Three days from Marrakech to Morocco’s tallest dunes, ending with a night in a luxury camp and sunrise over the sand.
The classic Sahara run — done properly
This is the trip most people picture when they imagine Morocco: the Tizi n’Tichka pass over the High Atlas, the earthen towers of Ait Benhaddou, the Dades gorges, and then the moment the tarmac gives out and the Erg Chebbi dunes rise out of flat ground like a wall.
It is also the trip most commonly rushed. Plenty of operators run it as a shared minibus sprint with a night in a basic camp. We run it privately, in a modern 4×4, with a driver-guide who stops where the light is good rather than where the schedule says.
What you’ll actually remember
- Crossing the High Atlas on the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260m
- Ait Benhaddou, the fortified village used in a dozen films
- The Dades and Todra gorges, walls rising 300m either side
- Sunset camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes
- A night in our own luxury camp with a real bed
- Berber drumming and dinner around the fire
- Sunrise from the top of the highest dune
- Sandboarding and fossil hunting in the black desert
Day by day
Marrakech › Ait Benhaddou › Dades Valley
We collect you from your riad around 8am and climb into the High Atlas over the Tizi n Tichka pass, stopping at the viewpoints and an argan cooperative. Late morning we reach Ait Benhaddou and walk up through the ksar. Lunch in Ouarzazate, then east along the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs.
- 7–8 hours driving
- Dinner included
- Hotel overnight
Dades › Todra Gorge › Merzouga desert camp
A shorter, better day. Up into the Todra Gorge where the canyon narrows to ten metres, then east through Tinghir and Erfoud. By late afternoon the dunes appear. You meet your camels and ride an hour into the sand as the light goes gold.
- 4–5 hours driving
- Camel trek
- Luxury camp
Sunrise over the dunes › return to Marrakech
We wake you before dawn to climb the dune behind camp for sunrise. Back for breakfast, then out by camel or 4×4, with time for sandboarding. The return runs back through Ouarzazate and over the Atlas.
- 8–9 hours driving
- Breakfast included
- Sandboarding
What’s included
- Private modern 4x4 with fuel and all road tolls
- English-speaking local driver-guide throughout
- Pick-up and drop-off at your riad or the airport
- One night in a Dades Valley hotel, one night in our desert camp
- Camel trek into and out of the dunes
- Two dinners and two breakfasts
- Sandboarding equipment
What’s not included
- International and domestic flights
- Travel insurance (required)
- Lunches on days 1 and 3
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Drinks other than water and mint tea at camp
- Optional extras such as quad biking
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
On this route
About this tour
Day one is the longest — roughly seven hours from Marrakech to Merzouga, broken by stops at Ait Benhaddou, the Tizi n’Tichka pass and the Dades Valley. Day two is almost entirely at the dunes. Day three returns over about eight hours with stops.
En-suite canvas tents with a proper bed, hot shower and flushing toilet. Solar lighting, a shared dining tent, and rugs and cushions around the fire. It is comfortable, not roughing it.
Not at all. It is roughly an hour to the camp at sunset and the same back at sunrise. If you would rather not ride, we take you in by 4×4. Just tell us in advance.
From November to February the desert can drop close to freezing after dark. The camp provides heavy blankets, but bring a warm layer. From April the nights are mild.
Yes. The same itinerary runs in reverse from Fes, or one-way Marrakech to Fes at no extra cost. One-way suits people continuing north afterwards.
Related tours
An exclusive boutique camp in Merzouga with en-suite suites, private terraces and a chef on site.
Explore the wild sea of sand at Erg Chegaga on a three-day private 4×4 trip.
Sandboarding, fossil hunting and camp games — paced properly for travelling with children.
Where you sleep
Night 1 — Dades Valley. A small family-run hotel built into the rock above the gorge. Simple, spotless rooms with private bathrooms and a terrace that catches the last of the light.
Night 2 — Erg Chebbi desert camp. Our own camp, roughly an hour into the dunes by camel. Each tent is a proper canvas suite with a real bed, rugs, an en-suite bathroom with a hot shower and a flushing toilet. Solar power runs the lighting and charges your phone. There is a shared dining tent, and a fire circle in the sand where dinner turns into music.
Upgrading to a private luxury suite with a terrace is possible on request — ask when you enquire.
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Send us your dates and we’ll come back within 24 hours with a private itinerary and a clear price.