2-Day Zagora desert tour
from €135 per person
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver
- Pickup at your hotel or riad in Marrakech
- Camel trek at sunset
- 1 night in a luxury desert camp
- Dinner and breakfast at the camp
Sahara · Merzouga · Zagora
Yes, you can visit the Sahara from Marrakech: Zagora is about 7 hours away (2-day tour) and the high dunes of Merzouga about 9 to 10 hours, split over 2 days (3 days or more). Every tour below is private, crosses the High Atlas via Aït Benhaddou and includes a sunset camel trek and a night in a desert camp, from €135 per person.
Updated: November 2026
from €135 per person
from €212 per person
from €230 per person
from €310 per person
from €365 per person
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| Agafay | Zagora | Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from Marrakech | 40 km, 45 min | about 360 km, 7 h | about 560 km, 9 to 10 h |
| Landscape | Stony hills, Atlas views | Palm groves, small dunes | High orange dunes up to 150 m |
| Minimum time | Half a day | 2 days / 1 night | 3 days / 2 nights |
| Night in a desert camp | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Price from | €30 | €135 | €212 |
Prices per person for a private tour; the price per person goes down as the group gets bigger. Send us your group size on WhatsApp for an exact quote.
Day 1: Marrakech, the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) over the High Atlas, the UNESCO kasbah of Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate and the Dades Valley. Day 2: Todra Gorge, then Merzouga, a camel trek at sunset into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a desert camp. Day 3: sunrise over the dunes and the drive back to Marrakech, or on to Fes.
If you only have two days, Zagora is the closest real desert from Marrakech. You cross the Atlas, visit Aït Benhaddou, follow the palm groves of the Draa Valley and ride camels to a camp for the night. The dunes are smaller than in Merzouga, but you spend much less time in the car on day 2.
Travelling between Marrakech and Fes? Go through the Sahara instead of taking the train: our one-way 3-day tour ends at your riad in Fes, so no day is spent driving back the same road. See also the Merzouga desert tours page for routes starting in Fes.
All our tours use comfortable desert camps with beds and blankets. Luxury camps add private tents with a bathroom, a hot shower and a better dinner, and are worth it from November to March when nights are cold. Read our guide to luxury vs standard desert camps.
March to May and September to November are the most comfortable months. In December and January days are sunny but nights in the dunes can fall close to 0 °C, so bring a warm jacket. From June to August afternoons pass 40 °C and the camel trek moves to early morning or sunset.
Shared group tours are cheaper but follow a fixed schedule with up to 17 people in a minibus. On a private tour you have your own vehicle and driver, you choose the departure date and time, and you can stop for photos, skip a visit or stay longer at a kasbah. For families and couples it is usually the better experience for a moderate extra cost.
Yes. The closest dunes are in Zagora (2-day tour) and the highest dunes in Merzouga (3 days or more). For a half-day desert experience near the city, choose the Agafay Desert, 45 minutes from Marrakech.
Zagora is about 360 km (around 7 hours of driving) and Merzouga about 560 km (around 9 to 10 hours), so Merzouga tours split the drive over two days with stops.
The easiest way is a private tour with a driver, which crosses the High Atlas and stops at Aït Benhaddou and the gorges. There is no train, and long-distance buses do not reach the desert camps.
Yes, 3 days is enough to reach Merzouga, ride camels into the dunes and sleep in a desert camp. With 4 or 5 days the rhythm is more relaxed with fewer hours in the car each day.
Yes, if you want the classic Sahara picture: the Erg Chebbi dunes rise up to 150 m and change colour at sunrise and sunset. It needs at least 3 days from Marrakech.
Our private 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour starts at €212 per person and the 3-day Marrakech to Fes route at €230, with camel trek and desert camp included.
Tell us your dates and group size, we send availability and the best option for you.
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