6-Day Family Sahara Adventure

Highlights

• Overnight at Ait Ben Haddou to break the journey
• Two nights in Merzouga – one in a family-friendly camp
• Short camel ride sized for children
• Sandboarding on gentle slopes
• Visit to a nomad family (with their consent)
• Todra Gorge walk and the Dades Valley

Marrakech → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley → Todra Gorge → Merzouga (2 nights) → Ouarzazate → Marrakech

Best for: Families with children of most ages, multi-generational groups and anyone who prefers shorter driving days.

Activities

• Short camel ride
• Sandboarding on gentle slopes
• Nomad-culture visit (with consent)
• Todra Gorge walk
• Ait Ben Haddou and Skoura palm grove
• Stargazing (moon and weather permitting)

Itinerary

Driving times are approximate and exclude long stops; they vary with weather, roads and traffic.

1. 1

   Marrakech – Tizi n’Tichka – Ait Ben Haddou

   approx. 3.5–4 h driving plus stops (≈ 190 km)

   We collect you mid-morning, avoiding an early start, and climb into the High Atlas. Stops are frequent: a viewpoint with argan-oil and fossil stalls, a café for mint tea and, at the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), a stretch of the legs in the cool mountain air. Children often enjoy spotting the mud-brick villages along the way. We arrive at Ait Ben Haddou in the afternoon, with time to rest at your kasbah hotel – some have pools – before a late-afternoon walk up through the ksar to the granary at the top, where the light is at its best. Dinner at the hotel and an early night.

   OvernightAit Ben Haddou – kasbah hotel or guesthouse (category chosen at booking)

   MealsDinner and breakfast (typical plan – to be confirmed)
2. 2

   Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Skoura – Dades Valley

   approx. 3 h driving plus stops (≈ 150 km)

   After breakfast it is just 30 minutes to Ouarzazate, where families with film fans may like a visit to one of the film studios (opening to be confirmed). Continuing east along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, we stop at the Skoura palm grove for a short walk among the palms and old kasbahs. The road then passes Kalaat M’Gouna, known for its roses, to Boumalne and into the Dades Valley, about two hours from Ouarzazate. Arrive by mid-afternoon with plenty of time to relax, play and look out at the unusual rock formations. A short walk in the valley can be arranged with a local guide.

   OvernightDades Valley – family-friendly hotel or guesthouse (category chosen at booking)

   MealsDinner and breakfast (typical plan – to be confirmed)
3. 3

   Dades – Todra Gorge – Merzouga

   approx. 4 h driving plus stops (≈ 250 km)

   A one-hour drive brings us to Todra Gorge, where you can walk on the flat valley floor between towering walls and paddle in the shallow stream in warm weather. After lunch in Tinghir, we drive about three hours east via Alnif, with a stop to see fossils, and reach Merzouga in the afternoon. Tonight you stay in a hotel or auberge at the edge of the dunes – a good chance for a shower and a swim before the camp night. As the sun sets, take a family walk onto the first dunes behind the hotel, and let the children try sandboarding on a gentle slope.

   OvernightMerzouga – hotel or auberge at the edge of the dunes (category chosen at booking)

   MealsDinner and breakfast (typical plan – to be confirmed)
4. 4

   Merzouga – Nomad Visit – Short Camel Ride – Desert Camp

   Short local 4x4 transfers only

   A relaxed morning by the pool, then a 4x4 excursion around Erg Chebbi. Where a family agrees to receive visitors, you can visit a nomad tent to learn how desert families live and share tea – visits are arranged with consent and fair compensation, and access is never guaranteed. After lunch and a rest in the heat of the day, meet your camel handler for a short ride of around 30–60 minutes into the dunes, timed for sunset. Children ride with an adult nearby, and anyone can walk alongside or travel by 4x4 instead. At the family-friendly camp, dinner is followed by music and, on dark nights, stargazing.

   OvernightErg Chebbi – family-friendly desert camp (category chosen at booking)

   MealsDinner and breakfast (typical plan – to be confirmed)
5. 5

   Merzouga – Alnif – Ouarzazate

   approx. 5–6 h driving plus stops (≈ 370 km)

   Wake early for sunrise over the dunes – or sleep in, if little ones need it. After breakfast and the return to the village by camel or 4x4, we set off west on the longest driving day of the tour. To make it easier for children, we plan regular stops: a fossil workshop near Alnif, lunch in Nkob or Tazzarine, and a break in the palm groves. We reach Ouarzazate in the late afternoon, where a hotel with a pool lets everyone unwind. This overnight avoids a 9–10-hour drive back to Marrakech in one day.

   OvernightOuarzazate – hotel (category chosen at booking)

   MealsDinner and breakfast (typical plan – to be confirmed)
6. 6

   Ouarzazate – Tizi n’Tichka – Marrakech

   approx. 4–4.5 h driving plus stops (≈ 200 km)

   A leisurely breakfast before the final drive back over the High Atlas. The road climbs through Amazigh villages and walnut groves to the Tizi n’Tichka pass, then winds down through the forested northern slopes, with a lunch stop in a mountain village or at a riverside restaurant. We expect to arrive in Marrakech by mid-afternoon, leaving time to settle in before an evening visit to Jemaa el-Fna. Your driver will drop you at your riad, hotel or the airport. If your family would like more time in Marrakech, we can arrange a family-friendly guided walk or a visit to a garden the following day.

   OvernightNot included – end of tour in Marrakech

   MealsBreakfast (typical plan – to be confirmed)

Inclusions & exclusions

Accommodation, meals & transport

A mix of kasbah hotels, family-friendly guesthouses and hotels with pools, plus one night in a family-friendly desert camp with private bathrooms. Family rooms or connecting rooms are requested wherever possible. Standard and luxury levels are available.

Breakfasts and dinners are part of the typical plan; lunches are at local restaurants, where simple dishes like omelettes, brochettes and chips are usually available for children. Travel is by private air-conditioned vehicle with driver. Child seats can be requested.

Good to know

Departure

Marrakech

Finish

Marrakech

Possible departure cities

Marrakech

Tour type

Private

Group size

Confirmed on request

Pickup & drop-off

Pickup from your riad/hotel in Marrakech (medina pickups may require a short walk to the nearest vehicle access point).

Safety, age & accessibility

Driving days are kept to about 3–6 hours, but the Tizi n’Tichka (2,260 m) road is winding – bring motion-sickness remedies for children. Desert heat can be intense from late spring to early autumn: plan for hats, sun cream and plenty of water, and keep outdoor activities to mornings and evenings. Camel rides and sandboarding carry a small risk of falls and are not advised with back problems or during pregnancy. Any quad or buggy activity runs only in designated areas with briefing and protective gear; minimum ages are set by the operator (to be confirmed). Camps and dunes are not wheelchair-accessible.

Price

Contact us for a price. Every trip is priced for your dates, group size, tour type and accommodation level. Send us your plan on WhatsApp or by email and we will send you the price.

Payment & cancellation

[TO CONFIRM: payment method (e.g. bank transfer), deposit amount and balance deadline]. A booking is confirmed only after we confirm availability and payment arrangements in writing. We never ask for card details on this website.

[TO CONFIRM: cancellation windows and refund conditions]. See our Cancellation Policy. Read the policy, our booking terms and the Sahara tour FAQs.

Destinations you visit

• Marrakech travel guide
• Ouarzazate travel guide
• Ait Ben Haddou travel guide
• Dades Valley travel guide
• Todra Gorge travel guide
• Merzouga & Erg Chebbi travel guide

FAQs