Sahara and Atlas Mountains itinerary: 1 to 3 days
Plans for one to three days in the Sahara and Atlas Mountains, day by day, driving east from Marrakech: the Tizi n'Tichka pass, Aït Benhaddou and the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate first, then the Skoura oasis, the Dades and Todra gorges and a night in a desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and the Gnawa village of Khamlia and the market town of Rissani as you add days. A car with a driver or a tour is needed. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Sahara and Atlas Mountains in 1 day
Day 1
Tizi n'Tichka pass
High road pass over the High Atlas at about 2,260 m, on the winding road from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, with wide mountain views.
Aït Benhaddou
Fortified earthen ksar on a hillside above a river, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the backdrop for many films and series.
Taourirt Kasbah, Ouarzazate
Large earthen kasbah of the Glaoui family in the centre of Ouarzazate, with restored rooms, painted ceilings and a maze of courtyards.
Sahara and Atlas Mountains in 2 days
Day 1
Tizi n'Tichka pass
High road pass over the High Atlas at about 2,260 m, on the winding road from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, with wide mountain views.
Aït Benhaddou
Fortified earthen ksar on a hillside above a river, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the backdrop for many films and series.
Taourirt Kasbah, Ouarzazate
Large earthen kasbah of the Glaoui family in the centre of Ouarzazate, with restored rooms, painted ceilings and a maze of courtyards.
Kasbah Amridil, Skoura
Seventeenth-century kasbah in the palm groves of the Skoura oasis, partly a museum of traditional life, with towers, courtyards and old tools.
Day 2
Dades Gorges
Valley of red cliffs, strange rock formations and kasbahs along the Dadès River, with a famous road of tight hairpin bends higher up.
Todra Gorge
Narrow limestone canyon near Tinghir with towering walls above a clear stream, an easy flat walk from the end of the road.
Erg Chebbi dunes (camel ride and desert camp)
The great sand sea near Merzouga, with dunes up to about 150 m high; ride a camel at sunset and sleep in a desert camp.
Sahara and Atlas Mountains in 3 days
Day 1
Tizi n'Tichka pass
High road pass over the High Atlas at about 2,260 m, on the winding road from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, with wide mountain views.
Aït Benhaddou
Fortified earthen ksar on a hillside above a river, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the backdrop for many films and series.
Taourirt Kasbah, Ouarzazate
Large earthen kasbah of the Glaoui family in the centre of Ouarzazate, with restored rooms, painted ceilings and a maze of courtyards.
Kasbah Amridil, Skoura
Seventeenth-century kasbah in the palm groves of the Skoura oasis, partly a museum of traditional life, with towers, courtyards and old tools.
Day 2
Dades Gorges
Valley of red cliffs, strange rock formations and kasbahs along the Dadès River, with a famous road of tight hairpin bends higher up.
Todra Gorge
Narrow limestone canyon near Tinghir with towering walls above a clear stream, an easy flat walk from the end of the road.
Erg Chebbi dunes (camel ride and desert camp)
The great sand sea near Merzouga, with dunes up to about 150 m high; ride a camel at sunset and sleep in a desert camp.
Day 3
Khamlia
Small village on the edge of Erg Chebbi, home to Gnawa musicians whose drums and iron castanets visitors can hear in the houses.
Rissani
Old oasis town near Merzouga, once a gateway of the Saharan caravan trade, with a busy traditional market and old ksour nearby.
Watch: Sahara and Atlas Mountains
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Sahara and Atlas Mountains
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the best seasons, with warm days and cool nights. Summer in the desert is extremely hot, while winter nights are freezing and snow can close the Tichka pass for short spells. Sand winds are most common in spring.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Sahara and Atlas Mountains on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Sahara and Atlas Mountains on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Sahara and Atlas Mountains on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Morocco from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Sahara and Atlas Mountains
- This is a road trip: go with a driver or a tour from Marrakech, or rent a car; distances are long, mountain roads are slow, and driving after dark is best avoided.
- Most visitors sleep in kasbah hotels in Ouarzazate, Skoura or the Dades valley on the way east, and spend one night in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi near Merzouga.
- Pack layers: the Tichka pass and desert nights are cold for much of the year while desert days are hot; a scarf helps against sun and blowing sand.
- Ride the camels out in the late afternoon for sunset over the dunes, and get up early for sunrise before the drive on.
- Carry cash for camps, guides and village cafes, and agree on the price before a guided walk through Aït Benhaddou or the gorges.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Aït Benhaddou: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dades Gorges: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erg Chebbi dunes (camel ride and desert camp): Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kasbah Amridil, Skoura: Vincent van Zeijst, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Khamlia: Khamlia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rissani: Houssain tork, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Taourirt Kasbah, Ouarzazate: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tizi n'Tichka pass: AbdelCharaf, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Todra Gorge: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
