How to Get from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert
Heading to Morocco? You’ll want to take the opportunity for a Sahara Desert excursion! That’s right, you can take a tour from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert where you take a camel into the desert, sleep under the stars, and get to stop in small Moroccan towns throughout the Atlas Mountains on the way!
My Sahara Desert trip from Marrakesh was one of my favorite experiences in Morocco and I highly recommend you book one while you’re in Morocco! In this post, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know to enjoy your trip into the Sahara.
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Traveling from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert
Upon arrival in Morocco, I knew I wanted to do a trip into the Sahara Desert from Marrakech. It came highly recommended by one of my friends and previous travel companions. They had done a three-day excursion into the Sahara and loved it. This easily sold me on the idea. I mean, how often do you get to camp in the Sahara Desert?
Of course, this came with a lot of questions. How far is the Sahara Desert from Marrakech? How do I plan this journey? What do I need to know in advance? Let’s start answering those questions and get you closer to sleeping under those amazing desert stars!
How far is it from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert?
There are two main gateway towns for the Sahara Desert in Morocco: Zagora and Merzouga. They offer different experiences and are in completely different areas of the Sahara.
- Zagora is located 220 miles from Marrakech – about a 7 hour drive, and features smaller, rocky sand dunes. If you’re short on time, you’ll want to go here as you can do this as a two day Sahara Desert trip from Marrakech.
- Merzouga on the other hands is 350 miles from Marrakech – about a 10 – 13 hour drive. It features the more classic rolling sand dunes that the Sahara is known for. It’s the better option for a Sahara Desert trip from Marrakech. However, most of these are three day Sahara Desert trips from Marrakech.
How much time do you need to visit the Sahara from Marrakech?
There are two day trips to the desert from Marrakech as well as three day options. The two day trips typically will go to Zagora, which is situated closer to Marrakech but lacks the true feel of the Sahara. If you want the classic trip, three days is generally the minimum.
Three day trips typically head to the Merzouga Dunes in the Sahara. This is the most “classic” Sahara Desert experience you’ll be able to find. It is absolutely beautiful and worth planning a trip to Merzouga from Marrakesh.
How to Get from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert
There are a few ways you can travel from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert. These range from tours to self serve and basic to luxury. The five options include:
- Booking a tour to the Sahara Desert from Marrakech: The easiest way to get to the Sahara from Marrakech is to book a tour. These are affordable, well organized, and run like clockwork from Marrakech.
- Renting a car and self-driving into the desert: This of course comes with different challenges and risks – one of which is the ability to truly get into the desert once you reach the edge of it.
- Going by private car or tour: Another great option is to hire a private car and driver or selecting a private tour. This allows you to be on your own timeline a bit more while enjoying the expertise of a local familiar with the lay of the land.
- Flying to the Sahara Desert: You can actually fly directly to Zagora airport or Errachidia airport for Merzouga. Flight times are only about an hour and from there, you can go and experience the desert.
- Traveling by public bus: From Marrakech, you can catch buses directly to Zagora or Merzouga. This is one of the cheapest ways to get to the Sahara Desert from Marrakech, but also makes for a long drive as you have limited stops along the way.
Where to Stay Overnight between Marrakech and the Sahara Desert
As you head from Marrakesh to the Sahara, you’ll want to stop somewhere overnight. Three of the best towns are Ouarzazate, Boumalne Dades, or Tinghir. We’ll take a look at them on a map so you can see their location relative to Marrakech and the Sahara
How to Find a Tour from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert
Being one of the most popular side trips from Marrakech, there are a lot of tour options to travel to the Sahara. Your biggest decisions will be to determine where you want to go, Zagora or Merzouga, and the budget you want to spend. I personally went to Merzouga and highly recommend it!
How to Stay Overnight in the Sahara Desert
If you’re headed to Merzouga on your own, you can still spend the night in the Sahara Desert by booking an overnight tour. These leave transportation up to you but still give you the full Sahara experience. Here are three of your best bets:
- Budget-friendly: Overnight camp with camel trekking in Merzouga
- Private budget-friendly: One night in private camp in the Sahara Desert of Merzouga with dinner
How to Book a Multi-Day Tour into the Sahara Desert
Another way to book your trip is to do a multi-day trip to the Sahara. You have two options for booking this: Book in Marrakech or book online in advance. Prices won’t be too different, but online you will be able to view reviews.
- Book in Marrakech: Most hostels in Marrakech can book a Sahara Desert excursion for you. In most cases, no matter which hostel you book from, you will all join up and go together ensuring you won’t be alone in the desert. (Yes, this was a slight concern to me!)
- Book online in advance: If you’re short on time or don’t want to spend your time in Marrakech looking for the right tour, you can also book ahead online. There are a number of trip options available, but the best are this 3 Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga Dunes & Camel Trek and this 2 Day Zagora Desert Tour from Marrakech.
How much does it cost to go into the Sahara Desert from Marrakech?
If you book online, prices are set and you will not have to negotiate or worry about being ripped off. If you purchase in person, you may need to barter to get the price down, depending on what they quote you.
For me, my 3 day/2 night trip to Merzouga Dunes from Marrakech was โฌ85 through my hostel. It included everything but 3 lunches at restaurants (~โฌ10 each), a tour of a town along the way (โฌ2.5), and a cinema museum tour, which our group opted out of.
What to Expect from a Sahara Desert Excursion
Now that you know the details on going to the Sahara from Marrakesh, let’s take a look at what you can expect during your trip. These are real-life details from my trip into the desert.
Day 1: Starting the Trek to the Sahara Desert
The trip started out at 7:00 am so wake up early and have breakfast before you go. I was fortunate in that four other people from my hostel were going as well, so we met over breakfast and continued onward together.
Once we were picked up on foot from our hostel, we walked to a van which would be our mode of transport for the coming days. This van held 16 people and we waited as they shuffled everyone around and then off we went!
Stopping in Ait Ben Haddou
Along the drive to the Sahara we stopped a few times at scenic overlooks, although I actually think it had more to do with when our driver needing a cigarette.
Our first “real” stop was at a small town called Ait Ben Haddou (also known as Kasbah Ait Benhaddou). This is a very traditional Moroccan town and well worth a stop. It is picturesque, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has been used for many movie sets and scenes like in Game of Thrones.
We were given a brief tour of town and a demonstration of how some of their art was made, which was fascinating. The colors were all natural, like saffron for yellow, indigo for blue, and thick tea for brown. After coloring it, they mixed sugar with the brown and roast the bottom of the page to turn it black and make the colors permanent. It was very interesting.
After exploring Ait Ben Haddou, we had our first lunch. Lunches were not covered in the cost and were at interesting places but with much higher price points than I had found most food in Marrakech. Additionally, make sure to keep enough water handy along the journey as it is hot out!
Onward to Our Hotel in Tinghir
After lunch, we continued on to a cinematic town featuring a museum, which we all voted to skip, and continue on to our hotel just stopping at outlooks along the way and for bathroom and water breaks.
By about 7:00 pm we reached our stopping point for the night. It was a nice hotel where we were grouped in three or four per hotel room. We were served a delicious dinner of tangine at the hotel and then spent after dinner on the roof staring at the millions of stars above.
Day 2: Stop at a High Atlas Berber Village
The next morning we had breakfast, and it was back into the van. Within a couple of hours we came to a field and disembarked following a local through the field, across a creek, and into a small town. Here, a Berber couple welcomed us into their carpet shop with tea and a demonstration of how carpets are made, compliments of his wife.
While the carpet demonstration was interesting, they then showed us all types of carpets with a push of course for us to buy. It’s just unfortunate they didn’t realize a group of 20-35 year olds who are backpacking probably aren’t the type to spend hundreds on a handmade carpet to carry with them.
Anyway, the stop was interesting, and we walked through town to our lunch destination and to find the van.
Exploring the Todra Gorge
We reboarded and continued on to the Todra Gorge. This large gorge has a river running through the center and is truly beautiful and worth the stop.
We spent an hour or two walking along the river and chilling with our feet in the stream taking a few pictures. Then onward to our final stop, the Sahara Desert.
Into the Sahara Desert We Go
It was around 5:00 pm when we reached the Sahara Desert. The weather was iffy with extreme winds, and it looked like rain. Never fear, we unloaded what we needed, people got their headscarves tied on (there was a big push for buying a desert scarf, but I still am unsure of the reason…), and we boarded our camels for an hour and a half trek into the Sahara desert.
Being in a caravan of 16 camels with desert surrounding you and the wind howling around you certainly is a great introduction to the Sahara. By the time we reached camp the sun was mostly down and dusk was coming, as was the rain. That’s right, it rains in the desert!
Camping in the Sahara Desert
Upon arrival at our Berber Camp in the Sahara Desert, we explored the nearby dunes and disappeared into the tent when it started to drizzle. We were served dinner, which was surprise surprise, tangine, and met a couple who was joining our group of 16 for the night. They were absolutely lovely.
Sleeping in the Sahara Desert
After dinner, the rain had cleared, and we slowly moved out to the campfire area. Surrounded by pitch black and a bunch of sand, a fire was lit, and the locals played the drums and sang for us, including a kid having one hell of a time dancing around the fire.
As the night went on, things calmed down and everyone pulled their sleeping pads out to sleep underneath the emerging blanket of stars. It was so peaceful. There was also the option to sleep in the tent, but how often do you get to sleep in the desert with bright stars above?
Day 3: Headed Back to Marrakech from the Sahara Desert
Morning came quickly as we rose before the sun to start our one and a half hour camel ride back to civilization. As some of my new friends realized, riding a camel is not the most comfortable and some were sore from the day before, but they still had to ride back – ouch.
Upon return to our van, breakfast was served. Then it was back to the bus for an all day drive back to Marrakech, stopping only for smoke breaks and lunch along the way. It was a long day of driving, but would I say it was worthwhile? Absolutely.ย
The Sahara Desert was stunning and my fellow travelers were amazing, coming from Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, France, England, and more. But remember the Sahara is about 10 hours from Marrakech so you will spend a lot of time on the road!
Things to Know Before Going from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert
Trekking into the Sahara Desert from Marrakech requires a little bit of preparation. Here are some things I wish I knew ahead of time:
- You do not have to take all the water you will drink over 3 days with you. They sell water at camp for 15MAD / 1.5L bottle.
- There are no facilities in the desert. This means you will use the desert for things like brushing your teeth or a toilet. (Pack toilet paper and hand sanitizer!)
- You can bring all of your luggage with you, but you will have to leave most of it in the van when you arrive at the desert and just take a small bag on the camel with you. Therefore, make sure you have a daypack to shove things like a sweater, toothbrush/toothpaste, headlamp, and deodorant in or simply leave your big bag back in Marrakech and just bring a change of clothes and the above with you. Sandals are suggested.
- The standard trip is round-trip from Marrakech but you can split from the group after the desert and continue to Fez by taxi. A group of five split from our group to go to Fez. I’m not sure of the cost, but it could be a big time saver if you’re limited on time. Don’t leave anything in Marrakech if this is your plan!
What to Pack for the Sahara Desert
While you can take your whole bag in the van, you will need to unload just the things you need for a night to take with you on your camel. These are the items you’ll want to take into the desert with you.
- Daypack: You’ll need a daypack to shove all of your items into.
- Toilet paper and hand sanitizer: There are no toilets at most of the Berber Camps. Be prepared. Nature will call.
- Sweater or jacket: Remember, the temperature drops at night in the desert! Pack something warm for overnight.
- Toothbrush and toothpaste: Keep your teeth clean.
- Headlamp: You haven’t seen dark until you’ve been in the desert at night! Pack a headlamp to help you navigate the dunes.
- Deodorant: You won’t be able to shower at most Berber Camps as there is no running water… make sure to pack deodorant!
- Change of clothes: Just because you can’t shower, doesn’t mean you have to wear the same clothes the next day!
- Sandals: The suggested footwear for the desert.
- Water/snacks: You will be fed and can buy water in the desert, but it never hurts to be prepared.
Explore More of Morocco
Taking a trip from Marrakesh to the Sahara Desert was one of my favorite Moroccan experiences, and one I won’t soon forget! Try to add it to your Morocco itinerary to really enjoy one of the most unique parts of the country. Want more insight into traveling around Morocco? Here are some helpful posts:
