Marrakech Eco Tours
What Does a Family Desert Tour in Morocco Cost? (2026)
desert

What Does a Family Desert Tour in Morocco Cost? (2026)

By MET Team1 August 20267 min read

Taking children to the Sahara costs less than most parents expect, but the budget has different lines. Here is what a 4-day family desert trip actually costs, including the ones nobody lists.

The headline number

Our 4-day family desert tour from Marrakech is

€380 per person, and it is built differently from the standard adult itinerary — not

in what it visits, but in how the days are paced.

What is included

  • Air-conditioned minibus or 4x4 for the whole route
  • Professional bilingual driver-guide (English/French)
  • 1 night hotel in the Dades Valley — dinner and breakfast
  • 1 night family desert camp at Erg Chebbi — dinner and breakfast
  • 1 night hotel in Ouarzazate — breakfast
  • Sunset and sunrise camel rides at Erg Chebbi
  • All transfers and access fees

The three-night structure is the point. Merzouga is roughly 560 km from Marrakech, and the

difference between a trip that works with children and one that does not is whether that

distance is broken up or driven in one go.

The costs nobody lists

This is where family budgets go wrong, so here it is plainly:

ExtraRealistic cost
Lunches€12–15 per person, per meal
Atlas Film Studios (optional)~€7 per person
Travel insuranceVaries — get it
Tips10–15% of trip cost

For a family of four across four days, lunches alone are realistically €150–200. That

is not a hidden charge — it is on the tour page — but it is the line most people forget

when comparing quotes.

Why families often pay less per head

Worth understanding before you assume a family trip costs four times a solo one.

The vehicle, the driver-guide and much of the camp cost are per trip, not per person.

Meals and beds are per person. So a family of four spreads the large fixed costs four

ways, where a couple spreads the same costs two ways.

The practical effect: per head, a family of four on this route usually pays noticeably

less than two adults travelling alone. If you have specific ages and dates, message us and

we will quote the real number rather than a per-person estimate.

What children actually make of it

The camel rides at sunset and sunrise are the parts kids remember, and Erg Chebbi's dunes

are effectively the world's largest sandpit. The Dades Valley night breaks the drive at a

point where children are usually done with the car.

The honest caution is the driving. Days one and four have long vehicle stretches through

genuinely spectacular country, but spectacular country still looks like a car window to a

six-year-old. Download things in advance.

Family desert or family trek?

If your children are older and the driving sounds worse than the walking, the

4-day family Atlas trek stays in the mountains with

village guesthouse nights and much shorter transfers. It is the same length and a

completely different rhythm.

Where the money goes

Platform commission of 25–40% on a €380 trip is up to €152 per person leaving Morocco.

On a family of four that is a substantial sum that never reaches the camp, the camel

handlers or the guesthouses. Booking direct keeps it in the country.

👉 See the 4-day family desert tour — €380 per person, three nights, camel rides at Erg Chebbi, paced for children.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a family desert tour in Morocco cost?
Our [4-day family desert tour from Marrakech](/en/tours/family-desert-4day-marrakech) is €380 per person and includes air-conditioned private transport, a bilingual driver-guide, three nights of accommodation with dinners and breakfasts, and sunset and sunrise camel rides at Erg Chebbi. Budget roughly €40–60 per person on top for lunches.
Is a desert tour suitable for young children?
The camel rides and the dunes themselves are the easy part — children generally love both. The demanding part is the driving: Merzouga is about 560 km from Marrakech, so days one and four involve long stretches in the vehicle. The 4-day itinerary breaks it with overnight stops in the Dades Valley and Ouarzazate rather than driving it in one push, which is what makes it workable with kids.
Do children pay full price on a desert tour?
Ask us — it depends on ages and how your group fills the vehicle. Because the transport, the driver-guide and the camp are largely per-trip costs rather than per-person, a family of four often works out considerably cheaper per head than two adults travelling alone. Message us with your ages and dates and we will quote the actual number.
What should families budget on top of the tour price?
Lunches at roughly €12–15 per person per meal, the optional Atlas Film Studios ticket at around €7, travel insurance, and tips. For a family of four over four days that is realistically €150–250 on top of the tour price.

Trips that go here

Guided by the team who wrote this guide.

Family Desert Adventure — 4-Day Marrakech to Sahara
easy
Private
Marrakech
Desert
5.0

Family Desert Adventure — 4-Day Marrakech to Sahara

  • A full night on the Erg Chebbi dunes in a family-friendly desert camp
  • Camel rides and sandboarding on the dunes for the kids
  • Explore the Aït Ben Haddou kasbah — a Game of Thrones and Gladiator film set
4 days / 3 nights2–12 people
From

€350 / person

View Tour
Family High Atlas from Marrakech — 4-Day Gentle Trek
easy
Private
Marrakech
Trekking
5.0

Family High Atlas from Marrakech — 4-Day Gentle Trek

  • Short, gentle walking days built around a family pace (3–4 hours)
  • Village guesthouse nights with Berber families — bread baking, mint tea
  • Waterfalls, river pools and walnut groves rather than high passes
4 days / 3 nights2–14 people
From

€313 / person

View Tour
Marrakech Desert Grand Tour — 4 Days
easy
Shared
Marrakech
Desert
5.0

Marrakech Desert Grand Tour — 4 Days

  • Full night at an Erg Chebbi desert camp — sunset and sunrise camel treks
  • Todra Gorge — Morocco's most dramatic canyon (400 m walls, 4 km walk)
  • UNESCO Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou — Gladiator and Game of Thrones location
4 days / 3 nights2–10 people
From

€331 / person

View Tour
family desert tour costMorocco with kidsfamily Sahara tripErg Chebbi familyMorocco family holiday cost
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