Fabulous 3 Day Desert Adventure to Merzouga with Small Group

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Marrakech, Morocco

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

3 days (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Discover Morocco's diverse landscapes and rich culture on this customizable 3-day desert excursion. With local guides from the desert, immerse yourself in the history and traditions as you journey from Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou, Boumalne Dades, Todra Gorges, and the dunes of Merzouga. Experience camel rides, Berber camps, and stunning sunsets in the Sahara with a small group.

Spend three days exploring the Sahara Desert
Visit the UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou and Berber towns
Take a camel trek in Merzouga and stay in a desert camp
A small group means more attention from your guide

What's Included

Transportation, driver and all fuel
Nightly accommodations
Tour guides and camel ride
Dinner (2)

Dinner
Breakfast (2)

Breakfast

Lunch, Beverages, Tips & Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

This excursion includes pick-up in Marrakech. We do our very best to meet you at your hotel or riad. In some cases your accommodation may not be accessible by our vehicle, in which case we will coordinate with you for a convenient location to meet. Please make sure you have provided your phone number including country code and have WhatsApp installed. We will contact you directly via WhatsApp the evening before your excursion (between 19-21h) to coordinate final pickup details.

Operating hours
.7:30 am

Itinerary

Day 1

Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Boumalne Dades

4 Stops

High Atlas

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tizi n Tichka

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ait Ben Haddou

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Tinghir

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Overnight at a local hotel in or near Boumalne Dades or Tinghir

Meals: Dinner

Day 2

Boumalne Dades – Todra Gorges – Arfoud – Dunes of Merzouga

4 Stops

Todra River

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Erfoud

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Merzouga

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Merzouga Desert

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Accommodation: Overnight in a traditional Berber style camp

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3

Merzouga – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

1 Stop

Ouarzazate

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Breakfast

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 1,411 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Highly Recommend

MarkNathaniel_V, Mar 2025

It was a great experience. The Tinguir Gorge tour guide Jamil was very funny and informative - wakes me up after a long journey. Chaima and Gboulmani were also very friendly.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! We’re really happy to hear that you had a great time on the 3-day desert adventure to Merzouga. It’s wonderful to know that Jamil’s humor and knowledge during the Tinghir Gorge visit helped keep the energy up after a long journey—that’s exactly the kind of care we hope our guests feel. We’re also glad to hear that Chaima and Gboulmani made you feel welcome with their friendliness along the way. Your kind words mean a lot to our whole team. We truly hope to welcome you back one day to discover another side of Morocco, or to host your friends and family on their own adventure with Discover Sahara Tours. 🌍✨

Amazing

silvio_b, Feb 2025

I recently had an amazing experience in the Sahara Desert. We started with a camel ride over the stunning dunes, followed by a beautiful sunset that painted the sky with vibrant colors. Our guides were fantastic, sharing stories about the desert and Berber culture. We spent the night in a cozy desert camp, enjoying a delicious dinner under the stars. The next morning, we watched the sunrise, which was absolutely magical. This adventure was unforgettable and I highly recommend it!

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you for sharing your amazing Sahara adventure with us! 🐪 We're thrilled you enjoyed those magical moments riding camels across the dunes, watching the colorful sunset, and experiencing the tranquil sunrise. The starlit dinners at our desert camp create memories that last a lifetime. Our team takes great pride in sharing Berber stories and desert traditions with travelers like you. We appreciate your recommendation and are delighted you found the experience unforgettable! ✨

Good little excursion for a fair price.

Ewelina_S, Dec 2023

Lovely little excursion, which is well organised. The camp on the desert was very nice and quite luxurious, with hot showers and flushing toilets. The beds in the tents were comfortable; the food and service was very lovely too. We also loved the evening music by the fire. Please be mindful that you only get to spend time on the Sahara during one evening (from about 4:30pm), until sunrise the following day. The rest of excursion is visits: to Ait Ben Haddou (separate charges for the entrance and guide. We paid 20dh+tips), visit to Todra Gorge (very short stop), visit to Berber gardens and village with a local guide (tips are expected to be given) and visit to Berber rug shop (small talk about rugs being made and presentation of some rugs with a hope you'll purchase some). Lunches are not included in price, so you get to pay yourself. Again, please note that the restaurants are chosen by the company and you just get set price for a set menu (between 100-140dh each time) and food is not the best in some of them. Not possible for you to go and eat elsewhere really as restaurants are kind of in the middle of nowhere. I hope the company will look into the 1st night stay on the campsite/hotel as it wasn't very nice: rooms not very welcoming and not so clean/in good state of repair, and buffet food giving many people food poisoning (myself included). This is not acceptable. Please take enough cash with you as tips and lunches and extras work out to be quite a lot (I'd say at least 500dh)+ if you want to rent quad bikes to ride on the desert, we paid 500dh cash for 2ppl sharing a quad bike. I think most companies do the same thing as we were meeting other mini buses on the way in the same stops and restaurants.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you very much for sharing such a detailed review of your experience. We’re delighted that you enjoyed the organization of the excursion, the comfort of the desert camp, and especially the music by the fire — those evenings are often a highlight for many of our guests. We’re truly sorry to hear that the first night’s accommodation and buffet did not meet your expectations and that you experienced food-related issues. This is not acceptable, and we are already in discussion with our local partner to ensure better standards moving forward. Your feedback is invaluable to us in making sure all aspects of the journey reflect the level of care and quality we strive for. We also appreciate your comments about the restaurants, additional charges, and expectations around cash for tips and extras. While many stops and services are standard across operators, we will review these elements carefully to improve communication and guest experience. Thank you again for your honesty and for recommending practical tips for future travelers. We hope that despite the challenges, the desert experience left you with special memories, and we would love the chance to welcome you back for a smoother and even more enjoyable adventure.

The tour was well...

Marco_M, Apr 2026

The tour was well organized, the lunch stops had low expenses and we saw many things, the guide Ismail was very helpful for our every request

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Sahara Experience

Alessandra_P, Jan 2026

Beautiful experience in the desert! Very interesting also the stages before arriving. Recommended!!

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Response from Host, Jan 2026

Grazie di cuore per la sua bellissima recensione! Siamo felici di sapere che l’esperienza nel deserto le sia piaciuta e che abbia apprezzato anche le tappe lungo il percorso prima di arrivare. Questi momenti fanno parte del viaggio e aiutano a scoprire la varietà dei paesaggi e della cultura marocchina. La sua raccomandazione significa davvero molto per noi. Saremo felici di accoglierla nuovamente in futuro per farle scoprire un altro lato del Marocco con Discover Sahara Tours!