{"id":28092,"date":"2026-03-02T18:51:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T15:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/merzuga-pustelya-v-marocco\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T19:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:51:41","slug":"merzuga-desetrt-in-marocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/en\/merzuga-desetrt-in-marocco\/","title":{"rendered":"Merzouga, Morocco – how to plan an adventure in the Sahara Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Merzouga – a desert in Morocco: how to get to the desert, where to stay – hotels, riads, desert camps, what to do in the desert in Morocco.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merzouga<\/strong> is a small town in the desert in Morocco<\/strong>, which is a real highlight of a trip to this brightly colored country.
I dreamed of visiting a real desert with huge<\/strong> dunes<\/strong>, seeing camels<\/strong> crossing kilometers of sand, and the sun rising over the sand waves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly what we saw when we arrived in Merzouga<\/strong>, which is located near the so-called “branch” of the Sahara in<\/strong> Morocco<\/strong>. It is here that you can not only walk along the dunes but also take a tour of the desert in jeeps or on camels. You can also spend the night in the desert in a real Bedouin<\/strong> camp<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you will find all the information about the Merzouga<\/strong> and the desert<\/strong> in Morocco, based on our own experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General information about Merzouga<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Merzouga<\/strong> is a tiny town in the southeast of Morocco, 40 kilometers from the border with Algeria. The village is located right on the edge of the desert<\/strong>. It is quite spacious and consists entirely of clay buildings and hotels typical of the country. Most of the buildings were built since 1980 to meet the tourist demand for hotels, restaurants, and shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The desert<\/strong> near Merzouga is the so-called Erg Chebbi. <\/strong>It’s <\/strong>an area covered with sand dunes, which is actually a piece of the Sahara Desert in Morocco<\/strong>. The dunes in Erg Chebba are huge – they reach a height of almost 200 meters<\/strong>. There is another Erg<\/strong> in Morocco – Chigaga<\/strong>, located near the city of Zagora<\/strong>. The dunes there are much lower, up to 60 meters high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A visit to the desert near Merzouga is one of the best things about traveling to Morocco<\/strong> that leaves vivid memories. Here you can see a fascinating landscape formed exclusively by wind and sand. The dunes are constantly moving, creating incredible waves of sand. Thanks to its ideal location on the edge of the sand dunes, Merzouga is a very cool starting point for camel rides, jeep tours or other exciting desert excursions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to get to Merzouga from Marrakech<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are three ways to get to Merzouga: rent a car, buy bus tickets, or buy a ready-made tour from Marrakech<\/strong>. Let’s analyze all three options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rent a car<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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We rented a car on DiscoverCars<\/a>. <\/strong>The best conditions were with the international car rental company Herz<\/strong> (but I reccomend to check your the best offers on this site). We picked up the car at Agadir Airport (we flew here from Warsaw on a direct Wizz Air flight)\/ And returned it at the end of the route at Tangier Airport (from here we returned home via Milan-Bergamo on a Ryanair flight). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We advise you to read about our ideal travel itinerary for Morocco<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From Marrakech to Merzouga<\/strong>, about 560 kilometers of roads. It takes about 9-10 hours of pure travel time. Part of the route leads through the High Atlas Mountains<\/strong> with steep serpentines. Roads in Morocco are well, and there are plenty of gas stations along the route (except for the mountain passes in the High Atlas). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were traveling to Merzouga with a stop in Ait Ben Haddou<\/strong> and an overnight stay in an oasis near Ouarzazate<\/strong>. We split the five hundred kilometers in half so that we wouldn’t get tired and could see interesting places along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, there are places on the way<\/strong> to the desert that are worth making a hook for, for example, Dades Gorge<\/a><\/strong>, which should not be missed. The further south you go, the more barren and dry the landscape becomes, and you realize that you are getting much closer to the Moroccan desert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By bus from Marrakech to Merzouga<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two large bus companies in Morocco that provide intercity transportation. These companies are SupraTours<\/strong> and CTM<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to Merzouga from Marrakech, you must first get to Ouarzazate, and then buy tickets to Rassani<\/strong>. Then take a taxi to Merzouga<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excursions from Marrakech to Merzouga<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n