Merzouga Flights & Transport: How to Get to Merzouga (2026 Guide)

What Is the Closest Airport to Merzouga? (Merzouga Flights Explained)

The closest airport to Merzouga is Errachidia Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (IATA: ERH). By road it is about 126 km from Merzouga, around 1 h 55 min of driving via the N13 through Erfoud and Rissani. When people search for “Merzouga flights”, this is the airport they actually need: you fly into Errachidia, then continue by car, transfer or bus.

Errachidia is a small regional airport with only a few routes. In November 2026, these are the direct flights operating:

Our advice: the Errachidia flights are not daily, so check the dates on Royal Air Maroc’s Errachidia page or the Ryanair website before you build the rest of your itinerary around them.

Other airports you can use

• Ouarzazate (OZZ): about 368 km from Merzouga, around 5 h 30 min by road. A good choice if you also want to see the Dadès and Todra gorges on the way.
• Fes (FEZ): about 456 km, around 7 h by road. Fes has many more international flights than Errachidia.
• Marrakech (RAK): about 558 km, around 8 h 50 min of pure driving. The busiest airport, but the longest road.

If you fly into Errachidia, we can organise the road part for you with our 2-day tour from Errachidia to Merzouga.

How Do I Get From Marrakech to Merzouga?

Marrakech to Merzouga is about 558 km, and Google Maps estimates around 8 h 50 min of driving without stops, via the N9 and N10. In real life it takes longer: the road crosses the High Atlas at the Tizi n’Tichka pass (about 2,200 m), with many bends, villages and police checkpoints. You have four realistic options:

1. Fly Marrakech → Errachidia (seasonal Ryanair, ~1 h), then drive ~2 h. The fastest way when the flight runs, but you miss everything in between.
2. Take the Supratours bus. There is a direct coach from Marrakech to Merzouga. It takes around 12 hours. It is cheap, but long.
3. Rent a car and drive in two days. Most travellers who drive stop one night in the Dadès Valley or near the Todra Gorge. Read our Dadès Gorge guide if you want to plan that stop.
4. Join a desert tour. A private or shared tour handles the driving, the stops (Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, the gorges) and your night in the dunes. See our private 3-day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga or all our Marrakech desert tours.

What we tell our guests: do not try to do Marrakech–Merzouga in one day if you are driving yourself. The last part of the road is in the dark in winter, and you will arrive too tired to enjoy the sunset on the dunes, which is the reason you came.

Is There a Direct Train From Marrakech to Merzouga?

No. There is no train to Merzouga: no railway line reaches the village or the Tafilalet region. The Moroccan railway network (ONCF) serves the big cities of the north and west, such as Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Meknès and Fes.

What you can do is combine train and bus. Supratours, the coach company owned by ONCF, runs bus connections from the train network to cities without a station. In practice, travellers either take the train to Fes or Meknès and then a Supratours coach south, or skip the train and take the direct Supratours coach from Marrakech or Fes.

For most visitors, the train only makes sense if you are already travelling between Casablanca, Rabat, Fes and Meknès and want to start your desert trip from there. From Fes, our private 3-day tour from Fes to Merzouga picks you up at your riad, so you do not need to deal with stations at all.

Is There a Direct Bus From Marrakech to Merzouga?

Yes. Supratours runs a direct coach to Merzouga village, and it is the only scheduled bus that goes all the way. Other companies, such as CTM, serve bigger towns in the region like Errachidia; if your bus ends there, you will need a taxi or transfer for the rest of the way.

• From Marrakech: one direct coach a day, around 12 hours.
• From Fes: an overnight coach, arriving in Merzouga early in the morning.
• From Ouarzazate: a daily coach of around 8 hours, passing Skoura, the Dadès Valley and Tinghir.
• From Errachidia: about two buses a day to Merzouga, around 3 hours (it stops often).

Departure times and prices change by season, so always check and book on the official Supratours website or at a Supratours agency. In high season (Christmas, New Year, Easter) the Merzouga coaches fill up, so buy your ticket a few days before.

Where does the bus stop? The Supratours office in Merzouga is in the village centre, on the main road (N13). If you are staying with us, send us your arrival time on WhatsApp and we will tell you where to meet our driver.

How Do I Get to the Merzouga Desert Camp Itself?

This is the part most travel guides skip. The paved road ends in Merzouga village, but the camps are inside the dunes of Erg Chebbi. You cannot drive a normal rental car onto the sand.

Here is how it works when you stay at Relaxing Desert Camp:

1. You arrive in Merzouga village by car, bus, taxi or tour.
2. If you drive yourself, you leave your car in a parking area in the village. We tell you exactly where when you book.
3. The last stretch is by 4×4 or by camel. Our team picks you up and takes you to the camp across the dunes, either by 4×4 or on a camel ride, which is the most beautiful way to arrive at sunset. You can read how it feels on our camel trekking page.

From Fes by road: the drive (about 456 km, around 7 h) follows the N13 through the cedar forests near Ifrane, the town of Midelt and the palm groves of the Ziz Valley. It is one of the most beautiful roads in Morocco. If you only have one day around Fes, the day trip to the Ziz Valley gives you a taste of it.

From Ouarzazate by road: about 368 km and 5 h 30 min via the N10, with the Dadès and Todra gorges on the way. Our 2-day desert tour from Ouarzazate follows this route.

Practical tips for self-drivers: fill your tank in Errachidia, Erfoud or Rissani; drive in daylight; and keep your passport and rental papers in the car for police checkpoints. On the way, the market town of Rissani is worth a stop, especially on market day (see our Rissani souk guide).

Is Going to Merzouga Worth It?

We are obviously biased, so here is an honest answer. Merzouga is far from everything, and you will spend at least one long day on the road to get there. If you only have three days in Morocco and you are based in Marrakech, a closer desert like Agafay will be easier.

But if you want the classic Sahara picture, tall orange dunes, a camel caravan at sunset and a sky full of stars with no light pollution, Erg Chebbi is the place. Its highest dunes rise around 150 metres above the surrounding plain, and the silence at night is something our guests talk about for years.

Our recommendation: plan at least one night, ideally two, in the desert. One night gives you sunset, dinner and sunrise. Two nights let you add a 4×4 trip, sandboarding or a visit to a nomad family without rushing. Before you go, check the best time to visit Merzouga and our desert camp packing list.

Frequently Asked Questions About Getting to Merzouga

There is no single best way to get to Merzouga. If time is short, look for Merzouga flights to Errachidia and drive the last two hours. If you love road trips, drive from Fes or Ouarzazate in daylight and stop along the way. If you want a cheap option, the Supratours coach goes directly to the village. And if you prefer not to think about logistics at all, a desert tour takes care of everything.

Whatever you choose, the hardest part ends in the village. From there, our team takes you across the sand to your tent at our luxury desert camp in Merzouga, or to the Royal Desert Camp if you want something more special. For a broader view of planning a Sahara trip, read how to visit the Sahara Desert of Morocco.