- My First impression of Morocco, on the First Day of a Major Islamic Holiday
- I Regret Shark Cage Diving in South Africa
- 12 Essentials For Your African Safari Packing List
- What To Expect on a Budget Africa Overland Tour
- 17 Fun Things to See and Do in Cape Town
- South Africa and Namibia’s Beauty is Overshadowed by the Ugliness of White Supremacy
- Skydiving in Namibia’s Adventure Capital
- I Got Stung By a Scorpion in Africa
- Morocco – Everything You Need To Know Before You Go
- Essaouira- Morocco’s Surf and Art Town
- 16 Things to Do and See in Fes – Morocco’s Ancient City
- Akchour Waterfall – Morocco’s Lost Paradise
- Volubilis – Morocco’s Ancient Roman City
- A Trip to the Sahara Desert in Morocco
- Morocco 2.0 – Sometimes a Place Deserves a Second Chance
- Chefchaouen – Morocco’s Blue Pearl
- My Experience in Fes – The “Real” Morocco
- 20 Things to Do and See in Marrakesh
- 16 Fun Things to Do in Tangier
- Bungee Jumping at Victoria Falls
- Top Things to See in Botswana on a Budget
- Angel’s Pool at Victoria Falls in Zambia
- Top Things to Do at Victoria Falls – Africa’s Adventure Capital
- Top Things to See and Do in Namibia
- Southern and East Africa – Everything You Need To Know Before You Go
When you travel to Morocco, visiting the Sahara Desert will likely be high on your list. At the end of my 3 week trip in Morocco, I booked a 3 day, 2 night group tour from Marrakesh to the dunes of Erg Chebbi in the Sahara Desert.
Over 2 days, we made the long drive from Marrakesh to Merzouga, where the Sahara Desert begins. From here you ride a camel to a Berber camp, where you stay overnight in the desert.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON A 3D/2N TOUR TO THE SAHARA DESERT IN MOROCCO
DAY 1
The tour starts with an early morning pickup in Marrakesh (or you can start the tour from Fes). After about an hour of waiting around for everyone to arrive and get organized, our van finally left and drove about 50 metres and stopped at the gas station to get fuel 😂. From there, we drove into the High Atlas Mountains and across the Tizi N Tichka pass at 2260m, enjoying the views and Berber villages below.
After 200km of driving through the mountains, you reach the town of Ouarzazate, which is known as the “door to the desert”. This is where you’ll find Aït Benhaddou, the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site and ksar, a fortified thousand year old Berber village. In its day, Aït Benhaddou was a strategic stop for caravans of camels on the trans-Saharan trade route. Now, it’s a popular location for filming and once you see it, you’ll understand why. Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Alexander, Babel, Prince of Persia, Kingdom of Heaven and Game of Thrones were all filmed here.
After lunch, you continue the scenic drive, with a few stops along the way, to Dades Gorge, where you have dinner and spend the night in a basic hotel in the mountains.
DAY 2
After breakfast, you start on another scenic drive, passing through more Berber villages to get to Tineghir and Todgha Gorge. You stop here for a short walk to stretch your legs and enjoy the scenic nature.
Later, you stop at a Berber carpet shop, which is such a typical tourist trap, but after lusting after the beautiful carpets all over Turkey and Morocco, I finally caved and bought a carpet. They’re honestly so beautiful and very affordable, especially if you bargain them down to at least 50% of their asking price. And they can fold and wrap a carpet impressively compact to fit in your luggage.
I also highly recommend buying a blue Berber scarf. A few years later, it’s still my favorite scarf and it has been all over the world with me. You can only buy these scarves near the desert. There are similar scarves in the medinas in the cities, but they’re not the same.
Then you continue the journey to Merzouga and Erb Chebbi, where your caravan of camels is waiting.
Then you take a 1.5-2 hour camel trek through the Sahara Desert sand dunes at sunset to reach the Berber camp.
Upon arrival, you have dinner with everyone and then the Berbers sing and play drums for everyone. The stargazing is amazing in the desert because it’s so far from the city lights.
DAY 3
It’s an early wake up call to see the sunrise over the sand dunes. I climbed a very high sand dune to see the sunrise (which is not easy, especially first thing in the morning- think one step forward and two steps back).
The last day of the 3D/2N tour is literally all spent in transport (and stops for food and toilet). It’s a 14 hour journey, from the Berber tent back to Marrakesh. Which is gross.
You can ride a camel out of the desert, but many others and I opted to ride on the roof of a dune jeep because our bodies couldn’t face another 1.5-2 hours on a camel. Once out of the desert, it’s a 12 hour journey back to Marrakesh.
Instead of returning to Marrakesh, you can go to Fes instead (or vice versa, if you started the tour in Fes), in which case you’ll see a little more and it’s a convenient way to get to Fes, if you’re planning on going there anyway. I would’ve done that had I not been to Fes already.
MY EXPERIENCE
It’s always nice to get out of the cities and see nature and the rural towns in any country you visit. This tour makes it very easy and convenient to see these kinds of places.
I did the generic budget tour, so the camp was very basic (no showers or toilets), which was fine for me. But a few of us got mild food poisoning, most likely from the food served in the desert. I did question how they kept food safe out there. I also questioned how and how often the bedding was washed, if ever.
The 3D/2N Sahara Desert tour was A LOT of driving. We were only in the desert for about 12 hours, and most of that time was spent in transit on camels/jeeps or sleeping, because we arrived at the camp after sunset and left very early the next morning. But I suppose there’s only so much you can do in the desert and it’s about the journey, not the destination. I think the 4D/3N tour would be much better because it eliminates the 14 hour transit day.
I learned that at no point in your life should you ever ride a camel for longer than 20-30 mins. Everything will hurt, no matter how young or old you are.
Overall, it was a good experience and I met a lot of great people, but I don’t overly recommend the 3D/2N tour, unless that’s all the time you have. If you have more time, definitely do the 4D/3N tour instead.
NEED TO KNOW
In case this wasn’t clear, the Sahara Desert is REALLY far away (it’s a few kilometres from Algeria). Therefore, it’s impossible to take a day trip to the Sahara Desert from Fes or Marrakesh. A 3D/2N tour is the minimum amount of time you’ll need, but a 4D/3N is recommended.
You can visit the dunes of Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga from Fes or Marrakesh.
The transport will have AC. But the camels do not 😉
It’s a good idea to cover up, due to the strong sun and the culture. Morocco is quite conservative and the rural areas are especially conservative, so shoulders and knees should be covered, for men and women.
If you don’t want to rough it in a Berber camp, luxury tours, accommodation and upgrades are available.
On a budget tour, the sand dunes are your toilet. I was told to go with someone and to not go too far because the Berber camp is right beside Algeria and without a defined border in the desert and with unrest in Algeria, kidnappings are a risk.
Breakfasts and dinners are included, but lunches and drinks are not.
MORE INFORMATION ON TRAVELING MOROCCO
What to Know Before You Go to Morocco
What To Know Before You Go to North Africa And The Middle East
16 Fun Things To Do in Tangier
Chefchaouen – Morocco’s Blue Pearl
20 Things to Do and See in Marrakesh
Akchour Waterfall – Morocco’s Lost Paradise
16 Things to See and Do in Fes – Morocco’s Ancient City
Essaouira – Morocco’s Surf and Art Town
Volublis – Morocco’s Ancient Roman City
I have a trip planned for May, is there a booking agency you would suggest for tours around Marrakech? We are looking forward to camel rides through the Sahara also.
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I went to a lot of different travel agencies in Marrakech to compare and there only seems to be two different types of desert tours- budget with a group or private, more upscale and expensive. There didn’t seem to be any in between. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter too much where you book because all the tour agencies combine their customers to fill tours. But definitely shop around, bargain and bring cash! Most don’t take credit cards.
Thanks for the tips! I love bargaining when on vacation, its fun!