Marrakech desert tour: which desert fits the days you have
A Marrakech desert tour can last half a day or several, and the days you have decide the desert. With half a day or a full day, go to the Agafay Desert, Marrakech, Morocco: a stone desert 40 to 60 minutes by road from the city. With two days and one night, Zagora's smaller dunes are within reach, about 360 km by road according to kimkim; a night in an Agafay camp fits the same two days with far less driving. With three days and two nights or more, go to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes, about 560 km by car according to Viaje en Marruecos.
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Pick your days: which desert tour from Marrakech fits
Choose the days you can give the desert, counting from your bed in Marrakech back to it. The answer is the farthest desert whose shortest trip, with an evening in the desert, fits inside those days. More days never send you to a nearer desert, and fewer never stretch you to a farther one. The table under the chooser shows every answer at once.
Days you have, based in Marrakech
Three days: Merzouga
Half a day
Agafaystone desert of rocky hills
Shortest trip: half a day, no night needed
An afternoon outing with a sunset ride and dinner, back in the city the same night. The drive is short enough to go out after lunch and be back in the city the same evening.
- From Marrakech
- 40 to 60 minutes by road, as operators state it; about 45 minutes, the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated
One day
Agafaystone desert of rocky hills
Shortest trip: half a day, no night needed
A full day still points to Agafay: leave in the morning for a longer outing that takes in the foothills or the lake. The drive is short enough to go out after lunch and be back in the city the same evening.
- From Marrakech
- 40 to 60 minutes by road, as operators state it; about 45 minutes, the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated
Two days
Zagorastony desert with smaller dunes than Erg Chebbi
Shortest trip: two days, one night
Zagora has the dunes nearest to Marrakech. Expect most of both days on the road; a night in an Agafay camp also fits two days, with far less driving. The road out takes the first day and ends with the evening and night in Zagora's dunes; the road back takes the second.
- From Marrakech
- about 360 km by road, the travel agency kimkim; about 7 hours by road, the travel agency kimkim
- Zagora from Ouarzazate
- about 4 hours, listed as a day trip by the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated
Three days
Merzougathe sand sea of Erg Chebbi
Shortest trip: three days, two nights
The tall dunes of Erg Chebbi. The shortest trip that reaches them and comes back. The road is too long for one push there and back around a single night; a night on the way out, one at Erg Chebbi and the drive back fill three days.
- From Marrakech
- about 560 km by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; 560 km, not stated whether by road, the travel agency kimkim; 8 to 9 hours by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; around 10 to 13 hours, mode not stated, the travel agency kimkim
- Merzouga from Errachidia
- about 2.5 hours, listed as a day trip by the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated
Four days or more
Merzougathe sand sea of Erg Chebbi
Shortest trip: three days, two nights
Still Merzouga, with time to break the road; or Agafay as well, on a free afternoon in the city. The road is too long for one push there and back around a single night; a night on the way out, one at Erg Chebbi and the drive back fill three days.
- From Marrakech
- about 560 km by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; 560 km, not stated whether by road, the travel agency kimkim; 8 to 9 hours by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; around 10 to 13 hours, mode not stated, the travel agency kimkim
- Merzouga from Errachidia
- about 2.5 hours, listed as a day trip by the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated
| Days you have | Desert | Shortest trip | The road, as stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half a day | Agafay | half a day, no night needed | 40 to 60 minutes by road, as operators state it; about 45 minutes, the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated |
| One day | Agafay | half a day, no night needed | 40 to 60 minutes by road, as operators state it; about 45 minutes, the Moroccan National Tourist Office, mode not stated |
| Two days | Zagora | two days, one night | about 360 km by road, the travel agency kimkim; about 7 hours by road, the travel agency kimkim |
| Three days | Merzouga | three days, two nights | about 560 km by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; 560 km, not stated whether by road, the travel agency kimkim; 8 to 9 hours by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; around 10 to 13 hours, mode not stated, the travel agency kimkim |
| Four days or more | Merzouga | three days, two nights | about 560 km by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; 560 km, not stated whether by road, the travel agency kimkim; 8 to 9 hours by car, the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos; around 10 to 13 hours, mode not stated, the travel agency kimkim |
Why these cut-offs? Agafay's drive is short enough for an afternoon: pickups run after lunch and you are back in the city the same night. Zagora's road takes most of a day each way, so the shortest trip with an evening at the dunes is two days and one night. Merzouga is farther again, and the tour agency Viaje en Marruecos, which gives the distance, advises spreading the trip over more than one day; a night on the way out, one at Erg Chebbi and the road back make three days and two nights.
The same three roads, drawn to scale, are on the Agafay or Merzouga comparison, which also sets stone against sand. Getting from your riad to Agafay is covered on getting from Marrakech to Agafay.
Half a day, a day or one night: Agafay, the desert near Marrakech
Agafay is the desert near Marrakech: a plateau of rocky hills and gravel to the south-west, which the operator Camel Ride Marrakech calls a reg (stone desert). There are no sand dunes here, unlike Merzouga and Zagora. What you get is open, quiet country, a sunset over the hills, a ride and dinner at a camp, close enough to fit around everything else in the city. Three listings show the range of shapes, from a short evening to a night out. A night in a camp leaves in the afternoon and comes back the next morning, so, counted from your bed in Marrakech back to it, a camp night takes two days: the short alternative to the long road to Zagora.
| Outing | Length | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agafay Sunset: Camel Ride, Dinner & Fire Show | 5 hours | camel ride 15 minutes, food market visit 30 minutes, dinner 60 minutes, dance show 30 minutes | USD 9 per person |
| Marrakech: Agafay Desert Quad & Camel Rides with Dinner Show | 7 hours, pickup 14:00 to 16:00 | break and photo stop 60 minutes, quad ride 40 minutes, camel ride 15 minutes, sunset 30 minutes, dinner 60 minutes, dance show 30 minutes | USD 23 per person |
| Agafay Desert Retreat, Tent, Dinner, Show & Pool | 19 hours, back 10:30 next day | a tent for the night, dinner, a show and the pool, as the title lists | USD 53 per person |
The partner sets these prices and they change. The shapes of an Agafay day, from a morning quad to a full day with the lake, are on the Agafay day trip page, and how a night in a camp runs, from the drive out to the morning back, is on Agafay overnight. Every kind of outing is compared on Agafay tours, the camps on Agafay camps, and the planner on the home page gives the latest time to leave the medina for a date.
Two days: Zagora, the nearer dunes
With two days, Zagora is the desert tour from Marrakech that reaches sand. kimkim puts it about 360 km from Marrakech by road, and describes its desert as quite rocky, with much smaller dunes than Merzouga. Most of both days goes on the road, with the evening and the night in the desert between them.
- Marrakech to the Ouarzazate area
- 194.1 km by road, as the Moroccan National Tourist Office gives it, to its Ouarzazate-Zagora-Tinghir destination
- Zagora from Ouarzazate
- listed by the tourist office as a day trip of about 4 hours, mode not stated
- Shortest trip
- two days and one night
Three days or more: the Sahara desert tour to Merzouga
A Sahara desert tour from Marrakech usually means Merzouga, at the foot of Erg Chebbi, which the Moroccan National Tourist Office calls "the territory of the Erg Chebbi, a world of dunes". It is the farthest of the three. The tour agency Viaje en Marruecos puts it about 560 km from Marrakech by car, and the travel agency kimkim gives the same 560 km, without saying whether by road.
The two agencies differ on the time it takes. kimkim's estimate is the longer, and it counts the whole journey, not only the driving; it also names a direct bus. The tourist office gives no single road time from Marrakech: it lists Merzouga as a day trip of about 2.5 hours from Errachidia, on its Errachidia and Merzouga page, mode not stated.
Three days, two nights
A night on the way out, a night at Erg Chebbi, then the road back. The shortest Merzouga trip with an evening in the sand.
Four days or more
Still Merzouga, with more time to break the road. On a stay this long, Agafay also fits a free afternoon in the city.
If you have three days: Merzouga; two days: Zagora
With three days, book a Merzouga trip; with two, Zagora. These Viator trips leave Marrakech in the morning, spend their nights where the table says and bring you back to the city on the last day. The Merzouga trips reach the Erg Chebbi dunes on the second day; the Zagora trip spends its one night at a desert camp near Zagora's smaller dunes.
| Trip | Days | Where you sleep | Price | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MerzougaMarrakech to Merzouga: 3-Day Desert Tour & Camel Trek | 3 days and 2 nights | Tinghir hotel; Merzouga desert camp | from USD 112.34 per person | 12,804 reviews |
| Merzouga3-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech with Camel Safari | 3 days and 2 nights | Tinghir hotel, half board, private room; Merzouga desert camp, private tent with shared bathroom (luxury tent upgrade offered) | from USD 123.58 per person | 10,324 reviews |
| ZagoraZagora Desert 2-Day Tour from Marrakech | 2 days and 1 night | Zagora desert camp | from USD 78.64 per person | 767 reviews |
Count the days from your bed in Marrakech back to it: a three-day Merzouga trip leaves early on the first morning and returns on the third day. Before you pay any operator, the safety page shows how to check a Moroccan operator's licence and where to complain. Clothes that cope with dust, sun and a cold night are on the packing list for Agafay, and the Agafay weather page gives the Marrakech station's figures for your month. Other outings from the city, such as Ouzoud Falls or the Ourika Valley, are on day trips from Marrakech.
Marrakech desert tour: questions
Which desert is closest to Marrakech?
Agafay. The stony plateau is 40 to 60 minutes by road from Marrakech, and the Moroccan National Tourist Office says about 45 minutes, without naming a mode. It is a stone desert of rocky hills, not sand, so it suits an afternoon or one night rather than a dune trip.
How far is it from Marrakech to the Sahara dunes at Merzouga?
Viaje en Marruecos puts Merzouga about 560 km from Marrakech by car, and kimkim gives the same distance. kimkim's estimate of the journey time is longer than Viaje en Marruecos's, and Viaje en Marruecos advises spreading the trip over more than one day. With a night at Erg Chebbi, plan three days and two nights at the least.
Can you do a desert tour from Marrakech in one day?
Yes, if the desert is Agafay. Outings leave Marrakech after lunch and return the same night; one GetYourGuide listing gives 7 hours with quad and camel rides, sunset and dinner. Zagora and Merzouga are too far for one day with an evening in the desert.
Is a two-day desert tour from Marrakech enough?
For Zagora, yes: kimkim puts it about 360 km from Marrakech by road, so two days and one night give you an evening in its smaller dunes. For Merzouga, two days are too short to reach Erg Chebbi, spend an evening there and come back; plan three.
What is the best desert tour from Marrakech?
The one that fits your days. With half a day or a day, Agafay gives you open stony country and a camp dinner with little time on the road. With two days, Zagora reaches the nearer dunes, or a night in an Agafay camp keeps the driving short. With three days or more, Merzouga and Erg Chebbi have taller dunes than Zagora, at the end of the longest road.
Sources
- The Moroccan National Tourist Office states that the Agafay desert is about 45 minutes from Marrakech as a day trip (the page gives no mode of transport or start point). Moroccan National Tourist Office (visitmorocco.com), Marrakech destination page.
- The operator Odynovo Tours states the Agafay Desert is 30 to 40 kilometres south-west of Marrakech (not stated whether by road or in a straight line), about a 45-minute drive. Odynovo Tours, Guide to Agafay Desert.
- The Moroccan National Tourist Office gives the road trip from Marrakech to the Ouarzazate-Zagora-Tinghir destination as 194.1 km. Moroccan National Tourist Office (visitmorocco.com), Ouarzazate-Zagora-Tinghir page, 'Discover nearby'.
- The Moroccan National Tourist Office lists Zagora as a day trip of about 4 hours from Ouarzazate (the page gives no mode of transport or start point). Moroccan National Tourist Office (visitmorocco.com), Ouarzazate-Zagora-Tinghir page.
- The Moroccan National Tourist Office lists Merzouga as a day trip of about 2 hours 30 minutes from Errachidia (the page gives no mode of transport or start point). Moroccan National Tourist Office (visitmorocco.com), Errachidia-Midelt-Merzouga page.
- The tour agency Viaje en Marruecos states Marrakech to Merzouga (Erg Chebbi dunes) is about 560 km and 8 to 9 hours by car. Viaje en Marruecos, blog 'How to get from Marrakech to the Merzouga desert'.
- The travel agency kimkim states Merzouga is 560 km from Marrakech (not stated whether by road) and that getting there takes around 10 to 13 hours (journey time, mode not stated). kimkim, 'Marrakech to the Sahara Desert'.
- The travel agency kimkim states Zagora is about a seven-hour drive (360 km) from Marrakech. kimkim, 'Marrakech to the Sahara Desert'.
- The tour agency Viaje en Marruecos states the drive from Marrakech to Merzouga (Erg Chebbi dunes) takes 8 to 9 hours by car. Viaje en Marruecos, blog 'How to get from Marrakech to the Merzouga desert'.
- The travel agency kimkim states getting from Marrakech to Merzouga takes around 10 to 13 hours (mode not stated). kimkim, 'Marrakech to the Sahara Desert'.
- The travel agency kimkim states Zagora is a drive from Marrakech of about 7 hours. kimkim, 'Marrakech to the Sahara Desert'.
- The operator Camel Ride Marrakech states that the Agafay is a stone desert, a reg rather than a sand erg. Camel Ride Marrakech, 'Is the Agafay Desert Worth Visiting?'.
- Tour prices, times and the drive to Agafay. Partner listings on GetYourGuide, Viator and Klook with the date of each price, in the partner's currency; transfer times as the operators and the Moroccan National Tourist Office state them
Photographs
- Camp tents in Agafay. Photo: Josephhassane / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
- Merzouga dunes (Erg Chebbi), for contrast. Photo: Jorge Franganillo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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