Merzouga is a small village at the end of the tarmac, but behind it rise the dunes of Erg Chebbi, up to 150 metres high and 28 kilometres long. This is the image most British visitors have in mind when they book Morocco, and the only way to reach it is by road. There is no railway, the buses are slow and punishing, and the distances are real: nine hours from Marrakech, seven and a half from Fes.
That is why nearly every Merzouga trip runs over two or three days. The classic route from Marrakech crosses the Tizi n Tichka pass, drops to the film-set kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate, then follows the rose valley at Kelaa M'Gouna, the switchbacks of the Dades Gorge and the 300-metre walls of Todra. From Fes it runs through the cedar forests of Ifrane, mountain Midelt and the palm groves of the magnificent Ziz Gorge.
The driver stays with you throughout and coordinates with the dune camp: you reach Merzouga in the afternoon, the camels leave at sunset, you sleep under canvas and come back at sunrise. The car waits in the village, and in the morning you carry on - back north, or west through the Draa Valley.
Why hire a driver here
- The distances are long and there is no rail link to the desert
- The Tizi n Tichka pass takes experience, particularly in winter
- The last kilometres to some camps are soft sand and need a genuine 4x4
- The stops between towns are what turn a transfer into a journey
- Phone signal is patchy across long stretches of the route
Included in every booking
- Fuel, tolls and the driver's fee for the whole route
- The driver's own accommodation and meals on overnight trips
- Photo stops at Ait Ben Haddou, Todra and Dades
- Coordination with the camel team and the dune camp
- Bottled water and air conditioning throughout
