Four days from Marrakech to the Erg Chigaga dunes and back.
Photos from the route of this private tour over 4 days: Marrakech, Telouet, Ait Ben Haddou, M'hamid, Zagora, Erg Chigaga and Marrakech.
Set off on a memorable desert Trip from Marrakech with our 4-day tour, which is perfect for exploring the high dunes. On this journey, you will travel over the Atlas Mountains and pass through North Africa’s highest mountain pass, visit kasbahs, and oases, and follow ancient caravan routes, while also experiencing Berber villages and the carpet capital of Morocco. The highlight of the tour is undoubtedly the desert, where our experienced drivers will take you off-road through various desert landscapes before arriving at the desert camp.
Day-by-day plan of this private tour from Marrakech and back, over 4 days.
On Day 1, we depart from your Marrakech hotel or riad at 8 am in our comfortable and air-conditioned 4×4 car. Our first stop is the spectacular High Atlas Mountains, where we cross the twisting pass of Tizi n Tichka. We drive through the Ounila Valley to visit the restored Kasbah in Telouet, which belonged to the powerful Glaoui family. We then continue for another hour until we reach the famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After exploring the city on foot with a local guide and having lunch, we drive through the city of Ouarzazate, also known as Morocco's Hollywood, to reach Agdz, where we will spend the night in a guesthouse.
Overnight: Hotel or riad in Agdz
On Day 2, after breakfast, we visit the Tamnougalt Kasbah, one of the oldest kasbahs in the valley, before continuing further south towards the desert town of Zagora, where we have lunch in a beautiful riad. After lunch, we drive to the nomadic village of M’hamid El Ghizlane, where the paved road ends and the desert begins. We spend the evening in the dunes close to the village, sleeping in nomad tents in a desert camp.
Overnight: Desert camp at the dunes near M'hamid
On Day 3, after breakfast, we return to M’hamid by camel, which takes approximately 2 hours. From M’hamid, we start our off-road journey into the desert with our 4×4 car, passing different landscapes of the desert, such as reg, erg, hammada, and oases. We reach the desert camp situated by the high dunes of Erg Chigaga, where we experience the extraordinary feeling of freedom and desert silence. We try sandboarding and watch a fantastic sunset behind the dunes before dinner is served in the restaurant tent. After dinner, the nomads play traditional music around the fire, and we can sing along if we desire. We sleep in nomad tents, or outside, under the starlit sky.
Overnight: Desert camp at Erg Chigaga
On Day 4, after breakfast, we depart around 8 am and head off-road across the desert to Lake Iriki, a dried-out lake, following the old route of the rally Paris-Dakar. After approximately 3 hours off-road, we reach the paved roads and the town of Foum Zguid, where we stop for refreshments before continuing to Taznakht village, famous for its Berber carpets. We have lunch here before crossing the High Atlas mountains once again on the way back to Marrakech, where we arrive in the late afternoon.
Price per person for your own private tour. The larger your group, the less each person pays.
1–2 people
€460
per person
100% Private Tour3–4 people
€414
per person
100% Private Tour5–6 people
€391
per person
100% Private TourMore than 6 people
€377
per person
100% Private TourWhat the price of this tour covers, and what you pay for separately.
A fantastic experience, very hospitable and delicious food. Erch chegaga was an unforgettable experience. I am here now for the second time and feel at home here. Aziz the driver will never forget you...the dromedaries are very funny...I will definitely come back
We took a 4 day guided tour with Abidine and it was a fabulous experience. Right from the start, Abdoul/ yousef were flexible when it came to customising our itinerary and including all the details we wanted.
We had Hamid as our guide and driver. We spent 4 days with him on the road and it was a fabulous experience, seeing Morocco with all the local insights.
Everyone was so thoughtful and attentive, including the staff / owners at the various accommodations we stayed at.
Can’t recommend this enough. This tour was a big part of our trip being memorable. Thank you 🙏 Abidine for everything.
Before visiting Marocco I have made some extensive research through the internet, searching for various tour guides and asking for a price offer and pictures about the accomodation and car.
I have received several answers and in the end me and my boyfriend came to the conclusion that, -at least for us- a luxury camp wouldn´t be worth the money, which in the end also was the ride decision.
What I can tell about private desert tours is that we have been happy in all regards:
Our guide was super friendly and helpful (Ismael <3 ) and willing to support us in any question or wishes
The car was very comfortable and suitable for a desert trip (4x4 which is important for desert)
Also the tour was perfect! We choose the tour "Marrakech desert trip Chigaga Dunes Riding Camel Sandboarding" and slept two nights in the desert. What is good about the tour, that it goes through Erg Chigaga (which is important, as it is the biggest desert in Marocco and includes offroad driving which is more adventurous and not included in all tours. Usually the cheaper ones are not driving through the dunes and the car is a usual mini bus that can´t do offraod driving)
Furtherone the tour included camel riding (very nice :)) and sandboarding (we weren´t really talented but probably also very nice when you now how to do it)
Finally the tour also included all meals that where suuuuper delicous (freshly prepared and better than in some luxury restaurants that we have visited in Marrakesh) and the accomodations very clean(all bed sheets fresh etc. so that even my boyfriend felt comfortable who is usually very picky in this regard :) )
As a summary I can only recommend this tour to everybody, I was definately a very remindful experience and we felt save throughout the whole trip, as our guide was a local, born in the desert and new the area very well.
The next time we would choose to spend more time the beautiful desert instead of stressful Marrakesh! :)
All the best,
Michael and Christina
We had an absolutely fabulous time and would like to thank you for arranging everything for us.
The clear highlight of the trip was the days we spent in the desert. We really wanted to create an "adventure" feeling for our trip, especially for our kids (5 and 8yrs). Since we live in an Alps in France surrounded by snow for 4 months of the year, I'm sure you can imagine that a visit to the desert was something truly different - just the ticket for an adventure! With a good balance between traveling in the land cruiser and the camels, along with the good quality of the camps, it all added up to be to a great time ... and the experiences of climbing the dunes at Chegaga will stay with us for a long time!!
We'd especially like say that Abdou was fantastic and made a wonderfully positive contribution to our holiday. His rapport with our kids was just great and, whilst not surprisingly they got a bit bored from time to time looking at decoration and listening to the history of the Kasbahs, the fun they had with Abdou more than made up for that. Its rare that you meet someone who is so genuine and full of life and simply happy to be doing what he's doing. He was fantstastic!
I had a wonderful experience with Private Desert Tours. Everything went very smoothly, and my trip was even better than I had imagined it would be. Accompanied by a terrific guide (who really knew his way around the desert because he came from a nomad family) and two other tourists, I traveled to Erg Chegaga by 4X4 vehicle. The ride into the desert was exciting; it was fun to watch how our guide skillfully navigated the bumpy terrain. We stopped along the way at a well, where our guide provided water for some cute donkeys who were "loitering" there. We arrived at our lovely bivouac, Bivouac Sous Les Etoiles, decorated in traditional style. The lodging, in tents, was extremely clean and comfortable. Big, thick blankets kept me toasty warm at night. There was also a very clean bathroom with Western-style toilets and showers. The desert was simply enchanting; on our first afternoon there, we climbed the dunes to watch the gorgeous sunset. Such a beautiful, peaceful experience! In the evenings, we were served delicious tagines which we ate with the four other guests who were also staying at the bivouac. After dinner, we would all gather around a campfire, gazing up at the star-filled sky (we even saw a few shooting stars), and listening to the guys who worked at the camp playing music on traditional Moroccan drums. The breakfasts were delicious and offered plenty of different options. On our way back out of the desert, our guide stopped at a few scenic points to let us take some photos. I had such a wonderful time that I wished I could have stayed longer. Book a trip with Private Desert Tours; you won't be disappointed!
Very nice experience, with a great atmosphere and beautiful views! Highly recommended!
or review us on Tripadvisor · Google
It is a private tour. Only your own party travels in the vehicle with your driver-guide, there are no fixed departure dates, and no other travelers join along the way. Every tour on this site runs this way.
It takes 4 days. Pickup on day 1 is at your hotel, riad or the airport in Marrakech. On the last day you are dropped back at your hotel or the airport in Marrakech. Our driver meets you at the pickup point between the departure time and 30 minutes after it.
The price is per person and depends on the size of your group: EUR 460 for 1 or 2 people, EUR 414 for 3 or 4, EUR 391 for 5 or 6, and EUR 377 for 7 or more. A solo traveller pays the 2-person price and children count as full travellers. A 30% deposit confirms the booking; send us your dates and we confirm within 24 hours.
Cancel more than 50 days before the departure date and you get a full refund. Cancellations less than 50 days before departure, and no-shows, are not refunded. Tickets for events or attractions and airport transfers are non-refundable. The full booking terms are on our Terms and Conditions page.
Most days are spent in a private vehicle, with stops for short walks in kasbahs, gorges and villages. The camel ride to the desert camp takes about one to two hours; if you would rather not ride, tell us when booking. Tell us about any mobility, dietary or medical needs in writing before you confirm and we plan the days around them.
Yes. The day-by-day plan on this page is a starting point. You can add a night, swap a stop, change the pace or combine it with another route; we confirm the changes and the price in writing before you book.
Set off on an exhilarating 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Erg Chigaga, one of the most remote and untouched sand dunes in the Moroccan Sahara. This incredible journey offers an authentic desert experience, taking you through varied landscapes, historic sites, and fascinating Berber villages. Enjoy the atmosphere of the Sahara, starlit nights, and unparalleled cultural encounters on this adventure.
4 days / 3 nights
Four days to the Merzouga dunes and back, with the long drive split over two days.
4 days / 3 nights
Four days with a night in a luxury camp at the Erg Chebbi dunes.
4 days / 3 nights
Four days to a luxury camp at Erg Chigaga, far from the other camps.
