Marrakech excursions
Marrakech is a good city to leave for a day. Within three hours of the medina you can be in a stone desert, at the foot of the highest mountain in North Africa, under Morocco's tallest waterfall or on the Atlantic. The hard part is not finding an excursion. It is working out which one is worth your day.
This page is the honest version. Every trip below is one we drive, with what it actually involves, how long you will really be in the car, and who it suits. Where a coach tour would serve you better, we say so.
How to choose
Start with driving time, because it is the thing people underestimate. A trip described as "a day out" that sits four hours from Marrakech is eight hours of road before you have looked at anything. That is fine if the destination earns it — Ait Ben Haddou does — but it is a different day from Ourika, where you are in the mountains inside an hour.
Then think about what you actually want. Desert scenery, water and greenery, a mountain walk, or a change of air by the sea. Those four wants map almost exactly onto four different trips, and travellers who pick by photograph rather than by want are the ones who come back disappointed.
Finally, be realistic about how many you do. Three big days in a week is plenty. Marrakech itself deserves some of your time, and a holiday spent mostly in a vehicle is a poor use of a short trip.
Every trip we run
The Agafay Desert: a stone desert an hour from Marrakech
The Agafay desert is stone, not sand — no dunes. Here is what a trip there is really like, what it costs, and when it beats driving to the Sahara.
From €79per person(860 MAD)
Ourika Valley: the closest mountains to Marrakech
The Ourika Valley is the closest mountain escape from Marrakech — under an hour to Berber villages, a river and the Setti Fatma waterfalls.
Price on request
Imlil and the High Atlas: a real mountain day from Marrakech
Imlil sits at 1,800 m, the trailhead for Toubkal, 67 km from Marrakech. A real mountain day — what the walking involves and what to bring.
Price on request
Ouzoud Waterfalls: Morocco's tallest falls, in a day from Marrakech
Ouzoud is Morocco's tallest waterfall at 110 m, 150 km from Marrakech. The drive, the walk down, the macaques, and whether the long day is worth it.
Price on request
Essaouira in a day: the Atlantic coast from Marrakech
Essaouira is 175 km and about 2h30 from Marrakech. What a day trip really gives you, why one night is better, and what the drive involves.
Price on request
Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate: over the High Atlas in a day
Over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to a UNESCO ksar and Morocco's film capital. About 180 km, 3h30 each way — a long day, and the best one we run.
Price on request
Which trip suits which traveller
| If you are… | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Short on time, want the desert | Agafay | Under an hour from the city. It is stone desert, not dunes — see the page before you book. |
| Travelling with small children | Ourika Valley | Closest mountain trip, shortest drive, water to play in and somewhere to eat. |
| Here to walk | Imlil and the Atlas | The trailhead for Toubkal. Real mountain walking starts here, at altitude. |
| After one big sight | Ait Ben Haddou | A UNESCO ksar over the highest major pass in North Africa. Long day, high reward. |
| Tired of the heat | Essaouira | Atlantic wind, seafood and a walled town that is markedly cooler than Marrakech. |
| Chasing water and greenery | Ouzoud Waterfalls | Morocco's tallest falls, plus wild macaques. Longer drive than people expect. |
Questions people ask
- How many day trips can I fit into a week in Marrakech?
- Three is comfortable, four is a lot, five is a holiday spent in a car. The long ones — Ait Ben Haddou, Ouzoud — take a full day each and leave you tired. Alternate a big day with a slow one in the city and you will enjoy both more.
- Is a private trip better than a group tour?
- For two people on a tight budget, a shared coach tour is cheaper and perfectly fine. A private car wins when there are three or more of you, when you have small children or limited mobility, or when you want to leave at a time and stop at places that are yours to choose rather than the group leader.
- Which trip should I do if I only have one day?
- Agafay if you want the desert feeling without the drive, Ourika if you want mountains and water within an hour, Essaouira if you want the sea. Ait Ben Haddou is the most rewarding and the most tiring; do not make it your only day out unless you really want it.
- Do your prices change with group size?
- The price is for the vehicle, not the seat, so it does not go up as you add people. The per-person cost falls the more of you there are. That is the opposite of how per-seat tours work and it is why a family of four almost always pays less with us.
Not sure which one?
Tell us how long you have and what you like, and we will tell you honestly which of these is worth your day — including when the answer is a coach tour rather than us. You can alsohire a driver by the dayand build your own route, or seeour transfer routesif you are moving on to another city.