Part 1 covered the mountains, where the cost driver is the guide and the mule and everything divides by group size.
The desert and the cities work differently. Here the unit is usually the vehicle — a 4×4 costs what it costs whether one person or six is sitting in it — and the second driver is the standard of the bed at the end of the day. Understand those two things and the numbers below stop looking arbitrary.
How to read the numbers below. Every figure is a starting price — per person where the trip is priced per person, per vehicle where it is priced per vehicle, and each table says which. It is where a trip of that shape begins, not what yours will cost. Season, group size, camp standard and the shape of the itinerary all move it, and they move it a long way.
We quote properly rather than publish a fixed tariff. Tell us your dates, your numbers and what you want to see, and we will give you an exact figure.
All prices in Moroccan dirham with euro equivalents, roughly 10.5 MAD to the euro.
Sahara tours from Marrakech
The most-booked and most-variable product in the country.
| Format | Duration | From, group per person | From, private per vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zagora | 2 days / 1 night | from 700 MAD (€66) | from 3,000 MAD |
| Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) | 3 days / 2 nights | from 1,200 MAD (€115) | from 5,000 MAD |
| Merzouga, slower | 4 days / 3 nights | from 1,800 MAD (€170) | from 7,000 MAD |
| Erg Chigaga via M'hamid | 4 days / 3 nights | from 2,200 MAD (€210) | from 9,000 MAD |
| Marrakech → Fez via desert | 4 days | from 1,800 MAD (€170) | from 8,000 MAD |
The private column is for the whole vehicle, typically up to six people. For a group of four, private often costs the same per head as a shared minibus and buys you departure times and stop lengths. For two, it does not.
Skip the two-day version. Covered at length elsewhere: it is fourteen waking hours in a vehicle for about three in the desert.
Desert camps
The word "luxury" is unregulated here, so ask about the bathroom.
| Standard | From, per person per night | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard bivouac | from 400 MAD (€38) | Canvas tent, mattress, shared washing, communal dinner |
| Comfort camp | from 800 MAD (€76) | Private tent, en-suite, proper bed |
| Luxury camp | from 1,800 MAD (€170) | En-suite, electricity, à la carte dinner, sometimes a pool |
All include dinner and breakfast. A standard bivouac is not a hardship — many guests prefer it — but you should know which one you booked.
Camel and nomad trekking
| Format | Duration | From, per person |
|---|---|---|
| Sunset camel ride to camp | 1–1.5 h | Usually included in a tour |
| Half-day camel trek | 3–4 h | from 250 MAD (€24) |
| Nomad trek with caravan | 3 days | from 2,800 MAD (€265) |
| Nomad trek, Chigaga crossing | 5–6 days | from 5,500 MAD (€520) |
Multi-day nomad treks include camels, cameleer, guide, cook, all meals and camping gear. Season is October to April only.
4×4 raids
Different discipline, different pricing — see the full article on raids.
| Format | Duration | From |
|---|---|---|
| 4×4 with driver, per day | — | from 1,500 MAD (€142) per vehicle |
| Guided erg crossing | 2 days | from 1,300 MAD (€125) per day, guide only |
| Organised raid, vehicle provided | 7–10 days | from 19,000 MAD (€1,800) per person |
| Self-drive rental, equipped Land Cruiser | per day | from 1,300 MAD (€125) |
Most rental contracts prohibit erg driving. Read the terms before planning a Chigaga crossing on rented tyres.
Marrakech and the cities
| Activity | Duration | From |
|---|---|---|
| Official city guide, half day | 4 h | from 600 MAD (€57) for the group |
| Official city guide, full day | 8 h | from 1,200 MAD (€114) for the group |
| Cooking class with market walk | 4–5 h | from 350 MAD (€33) per person |
| Street food tour, evening | 3 h | from 400 MAD (€38) per person |
| Neighbourhood hammam | 1–2 h | from 300 MAD (€29) per person |
| Hammam and gommage, riad spa | 1.5 h | from 600 MAD (€57) per person |
| Calèche around the ramparts | 1 h | from 400 MAD (€38) per carriage |
| Hot-air balloon at dawn | 3–4 h total | from 1,800 MAD (€170) per person |
| Quad or buggy, Palmeraie | 2 h | from 400 MAD (€38) per person |
Note the guide lines. A city guide is charged for the group, like a mountain guide. Four people sharing a full-day guide pay 125–200 MAD each.
Entry tickets
| Site | Price |
|---|---|
| Ben Youssef Madrasa | 60–70 MAD |
| Saadian Tombs | 70–100 MAD |
| Bahia Palace | 70–100 MAD |
| Majorelle Garden | 150–200 MAD |
| YSL Museum | 100–150 MAD |
| Le Jardin Secret | 80–120 MAD |
| Volubilis | 70–100 MAD |
| Aït Ben Haddou | 30–50 MAD |
These are fixed public entry fees rather than quoted prices, so they are shown as they stand.
Transfers and getting around
| Journey | From |
|---|---|
| Marrakech airport → medina | 70–100 MAD, official rate |
| Petit taxi, in city | 20–40 MAD — insist on the meter |
| Marrakech → Essaouira, private | from 1,000 MAD per vehicle |
| Marrakech → Imlil, private | from 400 MAD per vehicle |
| Marrakech → Fez, private | from 2,500 MAD per vehicle |
| Train, Marrakech → Casablanca, 2nd class | 100–140 MAD |
| Al Boraq, Casablanca → Tangier | 200–400 MAD |
| CTM coach, Marrakech → Essaouira | 90–110 MAD |
The train is excellent value and the reason many Morocco trips cost less than expected. It does not, however, reach the mountains or the desert.
Accommodation, for reference
| Type | From, per night |
|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | from 80 MAD |
| Simple riad room | from 300 MAD |
| Good riad with breakfast | from 700 MAD |
| Design riad / small luxury | from 2,000 MAD |
| Mountain gîte, half board | from 200 MAD per person |
Tipping
Expected, modest, and cash.
- City guide, half day: 50–100 MAD
- Mountain guide, per day: 100–150 MAD from the group
- Muleteer, per day: 50–80 MAD
- Desert camp staff: 50–100 MAD per guest for the night
- Driver, per day: 50–100 MAD
- Restaurant: round up, or 5–10% at a good place
On a multi-day trip, tips are usually collected at the end and given to the guide to distribute. Ask him how it is normally split — he will tell you straight.
Two worked examples
A comfortable week for two — good riads, private 4×4 for a 3-day desert loop, half-day guides in Marrakech, a cooking class, a mix of restaurants:
from roughly 16,000 MAD (€1,500) for two, excluding flights.
The same week at the budget end — simple riad rooms, group desert tour, trains, street food:
from roughly 6,000 MAD (€570) for two.
Both are real trips. The difference is mostly transfers and beds, not the country.
The three things that save the most
Travel as a group of four to six. Every guided service on these two pages is charged per group or per vehicle. Going from two people to four nearly halves the per-person cost of the guided portion.
Avoid October and April if you can. February, June and November deliver comparable experiences for 20–30% less.
Eat one street back. The gap between a main-square restaurant and the place around the corner is about four times, for food of comparable quality.
Getting an exact figure
The numbers above are a floor, not a quote. Season, group size, camp standard and the shape of the route all move the final price, and a two-day change to an itinerary can move it more than any of them. Tell us your dates, how many of you there are and what you want to see, and we will price the actual trip.
