4×4 Tour with Deluxe Desert Camp
4 Days 4×4 Tour and Camp
Package Prices Start From:
€920 per person
Upgrade to a Private Camp for an extra €130 per person.
Prices based on two people travelling by private vehicle.
Difficulty Rating: 3
Key: on a scale of 1-5
1 = Short distance
5 = Long distance
The Experience
Spend two nights desert glamping to appreciate the camp’s attention to detail and the desert region, and one night on the Draa Valley in a kasbah guest house (we offer a choice of guest house, click on our Map icons above to see the locations of each).
With two nights at camp, allow yourself a full day in the desert to enjoy a longer camel-trek or hike with picnic lunch. The desert glamping experience also includes dune-boarding, games, hammocks, sheltered outdoor relaxation spaces, and evening aperitifs on the dunes at sunset. For a truly private escape, enquire about upgrading the tour to stay at an isolated private camp.
The itinerary includes:
- 4×4 vehicle with driver-guide for 4 days, with collection and return at riad / hotel (or airport) in Marrakech;
- 1 night guest-house accommodation (with breakfast and evening meal);
- 2 nights desert glamping in an en-suite tent with private bathroom (with breakfasts, evening meals, 1 lunch, all drinks including alcohol/sundowners);
- activities at the desert camp, including camel-ride, guided walking, outdoor games, hammocks.
Please contact us for a tailor-made price quotation.
Further images of the desert wilderness may be found here.
The Route
The Itinerary
Day 1
Marrakech to Foum Zguid
Today, drive from Marrakech by 4×4 vehicle with driver-guide to your luxury desert camp, at the great dunes of Erg Chigaga, in the Moroccan Sahara.
Traverse the High Atlas Mountains via the highest main road pass in Morocco (at 2260m), offering some exhilarating driving via lush valleys and traditional Berber villages. Thereafter, drive through the outer reaches of the Anti-Atlas range, before reaching the town of Taznakht.
The route then passes Foum Zguid, where you leave the tarmac road behind to drive off-road for 3hrs, via arguably some of the finest remote scenery in Morocco (including the vast dried salt flats, at Lake Iriqui, and imposing mountain ridges).
Arrive at the Deluxe Desert Camp with chance to freshen up in your en-suite tent, before taking a chilled aperitif on the rolling dunes. Watch the sunset from a vantage point. Enjoy traditional music next to the campfire after dinner. Overnight at the luxury camp for these next two nights.
Day 2
Day in the Sahara
Day at leisure in the Sahara Desert. Camel-trek out from camp after breakfast and then walk to explore the tallest dunes, or just relax at camp. Lunch is included today. Possibly take a short ride out in the 4×4 before returning to camp in time for sunset aperitifs. Dinner and fire-side music. Overnight at camp once more.
Day 3
Erg Chigaga and Draa Valley
Another opportunity to walk amidst the dunes after breakfast. Then drive Erg Chigaga dunes to Agdz. Drive off-road for 2hrs, to join the tarmac road at M’hamid El Ghezlane, then follow the course of the Draa Valley northwards via Tamegroute and Zagora (the Draa is Morocco’s longest river, flanked by vast palm oases & crumbling kasbahs). Overnight in a kasbah guest-house at the palm grove of Agdz.
Day 4
Agdz to Marrakech
Drive from Agdz to Marrakech, via the Anti-Atlas mountains and Ouarzazate. Once more, cross the High Atlas mountains and arrive in Marrakech by mid afternoon. We can suggest riads / hotels in Marrakech for you.
© Images courtesy of A. Disaro, R. Fiserova, M. Charytonowicz & Wild Morocco.
When to tour?
Try to avoid the height of summer and depth of winter
Temperatures not only in the Sahara but also in Marrakech, Ouarzazate & Anti-Atlas are in the 40s °C in summer. In winter (typically January) snow in the mountains can close the high passes at times, or lead to unexpected delays and route changes. The weather conditions in the desert are prone to change quickly and never predictable. However windy conditions in the desert are common, this is not the same as a sandstorm.
Going the extra mile
Don’t underestimate geographical distances and travel times. Although Morocco is smaller than Spain, traveling in the South can lead to long driving hours due to the nature of the terrain here (mountains, desert, valleys). Be prepared to travel on average 5-6 hours per day. It’s far better to miss out a couple of places to maximise time elsewhere and to enjoy the journey. You can always come back!
Tipping
Tipping is entirely discretionary and is a very welcome and accepted way for guides, drivers, cooks etc to support their incomes. Fair amounts are – 100-150dh per day for the driver, 50-100dh per day per guide on trek (factor in an additional % of this tip for the camel-handler on trek), 50dh per night per person at Berber desert camp.
In cafes, it’s usual to leave a few coins for your waiter. In restaurants, 10% of the bill is about right.