2 Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Zagora
Short on time but keen to sleep in the desert? This private overnight trip crosses the High Atlas to Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate, then follows the Draa Valley, a 100 km corridor of date palms, kasbahs and mud-brick villages, to the dunes near Zagora. You ride a camel at sunset, spend the night in a desert camp and are back in Marrakech the next evening.
- Duration: 2 days, 1 night
- Starts and ends: Marrakech
- Route: Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Draa Valley → Zagora → Marrakech
- Driving: about 7 hours each way, with stops
- Price: on request, depends on group size and camp level
Highlights
- The switchbacks of the Tizi n'Tichka pass and Berber villages of the High Atlas
- A guided visit to the fortified ksar of Ait Ben Haddou
- The Draa Valley's palm groves, the longest oasis in Morocco
- A camel ride over the Tinfou dunes as the sun goes down
- Dinner and Berber music at a desert camp under a huge night sky
- The film studios and Taourirt kasbah in Ouarzazate on the way back
Day by Day
Day 1: Marrakech → Ait Ben Haddou → Draa Valley → Zagora desert
Your driver collects you at 7:30. After crossing the Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, you stop at Ait Ben Haddou for a walk up through the ksar to the old granary at the top. Lunch is in Ouarzazate, then the road climbs over the Anti-Atlas at Tizi n'Tinifift and drops into the Draa Valley, with views over endless palms and kasbahs. In the late afternoon you meet your cameleer near Zagora and ride to camp for sunset, dinner and music around the fire.
Day 2: Zagora → Ouarzazate → Marrakech
After breakfast at camp you ride back to the vehicle and drive north along the valley, stopping at an old kasbah or a pottery village such as Tamegroute, known for its green-glazed ceramics and ancient Koranic library. Lunch is in Ouarzazate before crossing the Atlas again. Arrival in Marrakech around 19:00.
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver
- 1 night in a desert camp, with dinner and breakfast
- Camel ride to and from the camp
- Local guide in Ait Ben Haddou
- Fuel, tolls and bottled water
Not included: lunches, entrance fees, luxury camp upgrade, tips.
Good to Know
- Zagora or Merzouga? The Zagora dunes are smaller than Erg Chebbi, but they are reachable in one day from Marrakech. For the big golden dunes, choose our 3 day Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour.
- Long days: expect about 14 hours of driving over two days. A third day makes the trip much more relaxed.
- Best time: October to April.
- Just one evening? Try our Agafay desert sunset and dinner, 40 minutes from Marrakech.