Travel Tips
Tipping in Morocco: How Much to Tip Guides, Drivers, Restaurants and More
A clear guide to tipping in Morocco, with approximate amounts in dirhams for restaurants, guides, drivers, desert camps, porters and hammams.
Cross the High Atlas via Tizi n'Tichka, visit Ait Benhaddou and the Todra Gorge, then ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in a desert camp.
Merzouga sits on the edge of Erg Chebbi, Morocco's highest sand sea, with dunes rising around 150 metres above the surrounding reg. It lies roughly 560 km from Marrakech, which is why this tour takes three days: the drive is split into two long but scenic stages, with a night in the Dades Valley on the way out and a night under canvas in the dunes before the return.
Day one climbs the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), then drops to the fortified village of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987 and a familiar backdrop to many film productions. After Ouarzazate the road follows the "Road of a Thousand Kasbahs" through the Skoura palm grove and Kelaat M'Gouna to the Dades Valley. Day two continues to the Todra Gorge, where limestone walls close in to around 20 metres apart at the narrowest point, before reaching Merzouga in the late afternoon for a camel trek of about 1 to 1.5 hours to camp.
Day three starts early for sunrise over the dunes, then the camels carry you back to the village for breakfast and a shower before the return drive to Marrakech, arriving in the evening. Expect roughly 9 to 10 hours of driving on this last day, with regular stops.
This is a shared small-group tour in an air-conditioned minibus, designed for travellers who want the classic Sahara experience on a limited schedule. If you would rather avoid the long return to Marrakech, our 3-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech crosses the country one way. For background on dunes, camps and seasons, see our Sahara Desert travel guide.
Pickup around 07:00 and drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass with photo stops in the High Atlas. Visit Ait Benhaddou, then continue past Ouarzazate, Skoura and Kelaat M'Gouna to your hotel in the Dades Valley for dinner and the night.
After breakfast, drive to the Todra Gorge and walk between its towering rock walls. Continue via Tinghir and Erfoud to Merzouga, where you swap the minibus for a camel and ride into the dunes at sunset. Dinner and overnight in the desert camp.
Wake early for sunrise over Erg Chebbi, then ride back to the village for breakfast and a shower. The return drive to Marrakech takes most of the day, with stops for lunch and rest, arriving around 19:00-20:00.
We pick you up from your hotel or riad in Marrakech. If your riad is in a pedestrian-only part of the medina, we meet you at the nearest car-accessible point and confirm the exact spot the day before.
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A clear guide to tipping in Morocco, with approximate amounts in dirhams for restaurants, guides, drivers, desert camps, porters and hammams.
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