If you only have two days, Zagora is the realistic desert destination from Marrakech. It is much closer than Merzouga, and a night in a desert camp is possible without three days on the road.
This guide explains the route, what the Zagora dunes are like, who the trip suits and when it is better to choose another desert.
The road leaves Marrakech and climbs the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, then drops towards Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou before following the Draa Valley, a long ribbon of palm groves and kasbahs, down to Zagora. The scenery is the main reward, so plan stops rather than racing. Read the Zagora guide for the town and surroundings.
Day 1: early start from Marrakech, cross the Atlas, visit Aït Benhaddou, have lunch in Ouarzazate, continue through the Draa Valley and reach the dunes near Zagora for a camel ride at sunset and a night in camp. Day 2: sunrise, breakfast and the drive back to Marrakech with a stop on the way. Both days include 6 to 7 hours of driving, so it is a busy trip.
The dunes near Zagora and Tinfou are lower and less dramatic than the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga or the remote Erg Chigaga near M'Hamid. They are perfectly good for a first camel ride, a camp night and a sense of the desert, but if the big, towering dunes are your goal you should plan three days and choose Merzouga. Our private Sahara tour planning guide compares the options.
Group tours to Zagora are cheap but long and rigid. On a private tour you control the pace, stop for photos in the Draa Valley and pick a better camp. See our 2-day private tour from Marrakech to Zagora and the full range of private Sahara tours from Marrakech.
If you have three days or more, Merzouga gives the classic high dunes and the widest choice of luxury camps, which our luxury desert camps guide covers. If you are travelling between cities, the Marrakech to Fes desert tour is a better use of a third day. October to April is the best season; summer is very hot.
Yes, but realistically only Zagora. Merzouga needs at least three days.
About 360 km, around 6 to 7 hours by road with stops.
They are smaller than Merzouga but fine for a first desert night. For tall dunes, choose Merzouga or Erg Chigaga.
It involves 6 to 7 hours of driving each day, so it suits travellers who accept long days. Three days is more comfortable.
October to April. Summer is very hot and winter nights are cold.
Tell us your dates and group size, and we will arrange a private 2-day desert trip from Marrakech to Zagora with driver, guide and a comfortable camp.
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