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2-Day Zagora Desert Tour from Marrakech

Badge of ExcellenceMarrakech, Morocco

From $91.46

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

2 days
Pickup offered
Offered in: English

Overview

Venture deep into the Moroccan countryside during this rugged excursion, with pickup from Marrakesh. You’ll visit spectacular locations in the Atlas Mountains, without skimping on comfort. Hop a camel to reach your Berber campsite, and sleep under the stars. Your guide will be on-hand to guarantee an insider’s view of life in the mountains, from traditional dinners to picturesque castles. You’ll also have time to visit local handicraft shops. Plus, you can upgrade to luxury camps if desired.

A multi-day adventure deep into Morocco’s Atlas Mountains
Sleep in a Berber campsite off-limits to vehicles—accessible by camelback
Discover indigenous traditions with traditional meals and village visits
Travel in a climate-controlled minivan, with pickup from Marrakesh

What's Included

Hotel pick up and drop-off
Overnight accommodation in berber camp (Tizi Camp or Similar)
1 Breakfast
1 Dinner
Camel ride in the sunset and sunrise in Zagora
Transport by air-conditioned minivan

Lunch
Bottled water

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Hôtel Restaurant Café de France
J2G7+G2G jamaa el-fnna، Rue des Banques, مراكش 40000, Morocco
we will meet you in front of cafe de france in the main square Jamaa El Fna

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:20 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

If your are staying in : - New Town : Free Hotel Pick-up in Marrakech . - Medina : Pick-up location will be the nearest accessible place to your riad by Minibus . - Please provide the name and address of your hotel or Riad in special request .

What To Expect

Experience Morocco’s Zagora Desert and sleep under the stars—all without transport hassles—on this 2-day small-group adventure from Marrakech.

After morning pickup at your hotel or a nearby location in Marrakech, head southward by air-conditioned minibus.

Pass Berber villages, traverse mountain passes, and stop for photos on route through the spectacular High Atlas. Descend through the foothills to Ait-Ben-Haddou, where a local guide shows you its UNESCO-listed kasbah, a historical fortified village featured in the movie “Gladiator.”

Next comes Ouarzazate, the gateway to Morocco’s deserts. Explore the vintage movie sets at its Atlas Studios and opt to visit its stunning, 19th-century Kasbah of Taourirte.

Trace the kasbah-dotted Draa valley to Zagora, where a sunset camel ride brings you to a Berber-style camp near the dunes. After a magical dinner under the stars, sleep in a tent, and early the next morning, enjoy a delicious breakfast before another camel ride—this time during a beautiful sunrise.

Rejoin your minivan in Zagora and enjoy the scenery again as you return to the original starting point in Marrakech.

If you’ve upgraded to the luxury Zagora 2-day trip, you’ll stay in a luxe desert camp, with an ensuite tent and other amenities.

High Atlas Mountains

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ouarzazate

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Zagora

14 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

655 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 655 reviews

Best Tour I’ve Ever Booked!!

At_B, May 2024

This was the best tour I have ever taken, period. Please immediately book this tour to have the time of your life!!! Abdo our driver and Muhammad from camp made the experience for us! You get it all from traditional Moroccan food, to sleeping under the stars in the Sahara and dancing to Amazigh music. Drive 9 hours from Marrakech to Zagora and make several interesting stops along the way. Seriously this felt like something out of a movie it was so cool. Camel ride into the desert + sandboarding!! Thank you to everyone who made this possible!! More than worth it, please book now!!

Immaculate vibes

Bogdan_V, Apr 2024

Was an excellente time - the driver was v efficient and ensured we make it everywhere on time, there was a good amount of stops with different sights and photo-ops, and the camp in the desert is a vibe, very welcoming, very wholesome. Look out for a camel called Hatoush, he’s a bit of a menace but lovely nonetheless.

nice adventure

ROBERTO_R, Apr 2024

it was great trip. met wonderful people who also joined the trip. my girls loved it. the only thing is we wish we would have arrived at the camp a bit earlier to appreciate it a bit more

Great Experience

Aleksander_C, Feb 2024

great experience!! driver Lahcen was super funny and helpful. the camp was wonderfully well-kept and clean. in the evening, good tea and dinner, followed by drumming and a bonfire. I highly recommend climbing the nearby hills when it gets dark because of the great views. The trip is definitely worth taking!!!

Best Valentine ever

Kevin_V, Feb 2024

Overall satisfied, especially with the people involved (driver Abdel, guide Ismail and the Berbers Yousef and Hassan). The stop at Aït Ben Haddou was very much a 'must see', with very good guide Ismail. To go all the way to Zagora (7h) felt a bit much to see rocky and not sandy desert. The camp was amazing but crazy as it might sound I found it too modern: I would have been happier with a basic camp. But it was a Valentine to never forget, shukran!

Must do

William_W, Dec 2023

A fantastic experience - everyone along the way was great including our driver Ibrahim, the guides and more !

Amazing camel/ desert trip

Shawn_C, Nov 2023

Incredible experience! Driver to & from was awesome!👍. The camels and hospitality was fantastic! Amenities, food, tent accommodations was great. Loved interactions with traditional Berber. This company is Great! Communication, drop-off & pick up no problem. Really a fun trip! Thanks!

Great trip!

Oscar_L, Oct 2023

Great tour with the group. Be mindful of delays that may happen both during pickup and dropoff at the end of the trip. We were also a bit confused during pickup because multiple groups and agencies were picking up tourists at the pickup point. However, the overall trip was wonderful!

Great experience and organization

Bogdan_V, Aug 2023

Great experience overall. Felt very well looked after. Our driver was very friendly and chatty. The guides at the camp were also very friendly, great communicators and looked after everyone very well. The camp is very well maintained, with great toilets, shower, chargers and everything that one might need. The trip overall was very well organized and would definitely recommend it

Great trip great driver but poor guide

PAUL_R, Jul 2023

We have used viator on many many occasions around the world and never been disappointed . We were not disappointed this trip but it was not the best. 1. No one told us it would take 12 hours in a mini bus to get to zagora 2. We had booked a tour in English the ten people we traveled with only spoke French . 3. Our driver who was an excellent driver was a poor guide he never spoke to us during the entire journey no updates on where we were or areas we passed through at stops he did only give vague directions as to how long we were to stop it made a king and difficult journey very boaring , the camel ride and tents sleeping under the stars was fantastic the trip was brilliant we just felt our driver let the company down especially when he stopped in a random town to pick his friend up . We felt he let viator down, we would have preferred an English speaking group as well as that is what we asked for

10/10 experience

amran_h, Jun 2023

Best activity in Marrakesh! You get to see so much of the city and surrounding areas and experience an entirely new culture! Everything went so smoothly and big shout out to our driver Mohammed who done an amazing job.

Excellent overall...

Tanya_F, Jun 2023

Excellent overall experience! The camel ride, the campfire music, the sunset and sunrise... just beautiful.

Amazing unforgettable

Zhaoyi_F, May 2023

2 day amazing trip. We went to the old castle Where a lot of movies was made. Ride camels one hour trip to Sahara dessert. See dun drop and sun rise in dessert. Buy traditional clothes. Jamal is a great driver and guide. He drove quite well. He helps a lot all the way.

Intense experience in Morocco

Alessandro_F, May 2023

Beautiful experience, I strongly suggest it if you don't have much time and want to have a closer look to real Morocco beyond Marrakech. Our driver Mehdi has been very kind and friendly with all of us and attentive to our needs. We had a great time in the berber camp, from the dinner to the music together around the fire and the amazing night sky with stars. Of course this is a tent camp in the desert so don't expect the luxury of a 5 stars hotel, however it is very clean and comfortable. Also the berber guys were very nice and hospitable and we learned many things from them. Please keep in mind that it is a long trip, so you have to relax and enjoy the trip itself looking around you: it's worth it.

It’s a long drive, but you’ll get to know your fellow travelers and have a great night under a beautiful desert sky.

Eileen_B, Apr 2023

It’s a long drive, but I met really nice fellow travelers on the way and the campsite is pretty. The tents are cute, the lounge areas outside are nice, and they actually have toilets and showers that aren’t too shabby. It happened to be cloudy in the evening, but after some time the sky opened up and you could see the stars shine so brightly - it was magical!

The camp that we stayed...

Emily_O, Apr 2023

The camp that we stayed at was such a unique experience that was so cool. There were beds in the tents, dinner (drinks were not free), cool outdoor seating, a fire, and berber music that made the whole atmosphere really special. The only disappointing thing about the trip is that the desert that we went to was nothing like the rolling sand dunes for miles, it was just a bit off a road, but hidden by a dune, so there was sand, but not nearly as much as I had imagined.

Great excursion

Hannah_B, Apr 2023

This was a great trip! It was nice to get away from the busy ness of the city and escape to the dessert! Our guide was quiet but got us there safely. The night in the camp was fun! We were all assigned a guide and Mohammad ours was amazing! He didn’t speak English but we had a great time! Even got to see the sunrise over the dessert!

An unique experience

ElenaDaniela_T, Apr 2023

Jamal, our driver was punctual and gave us information. On the way to the desert he stopped at the most important locations where we could take pictures and eat. When we arrived at the dessert, we were greeted by our guide and host Yousef. The best tagine I've eaten. In the evening there was a campfire, music and dancing. Morning breakfast..yammy. The tents are very clean, they have toilets and showers.

Driver guide need to be client friendly.

maxim_g, Apr 2023

This review is mostly about the driver/guide that took us to our destination. Our time at the desert was fine. The camp had no frills accommodations as we expected it. The driver was an integral part of the experience but was not good. Majority of the time we were on the bus 8 plus hours on the road , on our way to the desert. He did not speak any English so the itinerary getting to the desert was largely unknown. Majority of the people on the bus spoke English only. On our way to our destination we stopped at the Berber village/movie studio. It was a very interesting stop, we were told by our guide (at the village) not to buy any of the Berber crafts and souvenirs since we will have an opportunity the next day. The next day we loaded the bus very early and we’re on our way. We had 3 stops for lunch and shopping. The shopping consisted of a rug factory and ceramics bazaar, none of the folks were interested in. I presume these stops were for the driver benefit to get kick backs. This was very disappointing as we were looking for Berber made items that were unavailable in Marrakech.

The experience overall...

HC_H, Apr 2023

The experience overall was great and i am glad we did it. The camp was beautiful set up and the entertainment was a lovely addition and alot of fun. The hosts were very friendly and welcoming. However the tour page needs to include more information. We did not know what to expect for the most part, more information would have made the trip far more enjoyable. I would have liked to know the long car journey involved and also to pack an over night bag as the mini bus was not being driven to the camp. Furthermore ther was no information on drop off time and occasionally the driver would stop at a destination and tell us to take pictures with little context to what it was. However, it was an enjoyable experience if overlooking this aspect.

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