5-Day Private Morocco Tour: Marrakech, Atlas & SaharaYour Own Guide, Vehicle and Schedule
5 days / 4 nights·2–14 (private for your group)
About this journey
Private tours run on your schedule, not a fixed departure calendar. This 5-day route follows our most popular arc — the Atlas Mountains, Ait Benhaddou, and a night in a private Sahara bivouac at Merzouga — but every stop, meal break and start time adjusts to what your group actually wants, not what suits ten strangers. The route itself mirrors our small-group version: Tichka Pass, Ait Benhaddou, the Dadès Valley, a private camel trek to your own bivouac camp, and a return via Skoura and the Telouet Kasbah. The difference is entirely in the pacing — leave an hour later if you want, linger an extra 40 minutes at a viewpoint, skip a stop that doesn't interest you. This suits couples, families, and small groups of friends who want the classic Morocco route without sharing a vehicle with strangers, and who value being able to adjust the day on the fly — a tired child, a heatwave, a group member who wants to shop longer in a souk. Your bivouac camp on a private tour is smaller and more private than the shared group camps — typically your party plus one or two other private groups, not a full small-group departure's worth of travellers.
- Fully private vehicle and guide — no shared departures
- Flexible daily schedule, adjusted to your group in real time
- Private (or near-private) Sahara bivouac camp at Erg Chebbi
- Same acclaimed route as our small-group version, at your own pace
- Ideal for families, couples and small friend groups
Day by day
Departure time is yours to set — most private groups leave around 8am, but it's flexible. The route crosses the Tichka Pass, Morocco's highest year-round mountain road, with as long or short a stop as you like at the viewpoints. Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO kasbah from Gladiator and Game of Thrones, is walked with your guide alone rather than in a group. Overnight in Ouarzazate.
- Flexible departure time
- Tichka Pass at your own pace
- Private walk through Ait Benhaddou
A rose-water cooperative stop and a walk into the Dadès Gorge, timed around your group rather than a bus schedule. You arrive in Merzouga as the dunes turn gold, with your private camel trek timed for sunset rather than fitted into someone else's schedule.
- Dadès Valley rose cooperative
- Dadès Gorge walk
- Private sunset camel trek
Sunrise from the dunes on your own schedule — no group to wait for or hold up. Camels return you to the vehicle mid-morning, then on to the Todra Gorge, where 300-metre rock walls narrow to a few car-widths at the base. Overnight in Skoura, an oasis town of kasbahs and palm groves.
- Private sunrise viewing
- Todra Gorge
- Skoura palm oasis
The return route avoids retracing day one. You climb back over the Atlas via Telouet, stopping at the kasbah that once belonged to the Glaoui family, Morocco's most powerful pre-independence dynasty — as long a stop as your group wants. Back in Marrakech by early evening.
- Telouet Kasbah
- Different pass route home
- Evening free in Marrakech
No fixed checkout time forced by a group schedule — your guide arranges the morning around your actual flight, with time for a final walk through the medina if your departure allows it.
- Flexible checkout and final morning
- Private airport transfer
Inclusions & exclusions
What’s included
- 4 nights accommodation (2 riads, 1 kasbah guesthouse, 1 desert bivouac)
- Private air-conditioned vehicle sized to your group
- Licensed English-speaking guide for the full 5 days, exclusively for your group
- Private camel trek to and from the bivouac camp
- 4 breakfasts, 3 dinners
- Entry fees at Ait Benhaddou, Telouet Kasbah and the Dadès/Todra Gorge stops
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches (budget $10–$20/day depending on where you eat)
- Personal travel insurance (required)
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Alcohol and personal purchases
Choose your style
2 Travellers
- Private vehicle and guide
- Fully flexible schedule
- 4 nights accommodation included
- Private bivouac camp
4 Travellers
- Same private vehicle and guide
- Lower per-person cost
- 4 nights accommodation included
- Private bivouac camp
6+ Travellers
- Larger private vehicle
- Lowest per-person cost
- 4 nights accommodation included
- Private bivouac camp
What travelers say
“We had our 8-year-old with us and being able to stop whenever she needed a break made all the difference — a group tour would have been stressful.”
“The private bivouac was so much quieter than I expected — just our family and one other small group, not a full camp of forty people.”
“Worth the extra cost over the small-group option purely for the flexibility — we lingered an extra hour in Ait Benhaddou and nobody minded.”
Why choose AZA Morocco Tours
- Local expert guides — born and raised in Morocco
- Small groups capped at 10 people maximum
- All-inclusive pricing — no hidden fees
- Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure
- Weekly departures year-round (except desert tours Jul–Aug)
- Verified reviews on TripAdvisor
Questions about this tour
You get your own vehicle and guide, exclusive to your party, with a schedule that adjusts in real time — no fixed departure times or waiting on other travellers. The route can flex too, within reason.
Private tours cost more per person since you're not sharing the vehicle and guide, but the price drops significantly as your group size grows — see our pricing tiers above.
Within reason, yes. Want to add a stop, skip something, or slow down a day? Tell your guide and they'll adjust where logistics allow.
It's private to small parties booking around the same dates — typically your group plus one or two others, not a large shared camp. Fully exclusive-use camps can be arranged on request for an additional cost.
February to May and September to December for comfortable Sahara temperatures. Private tours have more flexibility to run outside this window if you're comfortable with heat or cold — just ask.
Yes — it's one of our most popular private routes for families, precisely because the pace and stops can flex around children's needs.
As a guideline, $10–$15 per traveller per day for the guide and $6–$8 per day for the driver on a private tour, given directly at the end.