again, before reaching Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar used in countless films and series. Climbing to the top for views over the old mud-brick village is a must on any serious Desert tour from Marrakech.
Back to Marrakech – closing the loop
Finally you cross the High Atlas once more and roll down into Marrakech, back to the noise, lights and rooftop terraces. After four days of valleys, kasbahs and sand, the city feels completely different, and so does your idea of what a Morocco trip can be.
