When traveling from the Saharan town of Merzouga to the city of Ouarzazate at the foot of the Atlas mountains, travelers will be passing through desert towns and striking topography. Although there are no trains or planes that will take you from Merzouga to Ouarzazate, the necessity of traveling by car means that you will be able to stop at many of these points along the way. The only way to get there is by car.
By Private Transfer or Taxi
Duration: 5-6 hours
Many travelers opt to hire a private driver or taxi to get them between Merzouga and Ouarzazate.
There are a considerable number of points of interest along the way between Merzouga to Ouarzazate to know about when determining which route you would like your driver to take. The routes are essentially equidistant, which means that travelers should select their routes based on which sites they would like to see.
The northern route offers the opportunity to stop at the spectacular Todra Gorge, where you can marvel at the scenery and take photographs. Also along the route is the city of Tinghir—a town in the High Atlas mountains, where you can stop for traditional Berber cuisine.
Along the southern route, you can plan to stop at Tazzarine, a desert town with palm groves and henna fields. Nearby, you'll find the prehistoric site of Aït Ouazik, where petroglyphs depict animals like buffalo, giraffes, and elephants. Farther south, the Foum Tizza dunes are a striking blue and black color and would be an excellent place to stop, explore, and photograph.
If you opt to call a taxi, your hotel in Merzouga can call you a "grand taxi"—a type of taxi that is meant to take travelers between different points in Morocco, outside of city centers. If you do not have a concierge, you will need to have a "petit taxi" (which can typically only hold three passengers, as opposed to the grand taxi's six passengers—who can take you to the grand taxi station.
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