Tips for a 9-day itinerary in southern Morocco (page 1 of 3)

Hi there!

As mentioned in a previous post, we're heading to Morocco in April for 9 days instead of the originally planned 7.

Here's the itinerary I've mapped out to ideally have a complete trip, but I think it might be too ambitious. What do you think? Here's the itinerary (click)

For those who can't open the link: Marrakech (the afternoon of our arrival + 1 day, we’ve already been there without the kids, the goal is not to stay too long) – night Aït Ben Haddou Ouarzazate Skoura – night Oasis de Fint Dadès Gorges Tinghir – night Merzouga – night Zagora – night M’hamid – ideally a night in the desert Agdz Marrakech – night (itinerary via Telouet)

What do you think of this plan? Will it feel too rushed, or is it manageable? Since we don’t know the places, it’s hard to tell if we’ll want to stop everywhere along the way or if there’s enough time to spend at each spot. I’ve included some night-stop assumptions (1 or 2 nights).

We’d love to hear your thoughts! We’re traveling with my wife, a 13-year-old teen, and a 10-year-old. We’ll have our own rental car.

Thanks! !

hi there, I think we can skip Agdz and spend more time in Aït Ben Haddou instead.

Hi there... As I mentioned before, this itinerary is completely crazy given the time you have! You clearly want to see some dunes—no problem—but maybe avoid Morocco’s Disneyland... Merzouga is a nightmare: chaotic, disorganized, and just a mess!!!! Travel times in Morocco are totally unpredictable, so with just 9 days for a round trip, if you want to spend a night in the sand, go for Mhamid and find a local contact to organize it for you. From Marrakech, head to Aït Ben Haddou, then spend the night in Zagora (Ouarzazate isn’t worth it). The "Fibule du Draa" is a well-known spot among 4x4 travelers—great vibe, friendly welcome, reasonable prices, and no pretentiousness... After that, as suggested in the other post, contact the "Esprit Désert" campsite—they’ll set you up for a night in the Chegaga dunes. But if that contact doesn’t seem reliable, the "Fibule du Draa" hotel in Zagora offers the same experience, just farther away and pricier.

Hi there,

If you want some peace and quiet and to see a beautiful oasis, head to Figuig.

Figuig is fine... but it's not exactly around the corner...😏

For 9 days, I’d pick either Merzouga or Mhamid, but I wouldn’t do both. Another thing—the visit to the Finit oasis, coming from Skoura to then head to the Dadès Gorge, doesn’t make sense. Check the map. From Tinghir, you can go see the Todra Gorge.

Thanks everyone!

So, taking your comments into account, here’s what it looks like: Google Maps link I’ve removed Merzouga, so is the itinerary more realistic now?

Marrakech (the afternoon of our arrival + 1 day—we’ve already been there without the kids, so the goal is not to stay too long) – night Aït Ben Haddou Ouarzazate – night (we just want to visit the film studios) Skoura Oasis de Fint Gorges du Dadès Tinghir – night Zagora – night M’hamid – ideally a night in the desert Agdz Marrakech – night (route via Telouet)

Not all nights are accounted for, so if you have any recommendations, we’re all ears! Agdz is just mentioned to say we’ll pass through there.

Thanks! !

M'hamid - night in the desert ideally

It’s not a desert, it’s a sandbox.😕 But it’s worth it for a little quad ride and some selfies😏

The film studios were a letdown for me. There’s not much left, and what little there is feels outdated. I found it kind of sad.

hi

There’s not much left, and what little there is is aging.

And aging pretty badly... A real sense of abandonment! And that was 10 years ago! So unless there’s been a major renovation?...

Erg Chigaga a sandbox? 🤪 What do you mean by that? I read that it’s really well-preserved compared to Merzouga

My last visit was 12 years ago. It felt like an amusement park! An hour later, we were back on the road... So I can only imagine what it's like these days. But my tastes aren’t universal—lots of people seem to love it, given how crowded it is. Personally, it was the constant roar of quads and other engines that drove me nuts!

Erfoud, Rissani, Merzouga, etc.—it wasn’t so polluted or overrun with quads and 4x4s back then. The vibe was much more peaceful, but that might have changed.

We’d need some recent feedback from people who’ve been there lately...

Personally, my favorite (if I can call it that, since compared to the Algerian desert, the Moroccan one feels pretty "degraded" and like a "sandbox") was Figuig. I’m sure most people wouldn’t agree, since I didn’t see a single tourist there.

In Figuig, no dunes, but a beautiful, calm oasis—just as peaceful as Mhamid was 50 years ago.

I think Djalma was referring to the great ergs of Mauritania or Algeria—compared to those, Erg Chegaga really does look like a sandbox.

However, it covers a much larger area than the one in Merzouga and is significantly less polluted by motorized or camelback attractions. There are, like at Erg Chebbi, a few "camps" run by hotels in Mhamid or Zagora, but it’s nothing like the same scale. That said, I really recommend getting in touch with the owner of the campsite I mentioned earlier—it’s nothing like the other places in the area. It’s authentic, and he’ll organize a top-notch circuit and evening based on your preferences. It doesn’t cost much to contact him and see what he offers. You can mention you’re coming on the recommendation of members from this forum or forum4x4 (a site he’s active on).

Hi there! Having been there, don’t hesitate to go to M’Hamid. We went by camelback and camped—we were all alone, which was a shame, but what bliss! We did it through the Hôtel Sirroco in Zagora. Really lovely hotel and a great desert escape. The camel ride was a bit tough... not used to it... and it’s true that for the same price, we got a "mild" sandstorm instead. Happy travels!

Okay, I get it... But we’re planning to go to Morocco this time, not anywhere else. And if we like this introduction, we’ll go somewhere else next time.

Algeria doesn’t offer the same peace of mind for a tourist

OK, I get it... But we’re planning to go to Morocco this time, not anywhere else. And if we like this introduction, we’ll go somewhere else next time.

Algeria doesn’t offer the same peace of mind for a tourist.

Of course, but I wasn’t recommending that destination—I was just explaining Djalma’s comment about the "sandbox" feeling. The Erg Chegaga is already a good introduction to the dune massifs.

Algeria isn’t the same peace of mind for a tourist

Don’t be mistaken... in many ways, tourists feel much safer in Algeria than in Morocco!

Questions about harassment, annoyances, and scams of all kinds—definitely something to watch out for!

I’m convinced, but I wasn’t talking about that kind of risk.

Any other advice for our trip will be much appreciated ;) thanks

From Ouarzazate, as already mentioned by a previous member, going to Skoura and then back to the Flint oasis by retracing your steps through Ouarzazate—"round trip"—just to pass through Skoura again and head toward the Draa or Todra, etc. ... so many kilometers and hours on the road wasted. Ouarzazate, then Flint, and then Skoura, etc. ... with overnight stays adjusted would make much more sense!!!