5-Day Marrakech & Sahara Itinerary

This itinerary is built for one of the most common first trips to Morocco: a flight into Marrakech, a few days in the Red City and a night in the Sahara. Rather than booking an airport transfer, a riad and a desert tour separately, you get everything arranged as one private trip. We meet you at the airport, take you to your riad in the medina, drive you over the High Atlas to the Erg Chebbi dunes and back, and finish with a guided morning in Marrakech before your flight home.

It’s the easiest way to see Morocco’s two most iconic sides, the medina and the desert, without spending your holiday on logistics.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Arrival at Marrakech Menara Airport → riad in the medina → evening on Jemaa el-Fna
• Day 2: Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura → Dades Valley (about 350 km)
• Day 3: Dades Valley → Todra Gorge → Merzouga, then by camel to the desert camp (about 290 km)
• Day 4: Erg Chebbi → Alnif → Draa Valley → Ouarzazate → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech (about 560 km)
• Day 5: Guided tour of Marrakech → airport transfer

Day 1: arrival and your first evening

Our driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a sign bearing your name and drives you to your riad, about 20 minutes away. Since cars can’t reach most of the medina, the last part of the journey is usually on foot, with a porter to wheel your bags through the lanes.

A riad is a traditional house built around a central courtyard, often with a fountain and orange trees, and it’s the best place to stay in the old city. Once you’ve settled in, walk to Jemaa el-Fna, the great square at the heart of the medina. At dusk it fills with food stalls, musicians, storytellers and smoke from the grills. It’s chaotic and unforgettable, and the perfect introduction to Morocco.

Days 2 to 4: the Sahara

Day 2. After breakfast your driver collects you for the journey south. The road climbs into the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), then descends to Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village listed by UNESCO, where you have time to explore. The afternoon passes Ouarzazate, the Skoura palm grove and the Valley of Roses before you reach your kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley for dinner.

Day 3. A morning walk through the Todra Gorge, where the canyon walls tower about 300 metres over the stream, is followed by the drive across the desert plateau to Merzouga. There, you swap the car for a camel and ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset, arriving at our luxury camp for dinner, drumming and a night under the stars.

Day 4. Wake for sunrise over the dunes, then ride back for breakfast. The return to Marrakech takes the southern route through Alnif and the palm groves of the Draa Valley, with lunch in Ouarzazate and a last crossing of the High Atlas. It’s a long day, around 9 hours with stops, and you’re back at your riad in the evening.

Day 5: a guided morning in Marrakech

After the desert, a licensed guide shows you the medina properly. A typical route includes:

• The Koutoubia Mosque: its 12th-century minaret is the city’s landmark, visible from almost everywhere. Non-Muslims can’t enter the mosque, but the gardens around it are open.
• The Bahia Palace: a 19th-century palace of courtyards, painted ceilings and carved stucco, built for a grand vizier.
• The Saadian Tombs: the richly decorated burial place of the Saadian sultans, hidden for centuries and rediscovered in 1917.
• The Ben Youssef Madrasa: a former Koranic school with one of the most beautiful courtyards in Morocco.
• The souks: a maze of markets organised by craft, including leather, spices, metalwork, carpets and dyed wool. With a guide, you’ll find your way and learn how things are made.

Your airport transfer is timed around your flight, so if you fly out late, there’s time for lunch or a last visit after the tour.

Tips for your first time in Marrakech

• Cash: Morocco uses the dirham (MAD). ATMs are easy to find in the city, and many small shops and restaurants only take cash.
• Getting around the medina: download an offline map before you arrive. If a stranger offers to show you the way, politely decline unless you’re happy to pay a tip.
• Bargaining: it’s expected in the souks. Start at around half the asking price, stay friendly and walk away if the price doesn’t feel right.
• Dress: clothing is relaxed in Marrakech, but covering shoulders and knees is respectful, especially near mosques and in rural villages.
• Photography: always ask before taking pictures of people. Performers on Jemaa el-Fna will expect a small tip.
• Timing: Friday midday is prayer time, and some sights have shorter hours then.

Where you’ll sleep

• Marrakech (2 nights): a riad in the medina, with a private room and bathroom. We’ll suggest riads at different comfort levels, from charming guesthouses to boutique luxury.
• Dades Valley (1 night): a kasbah-style hotel with a private room and bathroom.
• Erg Chebbi (1 night): our luxury desert camp, with a private tent for your booking, an en-suite hot shower and flushing toilet, comfortable beds and electricity for charging. Heavy blankets are provided in winter, and family tents are available on request.

Adding more days

Five days is the minimum for this combination, and many travellers add one or two more:

• An extra day in Marrakech for a day trip to Essaouira on the coast, the Ourika Valley in the Atlas foothills or the Ouzoud waterfalls.
• A second desert night, for a full day around Erg Chebbi.
• A night in Ouarzazate on the way back, to shorten day four.
• Experiences in the city, like a cooking class, a hammam or a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the palm grove.

Who this tour is for

First-time visitors flying in and out of Marrakech who want the city and the Sahara in one trip, with everything arranged from the moment they land. It suits couples, families and friends who’d rather not piece together transfers, hotels and tours themselves.

Good to know

• Book your flights first. Arrive by the evening of day 1 and leave any time on day 5. We time the city tour and airport transfer around your flight.
• Dress code in the medina is relaxed, but covering shoulders and knees is respectful, especially near mosques and in the desert villages.
• Want more time in the desert? Swap the city tour for a second desert night with our 3-day two-desert-nights tour.
• Dinners in Marrakech aren’t included, so you’re free to explore the city’s restaurants and rooftop terraces.