4 min read
How to get from Marrakech to the Sahara desert
It's a full day's drive either way: here's what that actually looks like.
The most visited stretch of dunes, Erg Chebbi near Merzouga, is roughly 9–10 hours' drive from Marrakech in a single push: which is why almost nobody does it in one day. Most private routes split it into two or three days, with stops that turn the transit itself into part of the trip.
The standard route crosses the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass (with Ait Benhaddou a natural first stop), continues through the Dades and Todra gorges, and reaches the dunes on day two or three depending on how many stops you build in.
A shorter, less-visited alternative runs via Zagora to the dunes at Erg Chigaga, roughly 5–6 hours from Marrakech: closer, but with a less dramatic dune field than Erg Chebbi, which is why most first-time visitors still choose the longer route.
Flying isn't really an option: there's no airport near either desert region, so the drive itself, done as a private multi-day trip rather than a rushed round-trip tour, is genuinely part of what you're paying for, not just a means to an end.
Planning around Sahara Desert? Read the Sahara Desert destination guide or see 6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fez, a sample itinerary that includes it.
A few common questions
Ready to see this in person?
6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fez
A private route over the Atlas passes and down into the Sahara, with two nights to actually sit still in the dunes instead of rushing through them. We end in Fez instead of backtracking to Marrakech, so every day moves forward.
More from the blog
Private or group: what actually changes on the road
The difference isn't comfort so much as control over the day.
By Omar Hafidi
Read article
A first-timer's route through the Marrakech medina
Where to start when every street looks the same as the last.
By Anouar
Read article
When to go: Morocco by season, region by region
The country is large enough that 'best time to visit' depends on where you're headed.
By Omar Hafidi
Read articleTours that include this
4-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech
For travellers with four days, not eight. The same dunes as our longer routes, reached and left by the most direct road, with one full day to actually be there.
4-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Fez
The most direct route to Erg Chebbi and back, for travellers based in Fez with four days rather than a week. The Middle Atlas cedar forests and Ziz Valley palmeries do a lot of the scenic work on the way down.
5-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Casablanca
For travellers flying into Casablanca with five days and the Sahara as the priority: a fast transit to Marrakech, then straight over the Atlas to the dunes and back.