5-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Casablanca
Casablanca → Marrakech → Sahara Desert → Marrakech → 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.
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Highlights
- A short first-night stop in Casablanca or straight through to Marrakech
- The Tizi n'Tichka pass and Ait Benhaddou on the way south
- One full day and two nights at Erg Chebbi
- Camel trekking at sunset or sunrise
- A return route back through Marrakech to Casablanca airport
Day by day
A working draft: the order and pace are ours to adjust once we know what matters most to you.
Casablanca to Marrakech
A short transfer south, with the afternoon free in the Marrakech medina and the Jemaa el-Fna after dark.
About 3 hours on the road, roughly 240 km
Riad, Marrakech
Marrakech to Merzouga
Over the Tizi n'Tichka pass: North Africa's highest major road, built by the French military in 1936, and past Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO ksar since 1987, arriving at Erg Chebbi as the dunes turn rust-red by dusk.
About 9-10 hours on the road, roughly 560 km
Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
In the dunes
A full day with no driving. Sandboarding, a camel trek, or simply time to sit still, then a shared tagine dinner and drumming around the fire after dark.
No driving today
Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
Merzouga to Marrakech
A long return drive over the Atlas, retracing the Todra and Dades gorges. The Todra's limestone walls rise up to 160 metres in places just 10 metres apart.
About 9-10 hours on the road, roughly 560 km
Riad, Marrakech
Marrakech to Casablanca
A short transfer to the airport for your flight home.
About 3 hours on the road, roughly 240 km
Included
- ✓Private car and driver for the full route
- ✓4 nights' accommodation, breakfast included
- ✓1 camel trek and 1 desert camp dinner
Not included
- —International flights
- —Lunches and most dinners
- —Entry fees to monuments
- —Tips for driver
Questions about this route
Ask about this route
Send us your rough dates and what you'd want to change, and we'll come back with a real draft, not a form letter.
Tour at a glance
- Duration
- 5 days · 4 nights
- Transport
- Private car/4x4
- Languages
- English, French
- Availability
- Year-round
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
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A first-timer's route through the Marrakech medina
Where to start when every street looks the same as the last.
By Anouar
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How many days do you actually need in Marrakech?
Enough to slow down, not so many that you run out of medina.
By Anouar
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