Have you ever wanted to ride a camel across the Sahara? This was on my bucket list for a while, and one of the best places to cross off this adventure is Morocco. This Morocco desert tour will take you from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert in Merzouga and ends in Fes. It takes 3 days total, and I recommend booking a guided tour. The one I used and loved is here: Marrakech Desert Trips. If you want to see a video of the trip, I linked one I made at the bottom of this page too!
Marrakech
The first thing to do is fly into the Moroccan city of Marrakech. This is one of the coolest cities I have ever been to and a complete sensory overload. When we were dropped off at our Airbnb, we were surrounded with people zooming by on motorcycles, dogs running around us, people with donkeys crossing in front of us, and a language barrier that was a little tricky to figure out. However, our hosts gave us some mint tea and we were off to explore. Marrakech is the starting point of the tour, but if you have time spend a day or two exploring this wonderful city.
First things first, go to the Medina and explore. This is the central area that is buzzing with activity. You’ll see snake charmers with cobras as well as monkeys in diapers for photo ops. Moroccans are really friendly, but this area might try to swindle you out of some money if you take photos without permission. The other piece of advice we learned was use Google Maps and only Google Maps for directions. People will tell you to go one way and then a completely opposite path if you pass them again. (actually happened to us several times)
Next, head to the central mosque and then go eat some Moroccan food. You’ll quickly learn that every meal you have coming up is 3 courses: soup or salad, tagine or some other entree, and watermelon for dessert. Always watermelon.
After grabbing some food, go barter in the souks. The souks are hundreds of shops forming a labyrinth. You could easily spend all day going from shop to shop and buying souvenirs. There are lamps, spices, teapots, trinkets, clothing, and more. But… here’s the fun part. Everything is up for negotiation. It’s time to barter like the local Berber people. These people know how to drive a hard bargain. We ended up getting a couple souvenirs to bring to the desert and left not sure if we got a deal or ripped off. But hey, that’s half the fun!
Next, take a visit to Bahia Palace! This stunning palace is filled with white and blue tiles everywhere. Buy a cheap ticket and walk around. Every spot is photo worthy.
After a busy day in Marrakech, get some rest. Tomorrow your driver picks you up and you begin your journey to the desert on your Morocco desert tour!
Desert Tour: Day 1
After your driver picks up everyone in your group, you will head out of Marrakech and towards the Atlas Mountains. Today will be about 6 hours in the car with a few fun stops. The scenery begins to change quickly as you go through winding mountain roads. You’ll have a few stops to take pictures and admire the views.
You will eventually reach Ait Benhaddou. This little village served as the set for Game of Thrones and Gladiator. You’ll be able to wander around and explore here too.
You’ll eventually arrive in the Dades Valley and see the famous zig zag road overlooking where you’ll be staying. The scenery here is surrounded by mountains and beautiful red rocks. You’ll get to explore around the hotel and eat a nice dinner too. Morocco has some beautiful hidden gems (and we’re not even to the desert yet).
Desert Tour: Day 2
Today, you’ll spend about 4 hours driving towards the Sahara. First though, you’ll make a stop in the city of Tinghir and watch local Berber villagers farm and harvest crops. You’ll even get the chance to buy some Moroccan rugs from the village and drink some more mint tea. After leaving Tinghir, you’ll drive into the Todra Gorge which is like a massive canyon. You can walk along the river and look up at the towering walls of rock. However, the next stop on the Morocco desert tour is the main event! You’re almost at the Sahara!
You’ll soon arrive in the area of Merzouga where the Erg Chebbi dunes are. After checking into your tent oasis, you’ll meet your camels and saddle up! They’ll take you into the Sahara as the sun sets. You get to ride for about 30 min and spend an hour at the top of the dunes watching the sun descend on the horizon – sand all around you. This place is magical! Take it all in cause there’s truly nothing like it.
We ran up the dunes and walked along the untouched crest of the sand. It takes awhile to realize just where exactly you are. It feels like a movie. You have 360 degree views of the edge of the largest desert in the world. Take A LOT of pictures! This place is a photographer’s dream.
Afterwards, you’ll go back to your tent village for dinner. The Berber people play drums and dance as dinner is served at night. You can join in on the dancing too as you finish off any mint tea. The stars begin to come out, and it’s time to go to sleep. Wake up early the next morning for sunrise though!
Desert Tour: Day 3
This is the longest stretch of driving, 8 hours, on your way to Fes. There’s a stop where you can see wild monkeys (I stepped in some monkey poop and brought it into our van oops). When you finally arrive in Fes, you can go explore or head to your hotel and relax. You’ve seen a lot of the beautiful, North African country of Morocco.
Morocco is unreal. It is one of the most unique travel experiences I have ever had. This desert tour is, in my opinion, the best way to see the country. It still is one of the coolest things I’ve done.
CW
