Marrakech Tours
5 Days Sahara Express and Marrakech

5 Days Sahara Express and Marrakech

By Marrakech tours
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About
Join us on this five-day tour and discover both these sides of this ancient land. Starting from Marrakech, this trip will take you to Ouarzazate, Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou Zagora and the arid Draa Valley.
Lowest price guaranteeFree cancellation

Ages 1-65, max of 17 per group
Duration: 5 days
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Arabic, English, French
More


  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Accommodations in HB 4* hôtels.
  • Camel Ride in Desert
What's not included
  • lunches

Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
    Hotel pickup offered
    During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.
      Airport pickup offered
      During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included airports.
      • Menara Airport, Marrakech Morocco
      End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

        • Not wheelchair accessible
        • Near public transportation
        • Infant seats available
        If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 28395P29

        • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
        • Most travelers can participate
        • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 travelers

        • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

        If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 28395P29

        From
        $561.95
        per adult (price varies by group size)
        Select date and travelers

        Similar experiences

        Itinerary
        Overview
        Full Map
        6 stops
        Day 1
        Day 1: Arrival at Air-port Or...
        Day 2
        Visit of Marrakech Medina
        Day 3
        Marrakech To Zagora Desert
        Day 4
        Zagora Desert-Ouarzazate-Marrakech
        Day 5
        Marrakech End Of Our Service
        About the operator
        Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
        • Marrakech tours
          213
          Marrakech, Morocco
          Joined in January 2019
        • G3941JVkarimh
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Trip to Aït Ben Haddou
          The Drive was very nice. Always stopped at amazing places for breaks. And the Berber guide 10/10. Um already excited to book the next tour.
          Written September 5, 2024
        • monicaabd
          0 contributions
          1.0 of 5 bubbles
          Don’t book! No show
          This tour shouldn’t be listed as it doesn’t exist. We booked this tour months ago. Yesterday we were supposed to get a text, as we did for other tours, with the pick up details but we got nothing. After we tried to get in touch with the agency several times with no success we tried the help line. The help line told us to try to be at the usual pickup location in the morning at 7.30. It was incredibly dissapointing to be there for a no show. If this tour is not operating it shouldn’t be listed and accepting payments. It messed up with our trip plans and it is very disappointing.
          Written August 13, 2024
        • Prz328
          0 contributions
          4.0 of 5 bubbles
          A good day out but could have been even better
          A long day much of which is travel to and from Ait Ben Haddau but now the road has been done up this is an interesting drive through the stunning scenery of the Atlas Mountains. It would have been greatly enhanced had we had a guide on the trip with us to tell us more about what we were driving through but the travel part was just a driver who didn't really speak enough of the foreign languages to be able to engage with the group. It would be worth a bit more cost to have a guide as well as a driver on the trip. At Ait Ben Haddau itself we had a local guide to tour the old village - there was some confusion over this because some of the group had this tour guide included in the price and others did not. It would have made life simpler if all bookings were inclusive of the guide. We were delivered to an excellent restaurant for lunch but had insufficient time to eat the set 3 course menu - we had to leave before the dessert was served. So a restaurant offering a quicker meal option such as sandwiches would be better than one limited to set 3-course meals that they can't serve in the time available. After lunch the tour continued to Ouarzazarte - if you're not familiar with the Moroccan film industry, it would be worth swotting up in advance - the film studios at Ouarzazarte came as a complete surprise to us along with the excellent cinema museum that we had a hour to explore. Again a guide would have been helpful for this part of the tip. Overall it was a good day out but a little bit disorganised at times. You can't help feeling that a small increase in cost to fund a guide as well as a driver would go a long way towards improving the experience.
          Written February 8, 2024
        • 851danicac
          0 contributions
          2.0 of 5 bubbles
          Disappointed
          I did not enjoy this tour. The driver only informed us about toilet breaks, nothing more. Upon reaching Ksar Alt, our guide (Mohamed) seemed rushed and repeatedly mentioned that we had just one hour to visit the town and that we had to follow him. Initially, he stated that the 30 DH fee covered the entrance to the town, but that his guiding services were separate, and we could pay what we wanted (so not as it is described on the website). Unfortunately, he did not allocate sufficient time for us to explore this beautiful UNESCO town and led us through another upper entrance, so we didn't even walk through the city. His priority was taking us to an expensive restaurant (Oasis or something like that) where guides receive a commission for bringing tourists. He didn't ask if people wanted that restaurant or if they preferred to spend time differently. I noticed the restaurant's rating was 3.5 and decided to go to another one with my husband. When I asked the guide how much time we had to come back, he mentioned 40 minutes and tried to dissuade us from choosing another restaurant, stating, "I can only guarantee this restaurant" (unclear what that meant). We went to another restaurant, had a delicious meal for half the price, and returned after 40 minutes. Surprisingly, the group took almost 2 hours to finish their food! We were waiting for them instead of exploring this beautiful town. It seemed that the guides only cared about earning money. The next stop was Quarzazate, where tourists could choose whether to visit Atlas Film Studio or the old town. Again, we were given 40 minutes. But not much to see, as the oldest part is closed for visits.
          Written January 26, 2024
        • Jie W
          0 contributions
          1.0 of 5 bubbles
          Terrible experience
          It’s a terrible experience! I don’t recommend people to book this trip unless you want to risk your life! I am so disappointed that this agency doesn’t take care of tourist safety life at all. The third day in desert, the agency left me in bus station, camp and reception room in a random hotel the whole day! There aren’t any self paid activities on Day 3. Besides, I was harassed by camp staff! That’s sooo scary! For my personal reason, I booked a wrong date which is my fault and I asked to change the date. They accepted which is actually nice. After that it’s just a nightmare. In the third day they didn’t arrange anything, I was not even in hotel but a super hot tent! After I argued over 10 times, they left me in a reception room in a random hotel! It’s so ridiculous that they said they will pick me after 6 pm. At that night I was harassed by staff so I have to ask for others girls for help and stay on floor with them! Btw, equipped tent is actually only a tent with a double bed! It’s super hot and the door can’t be closed!
          Written May 8, 2023
        • rkramadh
          0 contributions
          3.0 of 5 bubbles
          Could've been great tour with a different company, different vehicle with working AC etc.
          This tour could have been much better but with a different company than AUDAX who was the local tour operator for our 3 day Marrakech to Merzouga and UNESCO site etc. 1. We were told we'd be picked up at 9am but the night before, we got a text that we'd need to be ready at 7am! The hotel breakfast wasn't even open and we managed to get some coffee and toast luckily by rushing the staff. 2. We got picked up a bit later anyway (thanks to that, no breakfast for us although we had paid for it at our hotel) and got dropped off near the souks in marrakech. 3. we boarded a black mini van and the only two spots left for us was one next to the driver and the window seat. There were 17 people in that vehicle, packed like sardines. I am short but my legs were cramped as the dashboard of the vehicle stuck out. The WORST THING IS THAT THAT THE AC WAS NOT WORKING IN THIS VEHICLE. The driver lied to us multiple times that it was working. All the people in the back complained and nothing was done. The driver left his side of the window open at all times. On the passenger end of that row, the window button was taped up!! We had to ask the driver to open/close it every time and we couldn't control how much was open/closed. We heard complaints that people in the back were boiling. At least we had windows open we thought but when we heard that closing our windows might help, we gladly told the driver to close our window so they could get a bit of AC. Turns out that they didn't get much AC, we got nothing at all in the front row because the driver told us there are no vents for the front row!!! The dashboard had several vents but opening them did NOTHING for us. Not even hot air, let alone cold air! So we were baking with the sun hitting us from the front windshield, with no AC! Even when our side of the window was closed, the driver never closed his side. If the AC was working like he claimed, he'd have to be crazy to keep the window open and run the AC and use up more gas! The van had a slope and the people in the rows behind the driver couldn't see any scenery! At one point, one couple asked the driver to people around. we were willing to swap but no one asked us or said anything. One couple that needed to swap with us in the second row (bcoz my husband has knee issues and needed room to stretch) didn't seem to want to swap. So I sat cramped so that my husband could at least have some room in the front row. The drive through the desert was hot, sandy but we chugged along without AC. The driver was NOT a guide. He did NOT speak English. I spoke French and once he found out, he basically ignored my husband asking him anything. After the intitial few times, the driver stopped even responding to anyone's complaints about the AC!! HE KNEW VERY WELL HE WAS LYING ABOUT THE AC WORKING IN THAT VEHICLE!! It was a long painful drive in a vehicle that HAD 200KM mileage!! WE were grateful that at least we had the view from the window while others had nothing due to the slope in the vehicle roof. It blocked their view (unless they were like kids' height which none of them were!). The hotel we stayed at the first night was OK. No hot water for shower, then no water at all to brush/wash our face etc. I managed to get a shower while my husband got cold water trickling. It was a very rustic bathroom. WE didn't mind provided it had hot water but the shower sprayed water all over the bathroom IF/WHEN it decided to work. de The room had no AC. When we asked, instead of switching us to a room, they said they couldn't find a tech to come to fix it at that hour. THEY KNEW IT WAS NOT WORKING BEFORE WE WERE PUT IN THERE AND WE LOST ANOTHER NIGHT OF SLEEP ON TOP OF ALL THE PREVIOUS NIGHTS BECAUSE AC SEEMS LIKE REAL LUXURY EVEN IN GOOD HOTELS IN MOROCCO!! Dinner was fine but not adequate quantity. Chopped tomatoes with salt/pepper is NOT a salad. They didn't seem to have enough food for us tbh. The views were wonderful but the stay could have been more enjoyable if the AC was working. They told us to open the small window and it was nothing but noise from the road below, despite it being in a remote location. We met well spoken guides that walked us through Ait Benhaddou etc. The disappointing part is they told us we really needed head scarves to go through the desert that evening. We fell for their lies and spent the money! They lied to us that someone would show us how to tie them but no one did!! When we got to the desert, we got strange looks as we had brought all our luggage with us since it made no sense to pay for 3 day tour (2 night stay) and also pay for a hotel in Marrakech to keep our luggage. Until we asked if anyone would show us how to tie those scarves on our head, there was no attempts from them. The driver dumped us where the camels were lying and took off. Luckily someone tied those scarves on our heads BUT SUNSET HAD ALMOST HAPPENED ALREADY BY THEN AND THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THEM WHATSOEVER!! THE CAMEL RIDE WAS BARELY AN HOUR, NO SUNSET TO LOOK AT!! By the time we got on the camels and rode and reached our camp, it was fully dark!! The camps were beautiful (all white and one next to the other however) with large lanterns lit up. Food was good that night and the dinner camp had AC blasting when we didn't need it lol. The music/drums were played but again, nothing exotic to be fair. My spouse played a lot too and many told him he played better than the people who were in charge of entertainment LOL. We went to bed around midnight and the camps nearby were playing much better music till much later. The camps had private bathroom, sink etc and it was worth paying the extra for luxe camp. No complaints there for sure. After no sleep for 3 nights by then, we were told we had to be ready at 7 am to get out! We got at 6am, had quick breakfast and put out our luggage for the 4x4 to take it where our original van/driver had dropped us off. A lot of people had walked up the dunes to watch sunrise. We had no idea, we could've done the same. Having no guide but just a driver that spoke no english meant we were left to fend for ourselves. In the camp, the guides from other groups were looking out for their visitors but we had NONE!! The sunrise camel ride was nicer than the dark, so called sunset ride although we enjoyed the camel rides a lot. While we disembarked, the front two camels took off!! The camel that my husband was on saw that and it wanted to follow the other two. So while my husband was getting off the camel (sitting down), it got up!! That left my husband dangling with one leg on the camel high up and the other dangling. This for a guy with genetic condition of arthritis! He was doing a split without intentending to do so. Fortunately the camel guide got him down safe without anything broken/hurt bcoz my husband stayed calm the whole time. The local camel guys are wonderful and we paid them generous tips but AUDAX events failed us by sending a driver who spoke no english, didn't give us one bit of information on our long drive (unless I prodded him in french). He was also a heavy smoker and after every stop, when he got back into the vehicle, he was wreaking of cigarette smoke which I absolutely hated! I was stuck sitting next to him. He sometimes talked so loud with his head towards me that he was spraying me!! The so called guide or whoever that I even forgot was in our vehicle didn't say a peep the whole ride!! No information being shared, no telling us about the country side, no guiding of any kind!! The most disappointing part is that we looked forward to this part of the trip the most but the camel ride, camp stay and ride back all lasted barely a few hours!!The drive back was a very long one in the hot sun without the AC. When we took other tours using a diff company than viator, they brought luxurious Mercedes vans with seats facing each other! That kind of vehicle should've been used by audax for the 3 day tour. NOT AN OLD 200km mileage vehicle with no AC! The fact that the window up/down button was taped up speaks volumes about that vehicle! I wish this tour was what we had envisioned it to be but the most important aspects were way too short. The stay on the first night should've been better with AC in the room. Overall, do this tour but not with viator/audax! The driver's name was Abdel. He was a nice guy I think and we tipped him generously but honestly, he needs to learn English in this business a little bit at least. I WANT SOME OF MY MONEY BACK SINCE WE PAID SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS for two of us! We also found out that 5 women in our vehicle paid less than half of what we paid through some agent on the street! We feel like fools for paying so much for the same crappy experience they got but at least they didn't pay as much. They should never have cramped so many people in that vehicle!
          Written May 7, 2023
        • abdelaadiml2023
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Fantastic
          I really enjoyed my time with you . Thank a lot for the nice moments. I hope to do it again as soon as possible thanks again.
          Written May 5, 2023
        • Discover736630
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Once in a lifetime experience
          We had a fantastic time on our tour, and Jawad (our operator) allowed us to customise the experience and check in with us every day, going above and beyond to satisfy our requests and wants. They were really amazing from the start to the end of our tour. had an amazing time with this tour, and Jawad (our operator) let us personalized the experience and check with us every day, putting an extra effort to meet our request and wishes. We really felt cuddled and cared for. We organized to spend some of these days driving through the scenic roads of this great country. Our driver, Hamza, was exceptionally attentive and kind, offering to pull over whenever there was an intriguing view to snap pictures and tell us about what we were seeing. He also respected those times when we just wanted to sit in quiet and absorb the vista. The time in the desert was the icing on the cake. Something that everyone should witness at least once in their lives. On the dunes, we watched the sunset and sunrise and admiring the night sky... Breathtaking. The trip was great in and of itself, an immersive tour of a nation with so much to offer in terms of landscape, food, and people. I could go on, but I'll just say that I'm grateful to have decided to live this experience with them and, as a result, to have seen so much of Morocco.
          Written May 4, 2023
        • P5814WMpaolos
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Amazing experience
          This was the best experience of my life. We asked for a private tour and it was granted. The care showed by Hamza and Jawad was incredible, always attentive to us and our needs. I never felt so looked after in my life. The food was amazing, the experience authentic and the places we visited were fantastic. Dunes, gorges, mountains and desert all packed in a single unique experience that I definitely recommend.
          Written May 3, 2023
        • 634familym
          0 contributions
          4.0 of 5 bubbles
          Nice location
          The heritage area was an experience. Travel time to and fro was bit longer and uncomfortable in mini bus.
          Written April 30, 2023
        • Peter G
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Beautiful location
          We visited a cave/arch as well. The waterfalls are spectacular and there is scope for walks in the area.
          Written March 18, 2023
        • benjaminlU2953LI
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Quad
          We had a great time! There’s no clear description here, but you are brought to a lot where they teach you to ride the quad and then from there you ride out into the desert, following the guide. Eventually, we drove to a village where a nice child served us great Moroccan mint tea and bread. Ayoub was our guide, and he was fantastic and helpful and took great photos and videos. He spoke great English, French, and Arabic. He told us he speaks Berber too. Couldn’t be nicer. Only thing to say is make sure you clear up what your ticket is with them at the start, as tripadvisor/viator had some stuggles with some people going there (though it was cleared up) 10/10 would recommend Note: we did not ride the camels
          Written March 15, 2023
        • parisantonopoulos
          0 contributions
          4.0 of 5 bubbles
          Interesting day trip, long ride, great experience.
          The price you pay online covers transportation only. Plan extra ~150dh for lunch (cash only) and 30dh for museum entrance (cash only). The driver was friendly and spoke good English. He answered all of our questions and kept smiling. There are plenty of roadworks along the route. All companies that do this day trip make the same stops, so plan to be around plenty of people at every stop. Be advised that sport shoes are highly recommended since visiting the Ait Ben Haddou passes initially through a river jumping along rocks. Lunch stop had good WiFi, but again, plenty of people. We felt time pressured as we've had only 40 minutes lunch and just an hour to climb the Ait Ben Haddou. Quarzazate city was worth it as it's highly developed due to the film studios. Be equipped with water as it's a long ride. Also, at the stops, be advised there's a charge to visit the toilet.
          Written March 11, 2023
        • cheaari
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Thanks 🙏
          That was a wonderful experience that was exceptionally well-run. Everything went very smoothly, from communication to hotel pickup to breakfast in a berbere tent at the camp. A big thank you to our pilot, who made our trip unforgettable by being incredibly cool, kind, and experienced while guiding the balloon.
          Written March 2, 2023
        • Z6926PWdavidb
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Wonderful experience
          wonderful people and a wonderful experience. That is an experience that everyone should do at least once in their lives, and it was particularly beautiful to do it nearby Marrakech in the middle of the desert. The customary Moroccan breakfast was outstanding, and the staff was really kind and professional.
          Written March 2, 2023
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