Your budget shared 3-day desert tour group will take a trip from Marrakech to Merzouga and will start early in the morning with a ride to the east of Marrakech. We will be traveling past small towns toward the High Atlas Mountains. There will be a few stops so everyone can take pictures, videos, stretch, and have something to drink. The first major stop to do some real sightseeing is Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. After driving uphill on many winding roads, the next stop is the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou. This village was also known to be used as a set for major Hollywood movies. In fact, some well-known movies include Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Lawrence of Arabia. On your tour, you will enjoy crossing the river that serves as a border between the Kasbah and the main road. Here you can spend time walking around and exploring the village at your leisure. There are local guides for hire that know the area well. You will also take the time to have lunch at one of the local cafes and enjoy many of the local amenities. After doing some exploring, the group will continue onto the Dades valley. On our way, we will be driving past many places like Ouarzazate, which is home to a 19th-century palace and Kalaat Mgouna, the capital of the valley of the roses, in fact, the Roses Festival takes place in Kelaat M'Gouna every year in May. Upon arrival at Boumalne Dades, a small town in theTinghir Province, we will then follow along on a small road parallel to the Dades River. During this ride, you will get to see some wonderful pieces of history. The different fortified Kasbahs or small fortress-like homes are sometimes forgotten about in some tours, but not in ours! Depending on how much stopping and sightseeing we do, you should arrive at your Dades Valley hotel late in the afternoon. This is where you will have dinner and stay overnight.

After breakfast in your hotel in Dades Valley, we will then begin our day with a stroll down the road of 1001 Kasbahs. We will head toward the oasis of Tighir, where we will then take a road along the river to Todra Gorge. The Todra Gorge is roughly 15 miles long and is made of limestone river canyons. Here was can stop the vehicle for a walk and enjoy the surroundings. We can then enjoy some shade of many palm trees and continue on to see more. Leisure time is always important during tours, as we don’t want anyone to feel rushed, this a tour that is supposed to educate and excite you about the area. We want you to appreciate the culture and surroundings and take it all in. After some time to enjoy the giant cliffs, and then possibly lunch if you are hungry. There are also local cafes here that you can enjoy and eat or drink at your leisure. When lunchtime is finished, we can continue into the afternoon with a trip to Rissani. Rissani is the capital of Tafilalet is one place that looks truly trapped in time. Here we will take in some of Morocco's incredible culture. Not to mention, Rissani was the first stop in The legendary trading caravans of the Sahara, journeying to the legendary city of Tombouctou. Here we will only stop for a moment and then we will travel to Merzouga. Merzouga is known as a gateway to Erg Chebbi, a collection of sand dunes just north of town. Be prepared for a bumpy ride here as we will be cruising through the sun-scorched deserts, the jagged terrain stretched out for miles in every direction.. We will then drive to the lodge, a cozy lodge that offers a cozy restaurant, outdoor pool, and even a garden. Here you should feel free to take a swim and get refreshed in their pool or even check out the restaurant for a snack, before getting ready for your sunset desert trek to the camp. We will then meet with our camel caravan, where we will once again ride through the sand dunes at sunset before making it to our camp by nightfall. After some more leisure time of admiring your surrounding landscapes, you will then be served a starlit, authentic Moroccan dinner, next to the campfire. As you enjoy your dinner with the company of others, you can enjoy being entertained by the local nomad hosts who will play their drums.

The next day will be an early sunrise camel hike through the Erg Chebbi dunes and back to the lodge. Here we will have breakfast, maybe a quick swim, and then get cleaned up. Swimming will depend on time constraints.

After some time to eat and bathe, we will then meet up with our vehicle and drive back to Ouarzazate. We will drive back through the winding roads of lush palm groves through the Draa Valley. After some more leisure time and an opportunity to have lunch, we will travel back to Marrakech and through the High Atlas Mountains. Your 3-day group desert tour will end in Marrakech at about 7 pm. Of course, this time is also merely an estimate.