The most popular short desert trip: three days from Marrakech over the High Atlas to the dunes of Erg Chebbi, with a night in a desert camp before the return.
Tour highlights
- Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Ait Ben Haddou
- Todra Gorge
- Camel trek and overnight in the dunes
Itinerary
Day 1 — Marrakech to the Dades Valley
We leave Marrakech in the morning and climb into the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka, at 2,260 metres the highest road pass in Morocco. Dropping down the far side we reach Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed earthen city that has stood in for ancient Rome and Egypt in films from Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator, and walk up through its kasbahs for the view across the river. We carry on through Ouarzazate, Morocco's film capital, and the rose-growing town of Kelaat M'Gouna before turning into the Dades Valley for the night in a small hotel or guesthouse.
Day 2 — Dades Gorge, Todra Gorge and the Erg Chebbi dunes
After breakfast we walk into the Todra Gorge, where the river has cut a corridor barely wide enough for the road between cliffs some 200 metres high — a favourite with rock climbers. We stop at the fossil workshops around Erfoud and the old caravan souk at Rissani, then the horizon opens out at Merzouga. In the late afternoon we meet our camels and ride into the dunes of Erg Chebbi, reaching camp as the sun goes down. Dinner is tagine and mint tea around the fire, with Berber drumming and a night in a nomad tent.
Day 3 — Sunrise in the Sahara and back to Marrakech
We wake early for sunrise over the dunes and ride back to the village for breakfast and a shower. From here we travel west through the Draa Valley palm groves and Agdz, rejoin the road at Ouarzazate and cross the Tizi n'Tichka once more, reaching Marrakech in the afternoon.
