Standard and luxury on the same listing
Most of these tours are one product with several options. You pick the camp class on the booking page, after the date. The price in our tables is the one for the standard camp; the upgrade costs more. The exact option names are on each tour card below.
| Listing | Upgrade | Private tour | Also offered |
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| 3-day Merzouga and Sahara tourMOROCCO TRIP | Luxury | Yes | |
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| 3-day Merzouga safari, lunch optionAndo Travel Ltd | Luxury | | Three lunches |
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| 3 days Marrakech to Fes via MerzougaMOROCCO TRIP | Deluxe | | Premium with quad |
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| 3-day Sahara tour with private tentRED CITY TRANS | Luxury | Yes | Transport only |
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| 3-day Merzouga tour, drop-off optionsMarrakech City Life SARL | Luxury | Yes | Quad in private |
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| 3 days to Fes, lunch optionAndo Travel Ltd | Luxury | | Three lunches |
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| 3 days Marrakech to Fes, desert campMarrakech City Life SARL | Deluxe | Yes | Quad in private |
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| 3-day Merzouga tour via Tinghirsahara for you | Luxury | Yes | Premium with quad |
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| 3-day Merzouga tour with camel trekMOROCCOFIRSTGATE | Luxury | Yes | |
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The standard tent
On most listings the standard tent is still your own tent, not a dormitory: RED CITY TRANS names its option “Standard Camp option (Private Tent)”, and MOROCCOFIRSTGATE puts every guest in a private tent in both classes. At MOROCCOFIRSTGATE the toilets are outside the tents and the showers in the lodge. MOROCCO TRIP gives its standard tents blankets and no heating. On the two-day Zagora tours, Ando Travel and sahara for you spell out what most three-day listings leave open: a shared bathroom in the standard camp, a private one in the luxury camp.
The luxury tent
Few three-day listings describe what the upgrade contains. MOROCCO TRIP is the clearest: its luxury tents are heated. Ando Travel lets luxury guests choose between the camel and a 4x4 transfer to the camp, if they ask a day ahead. Ando Travel, Marrakech City Life, sahara for you and RED CITY TRANS do not say on the page whether their luxury tents are heated or have their own bathroom, so ask before you book in winter.
Winter nights
MOROCCO TRIP warns that desert nights in winter drop to 0 to 5 °C. Marrakech City Life promises warm blankets in winter and asks guests on its Fes tour to bring warm clothes for the evenings. In a tent without heating that means a night under several blankets in your clothes. Between March and October the difference between the classes shrinks to the bathroom. See what to pack for the camp night.
Camp size and route
Camp class changes your night, not the rest of the trip. Reviewers of the big round trips describe camps with many groups. The van, the stops at Ait Ben Haddou and the Todra Gorge, the lunch restaurants and the long day 3 are the same for both classes. Group size depends on the operator, not the tent: Sahara Desert Trip runs minibuses with 8 or 17 seats, and Morocco Global Adventures states a maximum of 200 travellers per departure.
Shared tour or private tour
Several listings add a private option on top of the two camp classes: MOROCCO TRIP sells a “Private Premium Tour” that includes the inside of the Atlas Studios, which the shared tours only see from outside. Marrakech City Life has a private tour with a “Royal Desert Camp” and a quad ride, and sahara for you and RED CITY TRANS a private three-day trip. A private tour gives you your own vehicle and more say over stops and timing. Reviewers of private desert tours report that the hotels and camps were often the same ones the shared groups use, so a private booking does not replace the camp choice.
Lunch
The camp option does not change the lunch rule. On almost every three-day listing, lunch, drinks and tips are on the list of things not included, and you pay for lunch at restaurant stops along the road. Ando Travel sells it as its own option with three lunches, on the round trip and on the tour to Fes. Where a title says “Food” or “Meals”, the included meals are breakfasts and dinners. The lunch column in the table above shows the rule for each tour. Bring cash in dirhams or euros.
Ending in Fes
The tours to Fes skip the return over the High Atlas. On day 3 they drive north through Erfoud, the Ziz Valley and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, then past Ifrane to Fes. MOROCCO TRIP gives an arrival around 8 pm, Ando Travel around 7 pm. Camp classes work the same way: standard or deluxe at MOROCCO TRIP and Marrakech City Life, standard or luxury at Ando Travel. If your trip continues to Chefchaouen or Tangier, our sister site Tangier & Chefchaouen compares the trips from Fes to Chefchaouen. More on our page about desert tours ending in Fes.
Choosing the right option
The option you select decides your night, so it pays to read its name. Marrakech City Life calls its Fes tour “with Luxury Camp” and its round trip “W Luxury Camp”; on both, the first option is a standard camp and the luxury tent is the next one. On the sahara for you tour the quad from the title comes with the premium option. RED CITY TRANS starts with a transport-only option without a camp, so pick one of its tent options. Sahara Desert Trip uses “Luxury” and “Private tent” in its title and calls the desert night a luxury camp; the one option you can book is named Standard Camp Option, and a private tent with air conditioning is available as an extra. On the booking page, choose the option with the tent you want.
