Are Kasbah Trails tours private, or do we join a group?

Every Kasbah Trails itinerary is 100% private — just you, your travel companions, and a dedicated driver-guide in your own vehicle. There are no strangers added to your group and no fixed departure dates to work around.

Can you customize an itinerary, or do we have to book one exactly as listed?

Every trip on this site is a starting point. Tell us your dates, pace and interests on WhatsApp or through the form below, and we'll adjust the route, swap in extra nights, or build something from scratch around what you actually want to see.

What's included in the price of a private Morocco tour?

Standard inclusions are a private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel and tolls, an English-speaking driver-guide for the whole trip, accommodation in riads, kasbahs and a desert camp, the Erg Chebbi camel trek, daily breakfast, local guides in the imperial cities, and all local taxes. International flights, most lunches and dinners, entrance fees, tips and travel insurance are not included.

How much does a private Sahara desert tour cost?

Pricing depends on group size, season, and the level of riad or kasbah you choose, since every trip is quoted individually rather than sold at a fixed group rate. Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and traveller count for an exact quote — there's no obligation to book.

Is Morocco safe to visit, and is a guide necessary for the Sahara?

Morocco is a well-established, welcoming destination for private travel, and the desert routes we run — through Ouarzazate, the gorges and Merzouga — are on paved and well-travelled roads. A local driver-guide isn't strictly required to enter the country, but it makes the long mountain and desert legs far easier, and it's how a camel trek and desert camp get arranged properly rather than booked blind.

When's the best time of year for a Sahara desert tour?

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) give the most comfortable temperatures for both the High Atlas passes and the dunes. Summer is workable but hot in the desert by midday; winter nights in the Sahara and the mountains can be cold, so pack layers if travelling between November and February.

Which cities can a tour start and end in?

Most itineraries start or end in Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca or Tangier — wherever your flight lands. Filter the tours by city to see what's available, or ask us to build a route between two different cities if you don't see the combination you need.

Travel guide · 5 min read

Todgha Gorge vs Dades Gorge: Which Canyon Should You Visit

Written by the Kasbah Trails team

Published July 12, 2026

Camel trek crossing the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga in the Sahara desert

Both canyons sit along the same general stretch of road between Ouarzazate and Merzouga, close enough that most longer itineraries visit both in a single day — but if you're weighing them against each other for a shorter trip, here's the real difference between the two.

Todgha Gorge: narrower, more dramatic walls

Todgha Gorge's defining feature is how close its limestone walls press in overhead — up to 300 metres high in places, with the canyon floor narrowing to just a few dozen metres at its tightest point near Tinghir, where the road and a shallow river share almost the same strip of ground. It's a genuine walking destination rather than a drive-by viewpoint: a flat riverside path lets you go in on foot and properly feel the scale of the rock closing in above you.

Dades Gorge: longer, more varied scenery

The Dades Valley unfolds more gradually, through rose-growing villages that perfume the air for a stretch each spring, unusual folded rock formations locals call the Monkey Fingers, and a winding road that climbs considerably higher than Todgha's before it's done. It rewards a slower drive with frequent stops, rather than one single dramatic photo point.

If you can only pick one

Todgha for a dramatic, compact stop with a proper walk you can do in under an hour; Dades for scenic driving and a broader sense of the region unfolding around you. In practice, most of our 5-day and longer Sahara routes visit both on the same day, since they sit roughly 50km apart along the same road corridor and neither takes long enough to justify skipping the other.

Where they fit on the road to the Sahara

Both come after Aït Ben Haddou and before Merzouga on the standard Marrakech-to-desert route, usually falling on day two of a multi-day itinerary, sandwiched between the kasbah road and the first sight of real dunes — see our Marrakech to Sahara desert guide for how the full drive sequences from start to finish.