3 Days Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga: Camel Trek, Erg Chebbi Dunes & Luxury Sahara Camp

Day 1 starts at Marrakech where our English-speaking Berber driver collects you from your hotel or airport in a private, air-conditioned 4x4 or comfortable minibus. From here, the road climbs through Marrakech, the Red City, where palm-fringed gardens meet the dusty noise of the Jemaa el-Fnaa square and the labyrinth of the medina souks. You then continue toward the High Atlas, North Africa's roof, climbing through walnut and oak forests and Berber villages clinging to terraced slopes. Lunch is served en route in the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres — the cinematic switchback road that connects Marrakech to the Saharan south, with hairpin views in every direction. The afternoon takes you to Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed earthen kasbah whose fortified walls have starred in Gladiator, Game of Thrones and Lawrence of Arabia. Overnight in a carefully selected riad or kasbah hotel with traditional dinner included.

Day 2 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through the rose-pink Dades Valley with its cliffs sculpted by erosion into the Monkey Fingers and a string of fortified kasbahs. The afternoon takes you to the Todra Gorge, where 300-metre red limestone walls narrow to just ten metres apart and the river runs ice-cold even in summer. As the light softens you reach Tinghir, the green palm oasis at the foot of the Todra gorges with its old Jewish quarter and tile-roofed kasbah. The route winds on through Erfoud, the gateway to the Sahara and capital of black marble fossils where ancient ammonites and orthoceras are still mined from the surrounding hills. Tonight you sleep in a private luxury Berber tent on the Erg Chebbi dunes — real beds, ensuite bathroom, candle-lit dinner and one of the darkest night skies in Morocco for stargazing.

Day 3 is your return day. You travel through the legendary Merzouga sunrise, climbing a dune barefoot before dawn to watch the sun lift over the Algerian horizon. The afternoon takes you to Rissani, the ancient caravan town and former capital of the Filala dynasty, with one of Morocco's most authentic Berber markets. As the light softens you reach the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres — the cinematic switchback road that connects Marrakech to the Saharan south, with hairpin views in every direction. The route winds on through Marrakech, the Red City, where palm-fringed gardens meet the dusty noise of the Jemaa el-Fnaa square and the labyrinth of the medina souks. You arrive at your Marrakech hotel or airport in the late afternoon, with photo memory cards full and a head full of Berber drumming.