The short answer
Plan 3 days for Merzouga, and 4 or 5 if you want time on the road rather than just driving it. Erg Chigaga, past M'Hamid, needs a little more because the last stretch is a 4x4 piste. One night in a desert camp is the minimum; a second night gives you a full day on the sand.
In more detail
The days go on the road, not the dunes. Merzouga is about 560 km from Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka, and every guide in our files splits that drive. A 3-day trip is the standard: Marrakech to the Dadès on day one, the Todra gorge and Merzouga on day two with a camel ride to camp, sunrise and the drive back on day three.
Add a fourth day and the return stops being a marathon: a night in Ouarzazate on the way back, or a slower first day with a proper walk round Aït Ben Haddou. With five or six days you can see the Draa valley, take in Erg Chigaga from M'Hamid, or finish in Fes rather than Marrakech by the northern road through the Middle Atlas.
Think about nights in camp separately. One night gives you sunset, the night sky and dawn on the dunes. A second night gives you a whole day to walk, sandboard or sit still while the day visitors leave. For the remote Chigaga camps our guide recommends two nights, given the time it takes to get there.
Good to know
- 3 days: Merzouga, one camp night.
- 4–5 days: the gorges at walking pace, or Erg Chigaga.
- 6 days or more: a loop to Fes, or two nights in the dunes.