Two Days to Zagora
2-Day Zagora Desert Tour from Marrakech
The short desert run, and an honest word about what it is
- 2 days · 1 night
- Marrakech → Marrakech
- About 14 hours over 2 days. Paved throughout, no 4x4 needed. driving
Two days is not enough for Merzouga, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you twenty hours in a seat. Zagora is the honest short option. The dunes are small, but the Draa valley on the way down is the longest palm oasis in the country, Tamegroute has kept a manuscript library for four centuries and still fires green-glaze pottery in underground kilns, and the sky at night is exactly as good as it is anywhere else in the Sahara. Take this if you have two days. If you have three, I will point you east instead.
Why I run it this wayHalf the operators selling Zagora illustrate it with photographs of Erg Chebbi, which is four hours further east. Zagora's dunes are modest. I will tell you that before you book, not after.
The things worth stopping for
- Tizi n'Tichka pass and Ait Ben Haddou with time to walk the ksar
- The Draa valley palm ribbon and the crumbling ksour along it
- Tamegroute: the underground pottery kilns and the four-century-old Quranic library
- Camel into the Tinfou dunes for sunset, night at camp
- Paved road throughout, so no 4x4 surcharge
- An honest description of dune size before you pay
Where this trip takes you
Straight lines between stops, not the exact roads — the driving is the winding version of this.
How the trip goes
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Day 1: Marrakech to Zagora
Driving: About 7 hoursOver the Tizi n'Tichka, then Ait Ben Haddou with enough time to cross the river and climb through the ksar. Ouarzazate, over the Tizi n'Tinififft, and down the Draa through the palm groves. Camel into the dunes at sunset, dinner and drums at camp.
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Day 2: Zagora to Marrakech
Driving: About 7 hoursSunrise over the dunes, then Tamegroute for the library and the kilns before the road north through Agdz and Ouarzazate. Marrakech by evening.
I'll email you this itinerary — every day, what's included, what it costs — so you can think it over and share it.
One email with the itinerary. No account, and I don't pass your address to anyone — see the privacy policy.
What's included
Included
- Private van with me driving
- 1 night in a desert camp
- Dinner and breakfast at camp
- Camel ride
- Riad pickup and drop-off
Not included
- Lunches
- Entry fees
- Tips
Read more about where you'll be
A closer look
Questions about this route
Will I see big sand dunes on the 2-day trip?
No — Zagora's dunes are small, and I'd rather tell you now. You get the Draa Valley, kasbahs and real desert country. For big dunes, you need three days to Merzouga.
How much driving is the 2-day Zagora trip?
About 14 hours over two days — roughly 7 each way, all on paved road.
How much does the 2-day desert trip cost?
$230–$310 per person. The lower figure assumes four sharing, the upper assumes two.
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Fes to Marrakech, Four Days$540–$730 per person · accommodation includedTell me when you're coming
Every route bends: more time somewhere, a different start, a night added. Send your dates and I'll plan it around you.