How many days do you need for a desert tour from Marrakech?

At least 3 days for Merzouga and 4 days for Erg Chegaga. With 6 days you get two nights in Merzouga and a full day around the dunes.

What is the difference between Merzouga and Erg Chegaga?

Merzouga with the Erg Chebbi dunes is the classic and can be reached on tarmac. Erg Chegaga lies beyond M’Hamid, and the last 60 kilometres or so are on a 4x4 track. In return it is quieter and more remote.

Desert tour from Marrakech: Agafay, Merzouga or Chegaga?

Q: How much does a desert tour from Marrakech cost?

With Med Marokko Reisen, 3 days Marrakech–Merzouga–Marrakech cost from €389 per person and 4 days to Erg Chegaga from €479 per person, private with a driver, nights with breakfast and dinner, and a night in a desert camp.

The short answer

For one evening, the Agafay stone desert is enough, about 40 minutes from Marrakech. You see the big sand dunes of the Sahara in Merzouga (at least 3 days) or in Erg Chegaga (4 days). Merzouga is the classic, Chegaga the quieter and wilder desert.

The three deserts compared

	Agafay	Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)	Erg Chegaga
Distance from Marrakech	about 40 minutes	about 550 km, 9 to 10 hours’ drive	beyond M’Hamid, the last 60 km or so on a track
Landscape	stony, hilly desert with views of the Atlas	big sand dunes	large dune field, remote and quiet
Duration	afternoon to evening	at least 3 days	4 days
On the way	quad, camel ride, dinner at the camp	Ait Ben Haddou, Dades and Todra gorges	Ait Ben Haddou, Draa Valley, Tamegroute, Lake Iriki
Night	back in Marrakech	desert camp in Merzouga	camp in the Chegaga dunes
Our price	on request	from €389 pp	from €479 pp

Agafay: a desert evening outside the city

You do not have to drive to the Sahara for a desert evening. The Agafay stone desert lies just outside Marrakech, with wide hills, silence and views of the Atlas. On our excursion we pick you up at your hotel; there is a quad tour, a camel ride into the sunset and dinner at a desert camp with music by the fire. Then we drive you back to Marrakech.

Important: Agafay is not a sand desert. If you want to see the big dunes, plan Merzouga or Chegaga. The full comparison is in Agafay desert or Sahara?

Merzouga: the classic in 3 days

The 3-day tour Marrakech → Merzouga → Marrakech is our most popular desert tour:

Day 1: over the Tizi n’Tichka pass to the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, through Ouarzazate, Skoura and the Valley of Roses to the Dades Gorge
Day 2: a walk in the Todra Gorge, then on towards the Sahara and, in the afternoon, a camel ride into the sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes, night in a desert camp
Day 3: sunrise over the dunes, then back to Marrakech via Alnif, Agdz and the Draa Valley

If you want to continue north afterwards, choose the Marrakech → Merzouga → Fes variant from €439. More about the night in the dunes: Merzouga desert tour and desert camp.

Erg Chegaga: the quiet desert in 4 days

Erg Chegaga is Merzouga’s wilder sister. The dunes lie beyond M’Hamid and can only be reached by 4x4 over about 60 kilometres of track. In return you are often almost alone with the wind and the stars. The 4-day tour runs through the Draa Valley, one of Morocco’s longest palm oases, to Zagora and Tamegroute with its old Koranic library. You return by 4x4 across the dry Lake Iriki to Foum Zguid and Ouarzazate.

Which desert suits you?

Only one evening: Agafay, from Marrakech in the afternoon
First trip to Morocco, 3 days for the desert: Merzouga
You want silence and like tracks: Erg Chegaga in 4 days
You do not want to rush: 6 days of oases and Sahara with two nights in Merzouga
With children: more days and shorter stages, see Morocco with children

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit the Sahara in one day from Marrakech?

No. The big sand dunes of Merzouga are about 550 kilometres away, 9 to 10 hours of pure driving each way. For a single day or evening there is Agafay, about 40 minutes from Marrakech.

When is the best time for a desert tour?

From October to April it is not too hot in the south. In spring and autumn the nights are pleasant too. In winter it can drop to near freezing at night; in summer, excursions take place early in the morning and late in the evening.

When is the camel ride?

On the 3-day tour, on the second day in the late afternoon: you ride into the sunset over the dunes to the desert camp.

How much does a desert tour from Marrakech cost?

With us, 3 days to Merzouga cost from €389 per person and 4 days to Erg Chegaga from €479 per person, private with a driver, nights with breakfast and dinner, and a night in a desert camp.