3-day morocco desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
We booked a 3-day Morocco desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga with Moroccan Global Adventures, a tour company offering a range of affordable and exciting excursions across Morocco. They offer tours connecting the cities of Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca, Tangier and Chefchaouen, plus excursions to the magical Sahara Desert. After our amazing experience in the Sahara Desert, I would highly recommend booking this Morocco desert tour (and I’m not paid to say that!)
We booked through Get Your Guide for £80 each, which includes all your transport, accommodation, breakfast, dinner and other extras like sandboarding and local guides (who you tip at the end). It’s an absolute bargain for what’s included.
Morocco desert tour day 1 – Marrakech to Tinghir
Our guide, Youssef, picked us up in the air-conditioned van early on the first morning and was immediately warm and friendly. There were about 14 people on the van from China, Romania, America, Germany, Spain and France, so it was a great way to meet people from around the world.
First stop: Terrace café with beautiful viewpoint
After about 1 hour of driving, our first stop was at a lovely café with a terrace situated on a magnificent viewpoint. We stopped for about 20 minutes, enough time to grab a cup of tea, go to the toilet and take photos of the breathtaking views, before moving on. We were lucky to be the first group to arrive, as it did get very busy with multiple tour operators stopping by, so be prepared to share the space!
Tizi n’Tichka
After another hour or so of driving, we stopped briefly at another spectacular viewpoint overlooking the Atlas Mountains. There were a couple of stalls selling souvenirs but it was very cold and windy, so we didn’t stay out of the van too long.
Women’s argan oil cooperative
A popular stop on pretty much every Morocco desert tour is a women’s argan oil cooperative, where you can meet and learn from the women producing Moroccan argan oil products and buy some if you wish. We only stopped for around 15 minutes, so we didn’t have time to buy anything. If you’re into your skincare, the products cost around 180-200 dirhams (£14 – £16). There were toilets, a café, and another beautiful viewpoint to enjoy.
Lunch
If you can, I’d recommend not going to the place where the guide takes you for lunch, L’Oasis D’or. It has pretty low reviews and there are a lot of other tour groups there which gives it a mass-tourism feel. It’s a set menu and is quite expensive compared to what you can get in the café next door, Restaurant Zaytonne, where we decided to eat instead. We politely told our guide, who didn’t mind; just let your guide know that you had planned to eat next door and make sure to be back on time.
The lunch at Restaurant Zaytonne was very tasty and affordable; I paid 55 dirhams (£4.35) for a delicious homemade vegetable tagine. The server was very friendly and gave us free traditional Moroccan biscuits afterwards. It’s right next door to where the guide drops you off, and has considerably better reviews, so I’d highly recommend eating here instead if its OK with your guide.
Ait Ben Haddou
After lunch, we were introduced to a local guide for a tour around Ait Ben Haddou. This popular place has been used as a film set for several well-known films and TV shows such as Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and more recently, Outer Banks. Even if you don’t join a tour, I’d highly recommend that you visit here!
Our guide led us on a beautiful uphill walk to the main fort, which sits overlooking the town. We weaved in and out of narrow cobble stone streets lined with traditional clay houses selling beautiful, handcrafted artwork. It’s a really lovely place to visit and not too crowded with tourists despite its popularity.
On the way to the fort, we stopped in one of the small art galleries and were given an interesting demonstration of how the artists use tea, saffron and a small flame to create incredible artwork. Once used to send secret messages between villages, this practise has been used for hundreds of years. You then have the opportunity to buy some artwork but there was no pressure; I would have loved to buy one if only it wouldn’t have been crumpled in my backpack!
At the top, you can see the remnants of a large fort, which was destroyed during the recent earthquake in September 2023. There is a beautiful view of the town and the mountains at the top.
Afterwards, we stopped at a shop for ice cream and tipped our guide before heading back into the van. I’d recommend carrying plenty of cash so that you’re able to tip your guides throughout the trip. We tipped around 75 dirham (£5) each but you can tip more or less depending on your experience and budget, there really isn’t any pressure or judgement.
Tinghir
The final chunk of driving was 3 hours towards Tinghir. On the way, we drove through the stunning Valley of Dades, where we stopped for a group photo, and the Valley of Roses. Despite the long drive, it was really nice to just sit and watch the world go by. The scenery is great as you pass through remote villages and towns.
We arrived at our hotel in the early evening and were surprised and delighted by the accommodation: a 4-star hotel with an outdoor pool, private balcony overlooking Tinghir, and double bedroom with private ensuite.
After a hot shower we were able to have an alcoholic drink at the bar; I highly recommend trying the Casablanca lemon beer, even if you don’t like regular beer! We then had a very nice 3 course dinner with our tour group, which consisted of traditional Moroccan dishes: vegetable soup, tagine and couscous.
After dinner, we enjoyed Casablancas on our balcony before going to bed ready for an early start the next morning.
Day 2: Todra palm grove and Todra Gorge
We set off bright and early the next morning towards the famous Todra Gorge. After a short journey, we arrived at Todra Palm Groves. We met our local guide for the day, Ahmad, a wildly happy man who spoke 6 languages and made us all laugh with his eccentric manner.
Berber rug cooperative
Ahmad took us to a local Berber rug cooperative, where 35 families live and work making beautiful handmade Moroccan rugs. We were all given Moroccan mint tea and invited to sit down for a demonstration. The rugs are made using wool from camels and sheep and natural dyes like saffron, rose and lavender. The women spend about 3-4 hours each a day making the rugs, which take up to 6 months to complete. The children go to school but are also taught how to make rugs by 10 years old. It was very impressive to see. The quality of the rugs was incredible, (I wish we’d had room to bring one home!) but there was no pressure to buy anything.
Todra Palm Grove and Gorge
Ahmad then guided us along the beautiful Todra Palm Grove, a beautiful oasis of palm trees interspersed with gardens and orchards, ran by local women. There are a range of fruit trees, from apples to figs, almonds and peaches, plus gardens of mint, carrots and squash growing abundantly.
Please note that the women working in the gardens did not want to be photographed – someone in our tour took a photo of them and they were not happy! Be respectful to those working and point your camera away from them.
We then walked through the incredible Todra Gorge, an immense canyon over 400 metres high carved by the Todra River. If you’re planning your own trip, I’d recommend staying here longer to go climbing or hiking.
This was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip and Ahmad made it all the merrier. We tipped 75 dirhams (about £5) each, before heading to our lunch stop. We ate lunch in Restaurant Reda, which was 100 dirham (£8) for a 3 course set menu of omelette, mixed vegetables, chips, Moroccan pastries and a tea.
The Merzouga Desert
On the way to the desert, we stopped at a small place where they dressed us up in traditional clothing and took some group photos, which was quite fun.
Camel ride
After a fantastic second day, we finally arrived in Merzouga, a town in the Sahara Desert. Our guide dropped us off and we were informed that we were riding camels to the campsite, something I’d been hoping to avoid since I did not think it would be a particularly ethical activity.
To be honest, it wasn’t a great experience, and I wouldn’t recommend camel riding if you can avoid it. The camels didn’t look well looked after and the handlers were kicking them in order to get them to stand up. It was an extremely uncomfortable and awkward 1-hour ride and felt very much intended for mass-tourism rather than a truly authentic experience. We both felt guilty that we’d taken part and the next morning we decided to walk back to the van (as did several other couples!) rather than camel ride. I’d recommend the walk as its far less painful and you have more opportunity to take some great photos!
How travellers can help camels in Morocco
SPANA: The charity for working animals in Morocco
Camping under the stars
The camp was beautifully set up, with tents laid out in rows with a wooden boardwalk running through the middle, illuminated by lanterns. There was a lovely seating area with rugs and cushions lit up by outdoor fairy lights.
Before dinner, we enjoyed sandboarding, playing football and relaxing on the sand dunes drinking Moroccan mint tea. We were then taken to our tent which was basic but had everything you need for 1 night, and the bed had plenty of blankets for the cold night ahead!
We opted for the standard camping option, so we had our own tent with shared toilets and showers. If you’re travelling as a couple or in a group, you’ll have your own tent, however if you are travelling alone, you may be asked to share with someone. The facilities were generally clean and well-maintained, and we didn’t experience any long queues, so if you’re a couple or a group on a budget I’d definitely recommend the standard option.
However, if you have a bigger budget, or you’re travelling alone and don’t want to risk having to share a tent with someone, you can opt for the luxury camping option for £70 more (just select this option when you book). You’ll be in a different camp which was beautifully decorated, and you’ll have your own toilet and shower in your tent.
We had a lovely 3-course dinner with the rest of the camp (more tagine and couscous!) before enjoying live traditional music and dancing, which was a lot of fun. There were a small range of drinks available including wine and beer.
We then walked away from the illuminated camp into the darkness of the dunes to go stargazing. The darkness of the desert allows the sky to be a blanket of stars and it was a truly incredible experience; I’d highly recommend walking a few minutes away from your camp to where there is no light pollution – don’t worry, there are so many camps around that you will never be too far away from civilisation, but do take a friend, your phone and a torch.
After, we headed back to our tent and went to sleep; the temperature drops to around 10 degrees at night, but they give you plenty of blankets so we weren’t cold in bed – just make sure to bring some thermals and a thick jumper so you can enjoy the stars.
Day 3: Back to Marrakech
A magical sunrise
Our guides woke us up at 5:30am and we had breakfast with our tour group – omelettes, yoghurt, fruit, bread, and some traditional Moroccan pancakes with honey. At 6am, we said goodbye to our desert camp and began the 1-hour walk across the beautiful sand dunes back to the van. Along the way, we stopped for around 10-15 minutes to see the most magical sunrise we’ve ever seen – it was truly incredible and made the 5:30am wake up worth it!
Back to Marrakech
We then arrived back at the van and set off on the long 8-hour journey back to Marrakech. After such a busy trip and an early start, it was really nice to settle into our seats and watch the desert turn into mountains, mountains into towns, towns into the city. Our driver gave us plenty of breaks and at lunchtime we had a buffet of different tagines, couscous, fresh salads, lentil curries and pasta dishes.
We arrived in Marrakech around 6pm and our guide dropped us off to our hostel for the night. After having a lot of Moroccan food in the past 3 days, we treated ourselves to some great pizza and gelato in Limoni, a beautiful Italian-owned restaurant. I’d recommend booking ahead if you can as when we arrived 10 minutes before opening time, there was already a queue! Pizza’s were around 100-120 dirhams (£8-£10) each, so by no means the cheapest you can find in Marrakech, but they were absolutely worth it.
Overall, what an incredible trip – I’d highly recommend booking this Morocco desert tour, especially for such an affordable price!
