The trip, day by day
Booking one of these is mostly booking a road journey with a dune field at the end of it. That is not a complaint: the road is the High Atlas, the kasbah country and the gorges, and it is half of why people come. This page walks through the trip in the order you will live it — the mountain crossing, the kasbahs, the gorge, the camels, the camp and the drive out — so you know what you are committing two nights to. Trips start at $71.
Quick answer
The short answer. Two nights is the honest minimum for the tall dunes. A three-day Sahara desert tour spends day one crossing the Atlas Mountains to the kasbahs, day two running east through Todra Gorge to Erg Chebbi with a camel ride and a camp, and day three driving out to Marrakech, Fes or Agadir. Two-day versions swap Erg Chebbi for the closer dunes at Zagora, from $71.
Before you start
The dunes are the destination. The Atlas, the kasbahs and the gorge are the trip.
The single most useful thing to grasp before booking a Sahara desert tour is the distance. The sand starts a long way east of Marrakech, on the far side of a mountain range, and every listing on this site is sold as a multi-day trip for that reason. There is no shorter version of the Erg Chebbi dunes: the fifteen listings here run two, three or four days and nothing less.
That shapes the whole product. You are buying a small itinerary rather than an excursion — your nights, your route, and where you will be standing on the third afternoon. It is also why the cost-per-hour figures in our table look so low. You are paying for two nights and three days of driving, guiding and camp, not for a morning.
The second thing to grasp is that the road is not dead time. The Tizi n’Tichka crossing of the High Atlas, the kasbah at Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, the palm valley of the Draa and the walls of Todra Gorge are all on the way, and the listings name them because they are the reason the drive is worth doing. A description that mentioned only the dunes would be describing about a fifth of the trip.
Every trip, current fare
All fifteen listings, two to four days. Read the length column first: it tells you whether you are buying Zagora or Erg Chebbi, and everything else follows from that.
| Tour | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech to Fes: 3-Day Luxury Sahara Desert TourCamel trekking in Erg Chebbi dunes | 72 h | $150 | Camel trekking in Erg Chebbi dunes | $2.08 | 4.8 · 676 |
| Marrakech to Fes: 3-Day Sahara Tour, Camel Ride & CampTodra Gorge and Ait Benhaddou stops | 72 h | $110 | Todra Gorge and Ait Benhaddou stops | $1.53 | 4.8 · 3,675 |
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Sahara tour with Private tent & MealsSunset camel trek at Erg Chebbi | 72 h | $45 | Sunset camel trek at Erg Chebbi | $0.62 | 4.7 · 2,415 |
| From Marrakech: 2-Day Sahara Tour to Zagora & Ait Ben HaddouSunrise and sunset over Zagora dunes | 48 h | $71 | Sunrise and sunset over Zagora dunes | $1.48 | 4.5 · 2,324 |
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Sahara Desert Adventure to FesWild apes in Middle Atlas cedars | 72 h | $108 | Wild apes in Middle Atlas cedars | $1.50 | 4.6 · 2,003 |
| From Marrakech To Fes: 3-Days with Luxury Camp, Desert TourCamel ride in Merzouga, desert camp | 72 h | $110 | Camel ride in Merzouga, desert camp | $1.53 | 4.8 · 1,313 |
| From Marrakesh: Zagora 2-Day Desert Safari with Food & CampCamel ride at sunset in Zagora | 48 h | $81 | Camel ride at sunset in Zagora | $1.69 | 4.5 · 1,178 |
| From Marrakech: 3-Day Sahara Tour to Agadir & Camel TrekEnds in Agadir on day three | 72 h | $143 | Ends in Agadir on day three | $1.99 | 4.8 · 884 |
| From Marrakech: 3-day Merzouga Desert Tour with Camel & QuadOptional quad ride in Merzouga | 72 h | $90 | Optional quad ride in Merzouga | $1.25 | 4.9 · 322 |
| Fes to Marrakech: 3-Day Sahara Tour, Camel Ride & CampStarts in Fes, ends in Marrakech | 72 h | $107 | Starts in Fes, ends in Marrakech | $1.49 | 4.8 · 140 |
| Marrakech to Fes 3 Days Sahara Desert Tour With Camel & QuadCamel trek and quad in dunes | 72 h | $183 | Camel trek and quad in dunes | $2.54 | 4.8 · 65 |
| From Marrakech: 2-Day Sahara Desert Trip to Fes or MarrakechMerzouga desert in two days | 48 h | $136 | Merzouga desert in two days | $2.83 | 4.5 · 47 |
| Marrakech to Fes 3-Day Sahara Desert TourHigh Atlas and Merzouga dunes | 72 h | $150 | High Atlas and Merzouga dunes | $2.08 | 4.6 · 31 |
| From Marrakesh: 4-Day Private Atlas Mountains & Desert TourOuarzazate, kasbahs and palm groves | 96 h | $435 | Ouarzazate, kasbahs and palm groves | $4.53 | 4.7 · 202 |
| From Marrakesh: Private 4-Day Sahara Desert Discovery TourErg Chebbi dunes and local markets | 96 h | $550 | Erg Chebbi dunes and local markets | $5.73 | 4.9 · 65 |
Day by day
Day one: the mountains and the kasbahs. Out of the city and up into the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka road, then down the far side into the ochre country around Ait Ben Haddou. Almost every three-day listing stops there; the World Heritage kasbah is the photograph people come home with. Ouarzazate follows, and then the long run east. One listing takes the northern line instead, through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas.
Day two: the gorge, then the sand. Todra Gorge in the morning on most routes, with its walls closing in over the river. Then east through Erfoud and Rissani to the edge of Erg Chebbi. The camels are saddled late in the afternoon and the ride takes you over the first ridges to the camp. This is the part of a Sahara desert tour the listings describe in the most detail, and it is the part people book for.
The night. Camps are described as tents in the dunes, with dinner and a lounge area. Twelve listings carry the Meals included label, and two of them write out exactly what that means: 2 nights, 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. If you want to know precisely what is covered, those are the listings to read.
Day three: the drive out. Here is where the listings genuinely differ. Some turn back west for Marrakech. Seven carry on north to Fes, which is a long day on the road but leaves you in a different city. One goes south-west to Agadir and the coast. This is the rare booking where the last day is a travel decision rather than a sightseeing one.
Book direct
The most reviewed trip, our top pick, the highest-rated three-day route, a two-day alternative, the run to the coast and the private four-day version.
★ 4.8 · 3,675 reviews
★ 4.8 · 676 reviews
★ 4.9 · 322 reviews
★ 4.5 · 1,178 reviews
★ 4.8 · 884 reviews
★ 4.9 · 65 reviews
The verdict
Every other decision you make here is smaller than this one, so take it first.
Two days, from $71. One night away, Zagora instead of Erg Chebbi, and noticeably less time in a vehicle. Three listings, all rated 4.5, 3,549 reviews between them. This is the right booking if your days in Morocco are counted and you would rather have the Draa Valley and a camp than the longest dunes.
Three days, from $45. Ten listings, the tall dunes, and almost all of the feedback on the site: the busiest of them holds 3,675 reviews at 4.8. Our top pick is Marrakech to Fes: 3-Day Luxury Sahara Desert Tour at $150, which carries both the Small group and Meals included labels. If you can find the second night, find it.
Four days, from $435. The same ground with the pressure taken out, and both are private. From Marrakesh: Private 4-Day Sahara Desert Discovery Tour is rated 4.9 at $550.
The honest summary: two days is a real trip and not a consolation prize, but the Erg Chebbi dunes need three.
Wondering which city you should be standing in on the last evening?
Choose by where it ends→Timing
These are the practical patterns in the listings, not predictions about the desert.
Day 1
The Atlas crossing and the kasbahs. Expect the bulk of the driving here, which is why the stops at Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate are built into almost every listing.
Day 2
Todra Gorge, the run east, and the dunes in the afternoon. Camels, then the camp. Every three-day listing builds towards this afternoon.
Day 3
Back to Marrakech, on to Fes, or south to Agadir. Book your next night in the city the listing actually ends in.
Day 4
Two listings add it. It buys time rather than new ground: Ouarzazate, the kasbahs and the palm groves stop being a photo break.
Avoid these
Each one comes out of the differences between the listings above.
You will be in the mountains on day one. The sand comes on day two of a three-day trip, and the listings that stop at Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate say so in order.
Two-day listings go to Zagora, which is closer and lower. Two of the three say Zagora in the title. Read it.
The listings describe them differently: a private tent on one, a Berber camp on another, a luxury camp on a third. If the night matters to you, choose on that line of the listing.
Day three is a driving day that finishes in Marrakech, Fes or Agadir. Give yourself the evening, not a flight.
A four-day private trip at $435 and a shared three-day trip at $110 are not the same purchase. The table above puts length, fare and rating in one row so you can see it.
Before you book
This is a multi-day commitment, so spend two minutes on these four.
Two nights is the standard. One night means Zagora. Three nights is the four-day trip.
Marrakech, Fes or Agadir. That is your next hotel booking.
Some listings write out the nights, breakfasts and dinners. Prefer the ones that do.
Where the listing offers it, hold the date now: departures are limited and the most reviewed trips fill first.
Every listing above books straight through, from $71 for two days and $150 for our top pick of the three-day routes.
Compare every trip→Common questions
Three days and two nights for the Erg Chebbi dunes, which is what ten of the fifteen listings here sell. Two days will reach the Zagora dunes instead, and four days covers the same route with time to stop properly.
Cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka road, stop at Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate, continue through Todra Gorge and the Draa Valley, ride a camel over the dunes late in the afternoon, and spend the night in a desert camp before the drive out.
In a camp at the dunes. The listings describe them in their own words: a private tent on one, a Berber camp on several, a luxury camp on another. Two listings state plainly that the price covers 2 nights, 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners.
From $71 for two days to Zagora. Most three-day routes to Erg Chebbi sit between $81 and $150, and the private four-day trips reach $550.
The reviews say yes with some force: 15,340 reviews across these fifteen listings at a weighted 4.69, and the busiest single trip holds 4.8 from 3,675 of them. The people who come back disappointed are usually the ones who booked two days expecting the tall dunes.
Most listings include it and say so in the title or the description, usually as a trek over the dunes late in the afternoon on the way to the camp. Check the listing you are booking, because a few describe the route by vehicle instead.
Go deeper
Every desert tour leaving Marrakech, sorted by how many days it takes and where it drops you.
Fes → MarrakechThe same desert route run backwards, starting in Fes and finishing in Marrakech.
Marrakech → FesSeven listings cross the desert and end in Fes instead of bringing you back.
3-day toursThe three-day run to the Erg Chebbi dunes, and what the second night buys you.
Marrakech to Fes: 3-Day Luxury Sahara Desert Tour
★ 4.8 · 676 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h