While we have poured passion and expertise into all our Morocco luxury holiday packages, this is secretly one of our favorites! Starting and finishing in Marrakech, this is a well-paced desert quest with two unforgettable nights in the wild desert dunes of Erg Chigaga.
On this trip, you will see some of South Morocco’s most amazing landscapes, from the High Atlas Mountains to the palm groves of the Draa Valley. You will immerse yourself in the Moroccan cultural experience when traversing traditional villages where many homes are made of clay. You’ll visit the Kasbah Telouet, the Ksar of Ait Benhaddou, an ancient library, and a pottery producing emerald green dishes.
On this desert excursion from Marrakech, your accommodations include a typical type of Kasbah hotel (or luxury private villas for an additional fee). But most importantly of all, you will have a full day in the Sahara, allowing you to experience its wonders to the fullest!
Check out the full trip itinerary below. If you’re looking for more adventure inspiration, browse our full range of desert excursions from Marrakech and luxury desert tours from Fes. If you have any pre-booking questions about this or any of our other Morocco luxury holiday packages, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Marrakech
This tour doesn’t run in July and August and is not recommended for small children under the age of five due to the difficulty of getting medical help inside the Erg Chigaga desert dunes. You should also consider the driving distances for the elderly and small children.
You do not need any special equipment for this luxury desert tour from Marrakech. However, if you are traveling in the summer, please bring a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses. When riding camels, we recommend wearing longer pants as opposed to shorts and skirts. Sandals may also slip off your feet, so consider wearing light sports shoes.
Winter nights are cold in the desert, so warm jackets, layers, and even hats are a great addition to your suitcase if traveling at this time of year! And remember, sand gets everywhere, so keep any expensive equipment you may have in zip-lock bags.
Please get in touch if you have any further questions.
Your driver will collect you from your hotel or riad in Marrakech in the morning. We start traveling to the peaks of the High Atlas Mountains, crossing them on our way to Ouarzazate. This is an incredible drive with amazing views of the local Berber villages. We travel along the Ounila route, taking in unparalleled views and visiting the Glaoui Kasbah of Telouet and later the famous UNESCO-protected Ksar of Ait BenHaddou. Passing Ouarzazate, we travel through barren gorges before reaching the Draa palm groves. We spend the first night in the Draa oasis.
Today’s drive will take us along the Draa Valley towards the principal town of Zagora. If you are interested, we can stop in Amzrou to visit the ancient medina where Jewish and Muslim people once worked and lived beside each other. There is a restored synagogue that we can also visit. We then continue onto Tamengroute, the famous green pottery center renowned across Morocco. You can view the dish-making process here, from mud on pottery wheels to curing in the earthy oven. As we start approaching Mhamid, the last town in the area, the palm groves disappear, and the road dissolves into nothing. We drive off-road for around two hours until we reach the wilderness of the Erg Chigaga desert dunes.
Settle in your tents and then head off into the desert for your camel trek, admiring the surrealistic desert landscape around you.
At nightfall, we enjoy dinner followed by a campfire and drum music.
We recommend waking up early to see the magic of a Saharan sunrise. After breakfast, we leave for Marrakech. We set out on another off-road experience, this time toward the Fata Morgana Lake of Iriquie and Foum Zquid. Here, we meet a paved road again and travel along the Anti-Atlas Mountains to the Berber carpet capital of Morocco, Taznakht. Further along the road, we meet with the High Atlas Mountains, crossing them on our way back to Marrakech.
