Private guided tours · Sahara Desert
Top Luxury Desert Tours
Experience Morocco's Sahara in style. Luxury nomadic camps, private 4x4s, camel treks at sunset, and the warm hospitality of Berber families across Erg Chebbi, Erg Chigaga and beyond.
The Best Luxury Desert Tours in Morocco
We believe that visiting the desert is not just a visual experience but an interactive one, where you will encounter not only the natural wonders of the Sahara but the local Berber people and their rich history, culture and traditions. Our expertise stems from the fact that we are personally from local Berber families, so have an in-depth understanding of the desert and its inhabitants.
Our mission is to encourage understanding and interaction with the Berber people through sustainable tourism, allowing you to connect with our culture while preserving the nomadic lifestyle and protecting the environment. Whether you prefer a short immersive escape or the ultimate week-long adventure across three dune systems, we combine top-tier luxury with a budget as reasonable as possible.
Choose Your Luxury Desert Tour
3-Day Luxury Desert Tour — Fes to Marrakech
The perfect short escape. Cross the Middle Atlas, sleep in a luxury desert camp at Erg Chebbi, and traverse the Dades Valley and Aït Benhaddou before arriving in Marrakech.
4-Day Luxury Desert Tour — Fes to Marrakech
Our most popular itinerary. Includes a full 24 hours in the Sahara with ATV rides, sandboarding, longer camel treks, and two nights in luxury camps plus a night in the Dades Gorges.
7-Day Ultimate Luxury Desert Trip — Fes to Marrakech
The big one. Visit all three major Moroccan dune complexes — Erg Chebbi, Erg Chigaga and Erg Lihoudi — with off-roading, sacred oases, mountain passes and the Hollywood of Africa.
We also arrange reverse tours from Marrakech to Fes and can add extra desert days on request. Contact us to customize your itinerary.
Why Choose Our Luxury Desert Tours
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Berber family hospitality — we are from local Berber families and welcome you like old friends with mint tea, stories and music around the campfire
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Luxury desert tents — proper beds, ensuite bathrooms with hot showers, high-quality bedding and all the mod-cons you would expect from a four-star hotel
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Private 4x4 vehicles — fully air-conditioned luxury 4x4s with experienced English-speaking drivers who know every track and hidden viewpoint
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Sustainable tourism — we preserve nomadic traditions and protect the environment while sharing our culture through authentic, respectful interaction
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Three dune systems — on our 7-day tour, experience Erg Chebbi, the remote Erg Chigaga, and the lesser-known Erg Lihoudi for the complete Sahara picture
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Flexible activities — camel treks, ATV dune bashing, sandboarding, village visits, fossil collecting, and simply relaxing with a good book and an iced drink
4-Day Luxury Desert Tour — Day by Day
Our most requested itinerary, with a full 24 hours in the Sahara to soak up the silence, the stars and the shifting sands.
Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga → Erg Chebbi
Your friendly chauffeur collects you from your hotel or riad in Fes after breakfast. Ascend into the Middle Atlas to the quaint Berber town of Ifrane, notable for its Alpine Swiss-chalet architecture and the Lion of Ifrane statue. Nearby is Michliffen, a ski resort in winter. Continue through fragrant cedar forests near Azrou for a chance to see the famous Barbary macaques. Cross the high plains to Midelt and the desert-edge town of Errachidia, then follow the fertile Ziz Valley with its palm trees and ancient ksars. Go off-road in your luxury 4x4 until you reach our tented desert-nomad encampment near Merzouga. Our Berber family welcomes you with refreshing mint tea and shows you to your luxury desert tent. Freshen up, then mount your camel for a trek to the dune crest of Erg Chebbi to watch the stunning sunset. Return to a fine dinner on the dunes or in our restaurant tent, then gather around the campfire for stories, song and dance under the myriad stars.
Merzouga — Sunrise, Activities & Second Sunset
Wake early for a walk to the crest of the dunes to see the sun come up — as beautiful as the sunset, with shifting shadows and colour changes across the sands. Enjoy breakfast made with fresh, entirely locally sourced produce. The day is yours: take an ATV out to drive around the dunes, try sandboarding from the dune tops, visit local villages, or take a longer camel trek deeper into the desert. Or simply relax in the beautiful surroundings with a good book and an iced drink. End the day with another sensational sunset from the dune tops, another delicious dinner, and more culture shared around the flickering campfire. Be amazed by the sheer number of stars. Return to your luxury tent, shower and huge comfortable bed. Dreams are made of this.
Erg Chebbi → Rissani → Tinghir → Todra Gorges → Dades Gorges
Another magnificent sunrise, another first-class breakfast, then it is off to Rissani, famous for its goatskin leather and traditional market. Continue to the vast palm groves of Tinghir, followed by the Todra Gorges — sheer high walls above the stream, much loved by rock climbers. The neighbouring Dades Gorges are just as spectacular, with a proper river running through them. You will stay the night in the most luxurious hotel in the area, which also boasts a very fine restaurant with spectacular views.
Dades Gorges → Skoura → Ouarzazate → Aït Benhaddou → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech
After a delicious breakfast, head out through the vast date-palm plantations of Skoura via a road sprinkled with pretty Berber villages. Next stop is the Hollywood of Africa, Ouarzazate, where you can visit the film studios where movies like Indiana Jones, Gladiator and Game of Thrones were filmed. Continue to the magnificent Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built on the side of a steep hill. Then visit the Glaoui Kasbah at Telouet, an impressive fortress. Finally, enjoy tremendous views from the Tizi n’Tichka Pass as you cut through the western High Atlas and onto the plains back to Marrakech, where you will be dropped off at your hotel or riad in the early evening.
7-Day Ultimate Luxury Desert Trip — Day by Day
The ultimate adventure visiting all three major Moroccan dune complexes, crossing the Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti-Atlas ranges.
Fes → Azrou → Midelt → Erfoud → Merzouga → Erg Chebbi
Your experienced guide collects you after breakfast for the ascent into the Middle Atlas. Stop at Azrou in the fragrant cedar forests to encounter the Barbary monkeys. Cross the high plains to Midelt, famous for its apples, for lunch. Cut through the Tizi n’Talghaumt Pass and down the verdant Ziz Valley along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. Pass Errachidia and Erfoud, famous for fossils, before the dunes appear on the horizon like a mountain range. Enter Merzouga at the base of the Erg Chebbi dunes where mint tea awaits at our luxury encampment. Walk barefoot with the sand between your toes before an amazing desert sunset, then join your Berber family around a roaring fire under uncountable stars.
Erg Chebbi → Tinghir → Todra Gorges → Tinejdad → Dades Gorges
Awaken early for sunrise over the dunes, then back to camp for a breakfast of locally sourced products. Off to Tinghir and the steep-sided Todra Gorges for lunch and souvenirs. Continue through Tinejdad along the palm groves before ending the day in the Dades Gorges in a very luxurious hotel with spectacular views.
Dades Gorges → Tizi n’Tazzazerte → N’Qob → Tansikht → Agdez
Head south through the Tizi n’Tazzazerte Pass at 2,308m, cutting through the foothills of the High Atlas. Reach N’Qob, a village with forty-five kasbahs, then the Draa Valley at Tansikht. Visit the Tamnougalt kasbah and palm oasis at Agdez before arriving at your first-class hotel for the night.
Agdez → Zagora → Tamgroute → M’hamid → Erg Lihoudi
Take the old caravan trade route along the Draa Valley to Zagora, with panoramic views of mountains, villages, kasbahs and palmeries. After lunch in Zagora, visit the potteries of Tamgroute, the Quranic Madrassa, and the secret underground village. The asphalt ends at M’hamid; go off-road into the Sahara until you reach the Erg Lihoudi dunes where another luxury bivouac awaits and you can watch another desert sunset.
Erg Lihoudi → M’Hamid → Sahara → Erg Chigaga
Watch another desert sunrise, then return to M’Hamid to stock up at the markets and visit kasbahs. Off-road across the rock desert or Hamada to the Erg Chigaga dunes via a beautiful Sacred Oasis. Erg Chigaga is remote, unspoiled and serene — the largest dunes in Morocco, some reaching over 50m and extending for more than 30km. Transfer to a camel for a trek along the dunes and a spectacular sunset. Another luxury nomad encampment awaits with everything you would expect from a top hotel.
Erg Chigaga → Lake Iriqui → Foum Zguid → Taznakht → Ouarzazate
Off-road almost 100km through the Sahara with stops at the alien landscape of the dry bed of Lake Iriqui, desert mountains and plateaus, with some fossil collecting. At the desert's edge, have lunch in Foum Zguid and shower off the dust. Continue north through palmeries to Taznakht, famous for traditional Berber carpets. Arrive in Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Africa, for the night in a luxurious riad.
Ouarzazate → Aït Benhaddou → Telouet → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech
Visit nearby Aït Benhaddou, the magnificent UNESCO kasbah and backdrop for Gladiator and Game of Thrones. After lunch, visit the Glaoui Kasbah in Telouet, a fortress in style, much of it in ruins but still impressive. Then through the mountains via the awesome Tizi n’Tichka Pass and across the plain to Marrakech, arriving in the early evening at your hotel or riad.
What is Included
- Private transport: Luxury air-conditioned 4x4 with English-speaking driver
- Accommodation: Luxury desert camps with ensuite bathrooms + premium hotels/riads
- Meals: Breakfast and dinner daily (lunches at scenic restaurants en route)
- Activities: Camel treks, sunset and sunrise dune excursions, campfire entertainment
- Guides: Experienced local Berber guides with deep knowledge of the desert
- Extras: Refreshing mint tea on arrival, sandboarding and ATV options (4-day+)
Frequently Asked Questions
The 3-day tour gives you one night in the desert and one in the Dades Valley, perfect for travellers short on time. The 4-day tour adds a full 24 hours in the Sahara with extra activities like ATV riding and sandboarding. The 7-day tour is the ultimate experience, visiting three different dune systems (Erg Chebbi, Erg Lihoudi and Erg Chigaga) with extensive off-roading and the full breadth of southern Morocco.
Our luxury tents are designed as a carefully crafted mix of high luxury and ancient tradition. They feature proper king-sized beds, ensuite bathrooms with hot showers, high-quality bedding, electricity, and comfortable furnishings. You will find everything you would expect from a four-star hotel, set against the breathtaking silence of the Sahara.
Yes, we regularly arrange reverse tours starting in Marrakech and ending in Fes, with the same stops and experiences in reverse order. We can also start and end in the same city if you prefer a round trip. Just let us know your preference when booking.
Absolutely. Families love the Barbary macaque encounter in Azrou and camel rides (children under 6 often ride with a parent). The desert camps are safe and welcoming, with bonfires and drumming that kids adore. For long drives, we can add extra stops or adjust pacing to suit younger travellers.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer ideal temperatures, with daytime highs around 21 to 30°C in the desert. Summer can exceed 43°C, making midday exploration uncomfortable, while winter nights may drop below freezing. Spring brings wildflowers to the Ziz Valley, and autumn offers crystal-clear skies for stargazing.
Yes, Moroccan cuisine is naturally vegetarian-friendly. You will enjoy dishes like vegetable tagines, Berber omelettes, lentil soups, and seasonal salads. All meals are prepared fresh at the camps or local restaurants. Please notify us in advance so we can ensure your dietary needs are met throughout the journey.