Day trips from marrakech to sahara desert

Enjoy 2 days and an overnight stay night in Zagora, watching the sun rise and set over the Zagora dunes.

About this activity

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Covid-19 precautions

Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.

Duration 2 days

Check availability to see starting times.

Live tour guide

English, French, Spanish

Pickup included

Pickup is available from all Marrakech hotels. For guest houses and riads, the pickup will be from the closest point accessible by van. This location will be provided the day before the activity.

48 hours

  • Ait Benhaddou (sightseeing)

  • Ait Benhaddou (free time)

  • Zagora (dinner, camp activities, sunset)

Pickup included

Main stop

Other stop

  • Discover the Sahara during a trip from Marrakech
  • Visit impressive UNESCO World Heritage Sites
  • Enjoy a camel trek in the sunset and sunrise
  • Feast on a dinner at a campsite in the Zagora dunes
  • Explore the Atlas Mountains, Ait Ben Haddou, and Ouarzazate

Discover Ouarzazate and Zagora on this 2-day trip from Marrakech. Visit the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou fortress and admire stunning views of the Atlas mountains. Ride camel through the Sahara during the sunset. Savor a local dinner and breakfast and stay overnight in a tent at the Zagora dunes. 

Day 1:

Begin with early-morning pickup from Marrakech. Travel through the dessert sandstone city of Ouarzazate. Stop at the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, where you will have free time to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Continue to the verdant Draa Valley, which is well-known for its amazing ksour and kasbah. Head to Zagora and make your way to the windswept dunes for a sunset camel ride. Make camp at a campsite in the Zagora dunes and enjoy a hearty dinner of local flavors.

Day 2:

Wake early morning for a typical Berber breakfast before watching the sunrise from the back of your camel in the dunes. Board the bus and take the road back to Marrakech through the High Atlas Mountains.

  • Transportation
  • Camel ride
  • Overnight stay in tents
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Lunch and drinks
  • Entrance to kasbah
  • Local Guide

What to bring

  • Comfortable shoes
  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat
  • Camera
  • Long pants

Not allowed

  • Pets
  • Smoking in the vehicle

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How do you get from Marrakech to Sahara Desert?

The easiest way to get from Marrakech to the Sahara is to join a private or a group tour, but if you would prefer to make your own way there then there are several options including private transfer, rental car, tourist bus, and even via helicopter/chartered flight in a single-engine propeller aircraft like a Cirrus 22 ...

How long does it take from Marrakech to Sahara Desert?

Visiting the Sahara Desert from Marrakech is the most common way to access it. But it's not close! It's typically about 12 hours to the desert (one way), spread across two days of transit on the way there and then one full day on the way back.

Can you go to the desert from Marrakech?

The 2 closest desert areas from Marrakech are Erg Chebbi near Merzouga, and Erg Chiggaga near Mhamid. Erg Chebbi is the more popular of the 2 with travellers, given its higher, colourful dunes, though reports vary concerning the actual heights of the dunes in both places.

Is Marrakech close to the Sahara desert?

Marrakech is the main door to the Sahara Desert in Morocco for millions of visitors each year. It is currently one of the favourite things to do in the country. The two most popular areas of this arid region are called Zagora and Merzouga.