Marrakech Airport to Merzouga Private Transfer

The drive: Atlas, kasbah road and desert

This is the longest route we run: 560 km and about 9 hours at the wheel, without counting meals. From Marrakech the N9 crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) to Ouarzazate. The N10 then runs east past the Skoura palm grove, Kalaat M'Gouna and Boumalne Dades to Tinghir, the gateway to the Todra Gorge. The last section goes through Tinejdad, Erfoud and Rissani, where the land flattens into stony desert before the dunes appear. There is no train and no motorway. Leave Marrakech by 7:00 if you want to arrive before dark, or split the journey.

Pickup in Marrakech, drop-off in Merzouga

The driver meets you at the arrivals exit of Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) with a name sign, or at your hotel or riad. In Merzouga the tarmac ends at the village and at the hotels along the edge of Erg Chebbi, and that is where our vehicle stops. Desert camps inside the dunes are reached by 4x4 or camel, arranged by the camp. Send us the name of your hotel or the meeting point given by your camp, and the time they expect you: most camel departures leave before sunset.

Where to break the journey

A night on the way makes this a far better trip. Ouarzazate sits at 4 hours from Marrakech, the Dades Valley and Tinghir at roughly 6 to 7 hours. You can book the first leg as a transfer from Marrakech to Ouarzazate and continue the next morning. Short photo stops are free on any leg. Fill your water bottles in Erfoud or Rissani. For a flight home from Marrakech, plan the return the day before: a same-day drive to the airport is not realistic. See our Marrakech to Merzouga drive guide for timings by section.