Morocco is a fantastic, quick and easy get away from Europe. It is unreal that we were in another world after only an hour and a bit budget flight from Lisbon. We booked a trip to the entrance of the Sahara desert without doing a lot of research because the tour had so many excellent reviews. We thought Summer (2 years old at the time), would love camping in the desert and riding a camel.
If you have limited time to see more of Morocco we would definitely recommend this trip!
Table of Contents
Driving from Marrakech to the Zagora Desert
It was a bit of a surprise the next morning when the driver picked us up and we realized we were going to be driving for 8 hours each way! Honestly at that stage I was a bit worried the trip could turn in to a nightmare. Spoiler Alert. Our trip was fantastic. The drive was not too bad, on the way to the desert we saw many nice sites and did some interesting stops that we probably never would have seen driving through the country by ourselves. The vehicle was new, the driver was fun and the regular, well-timed stops made for a nice drive. Good, well-priced restaurants were chosen for stops.
What is the Zagora Desert?
Is the Zagora desert in the Sahara? – Zagora is the desert in the south of Morocco and is often referred to as the entrance to the Sahara. This desert doesn’t have the large sand dunes that the Sahara is known for, but there was definitely a lot of sand and we had some beautiful scenery. Zagora is not considered a part of the Sahara desert. The natural Sahara desert, called the Erg Chigaga Desert is located 98 km from the Zagora town, close to M’hamid village.
We had a fantastic experience to the gateway to the Sahara in Zagora on a 2-day trip from Marrakech. Two awesome days, riding a camel to a Berber camp, enjoying a local dinner, sitting around a fire, and spending the night in a tent under the stars.
Our Tour: From Marrakech: 2-Day Adventure to the Zagora Desert (Discover Sahara Tours LLC)
Highlights of Our Zagora Desert Adventure:
- Ride a camel to a Berber camp
- Dinner in the desert
- Campfire with Berber music
- Sleeping in the desert
- Driving through the Atlas Mountains
- Visit to Ait Benhaddou (impressive historic landmarks in Morocco and a popular film location, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, etc.)
- Exploring the city of Ouarzazate
Riding a Camel to our Desert Camp
Our desert adventure started with a 1 hour camel ride to our camp. If you have never been on a camel before, these animals are massive, so you sit very high above the ground and the ride is bumpy. Summer loved it. I will recommend you leave camera, phone or any other devices if you ride with your little one with you, you do not want them to fall off. Your guide will takes some photos for you if you ask when you get on and off. One hour was enough for us. It is a fun touristy thing to do, my bum was sore enough (you ride both ways).
Berber Desert Camp
The members of our group were split into different camps based according to the accommodation option you chose. We were a little sad that we were not going to spend the evening around the fire with our new friends we made on our long road trip to the desert. We chose the Luxury Accommodations in the Desert option. The desert style tent was more than I expected with a double bed, private toilet and shower inside the tent.
Dinner was nice Moroccan food followed by a lively party with singing and drumming around the fire that we really enjoyed. The evening under the stars, was simply magical.
The hosts at camp were friendly, engaging and funny entertaining us all night. Sunrise in the morning was incredible! I will recommend you get up early for a spectacular sunrise over the desert dunes. This is a great time to walk around and take some photos.
After breakfast we made our way back to our bus by camel for another long ride with some interesting stop back to the Riad we were staying in near Marrakesh.
Morocco Road Trip
The tour is a lot of driving for a short time in the desert. Regular, well planned stops and a fun driver made the driving OK. We did a lot of cool stops seeing some of the highlights of Morocco. It is a very touristy thing to do, but if you limited time and just want to sit back and relax this is a good trip.
Visit to Ksar Ait Benhaddou
Aït Benhaddou is a historic ksar (clay-brick village) on the past caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh in Morocco. This great example of traditional Moroccan earthen clay architecture it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built from wood and clay in the 11th century, the village has been restored in modern times, and is a famous and very recognizable Hollywood filming location. Game of Thrones, Gladiator, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile and many more famous movies were filmed here.
Driving Through the Atlas Mountains
To get to the Sahara from Marrakesh you have to cross the Atlas Mountains. The incredible Tizi-n-Tichka Pass winding through the mountains is the gateway from Marrakech to Ouarzazate. At 2260 m, this is one of the highest passes in Morocco. We made some stops to take photos. There are also some great trips available to come and explore these amazing mountains hiking or by 4×4.
- Atlas Mountains Guided Day Hike
- Private Day Trip to Atlas Mountains
- Atlas Mountains experience day trip
Explore the City of Ouarzazate
Known as ´the door of the desert´ Ouarzazate is a city south of Morocco’s High Atlas mountains. We used to be tight budget travelers, so I did not think I would ever see myself buying a carpet on an organized tour. However we could not resist buying a carpet at the gateway to the Sahara Desert. We went to a women’s craft shop located in the center of Ouarzazate, hosting some rug cooperatives. They served some tea and showed us what the ladies were doing. We did spot something that would look nice in our house and after some haggling were happy that we got a very good deal. We were happy that our money goes to the right hands, mostly direct to the weavers.
Amazing Riad in Marrakech
A riad is a traditional Moroccan house, usually built around a courtyard or garden. The Riad we stayed in outside Marrakech was absolutely fantastic and we are definitely going back. L´Oliveraie de L´Atlas is a beautiful property hosting several small Riads and swimming pools on the beautiful grounds. The quiet, peaceful location is lovely. Our daughter had a great time exploring the property, running around in the gardens between the beautiful flowers and fruit trees and jumping into the pool. The food was excellent and we loved the location overlooking the Atlas Mountains. There are daily free shuttles to Marrakech, 10 km away. Some tours will pick you up here if you arrange, otherwise ask for the hotel to arrange a taxi for you to a central location.
Family Hot Air Balloon Ride
Our hot air balloon flight from Marrakech was a great family experience. The ride and landing was smooth, flying in a balloon was fun with amazing views and we had a nice local breakfast afterwards. Doing a balloon trip from Marrakech is not amazing desert scenery flying over the Sahara, but it was very nice. We have skipped balloon flights in the Namib, Cappadocia and other popular places because we were on a tight budget. It was fantastic to finally do a balloon trip with our daughter. She had her own little window in the basket and could see everything. Marrakech Ballooning had good reviews at a good price and accommodates kids from 3 up.
Sahara Desert Tour to
Want to sleep in the real Sahara and explore the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi dunes? Consider this highly rated 3-day Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech. Read the reviews, this also sounds like a great trip.
The strong half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that would be happy to spend all his life in the water diving, surfing and spearfishing but often has to compromise with Alya and go hiking instead. Campbell is responsible for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves traveling, braai (BBQ in South Africa), red wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.
visit Merzouga
Tuesday 19th of August 2025
"You have such a beautiful way of sharing your experiences—honest, thoughtful, and full of personality. It’s clear you travel with intention and curiosity, and that really shines through. Thanks for letting us in on your journey; it's not just inspiring, it's grounding."