Traslado privado de Imsouane a MerzougaLuxury Travel

Plan on about 8h30 for the 695 km between Imsouane and Merzouga, following the N1 cliff road, the N1 coast road, the N10 through the Souss, the N10 via Taliouine, the N10 'Road of a Thousand Kasbahs', the N10 / R702 and finally the N13 via Rissani. Imsouane is a remote fishing village on a headland roughly halfway between Agadir and Essaouira, famous for one of the longest right-hand waves in Africa, rolling into its bay.

Who makes the Imsouane to Merzouga trip

Why this trip? People leave Imsouane after a surf stay, usually heading back to an airport at Agadir or Marrakech. As for Merzouga, people come for a camel trek into the dunes, a night in a desert camp and sunrise over Erg Chebbi. It is not an everyday transfer — 695 km is most of the width of Morocco — but it is a real one. It is booked by travellers who finish a desert tour and want to end their trip in Imsouane without doubling back through Marrakech, and by those going the other way who would rather spend one long day in a comfortable car than three on a shared tour bus.

The road from Imsouane to Merzouga

Southbound from Imsouane the coast road passes Tamri's banana plantations and the Cap Ghir lighthouse before dropping into the surf villages. Heading south, the N1 leaves the surf coast at Aourir's banana stalls and follows the shore through Anza into Agadir's port district. East of Agadir the N10 crosses the Souss valley's orange groves to Taroudant's ramparts. East of Taroudant the N10 climbs out of the Souss valley to Taliouine's saffron fields and Tazenakht's carpet cooperatives, then crosses the Siroua plateau to Ouarzazate. East of Ouarzazate the N10 — the 'Road of a Thousand Kasbahs' — passes the Skoura palmery, the rose town of Kelaat M'Gouna and the mouth of the Dades gorge at Boumalne before reaching Tinghir and the Todra gorge. East of Tinghir the road crosses the pre-Saharan plain through the oasis of Tinejdad and past lines of khettara irrigation wells to Erfoud. South of Erfoud the road passes Rissani, the old capital of the Tafilalt, before the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise on the horizon at Merzouga. Good places to break the drive: the carpet cooperatives of Tazenakht, the Dades gorge at Boumalne and the rose valley at Kelaat M'Gouna.

Arriving in Merzouga

Merzouga is the village at the foot of Erg Chebbi, the tallest sand dunes in Morocco, where the Sahara experience most people picture actually happens. Camps sit inside the dunes; cars stop at the camp's auberge in Merzouga or Hassi Labied, where luggage is left and a camel or 4x4 takes over.

Should you split the journey?

At 8h30 this is a full day in the car. We run it in one day for anyone who wants that — with breaks every two hours or so — but many travellers prefer to split it. The natural halfway point is Ouarzazate: Ouarzazate is the classic overnight on the way to or from the desert. Book two one-way legs and the driver meets you again the next morning.

Before you go

Once you are in Merzouga, the Khamlia Gnawa village and Rissani's old market are close by. October to April is best; summer days pass 45 °C. The return leg, Merzouga to Imsouane, has its own page and the same per-vehicle pricing.