5 Days tour from Marrakech to Chegaga Sahara Desert

After a morning meet-up with your guide and driver, we ascend the majestic High Atlas Mountains. The route weaves through emerald valleys and rustic hamlets, peaking at the Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2,260 m), Morocco’s highest paved mountain crossing.

Following the trail of ancient merchant caravans, we first visit the Kasbah of Telouet, the former palatial seat of the Glaoui clan. After admiring its fading grandeur and ornate tilework, we wind through Berber villages to reach the iconic Ait Benhaddou. This UNESCO-listed ksar is a cinematic legend, having served as the backdrop for countless Hollywood epics. After wandering its historic red-clay corridors, we finish the day in Ouarzazate for dinner and a restful night at a local hotel.

Post-breakfast, we set our sights on Zagora, traversing the rugged Tizi n’Tinififft Pass (1,660 m). We pause for lunch in Agdz, a tranquil town marking the entrance to the lush Draa Valley.

The journey gets adventurous as we head off-road to explore the Kasbah of Tamnougalt, a sprawling fortress once vital to trans-Saharan trade. We continue off-piste for 32 km, driving through the very core of the Draa Valley—a landscape defined by endless date palm groves and ancient fortified granaries. By sunset, we reach Zagora for dinner and your overnight stay.

Today, the desert calls. After breakfast, we head toward M’hamid, the final outpost before the deep Sahara. Our first stop is Tamegroute, home to a fascinating subterranean kasbah, a centuries-old Koranic library filled with precious manuscripts, and famous green-glaze pottery workshops.

Continuing through the Draa’s final palm groves, we reach the dunes of Erg Lihoudi for lunch and a serene one-hour camel trek. The afternoon brings a 64 km off-road crossing into the heart of the wilderness to reach the soaring Erg Chegaga dunes—the tallest in the south at 300 meters. Along the way, we’ll visit the Sacred Oasis, a vital water source for nomads. At camp, enjoy a sunset climb and tea, followed by dinner and Berber rhythms around a crackling fire under a canopy of stars.

An early wake-up call allows you to witness the desert's most magical moment: sunrise over the peaks of the dunes. After breakfast at camp, we navigate the desolate beauty of Iriqui Lake, a vast, dried-out plateau framed by distant mountains and acacia trees.

We stop in the carpet-weaving hub of Taznakht for lunch, where you can see local Berber artisans at work. The afternoon drive takes us back through the changing terrain to Ouarzazate, where you will settle in for dinner and your final night on the road.

On your final morning, we explore the "Hollywood of Africa." We’ll visit the labyrinthine Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas Film Studios, where the sets of famous global blockbusters still stand.

The return leg to Marrakech takes us back into the High Atlas. We’ll break for lunch in the village of Taddert before descending the mountain passes. We arrive back in Marrakech by late afternoon, concluding your spectacular 5-day desert odyssey.