In this guide · 6 parts
What is the same
The road. Both tours cross the Tichka, stop at Aït Ben Haddou, sleep in the Dades Valley, walk the Todra Gorge and ride camels into Erg Chebbi. Both have a licensed driver-guide. Both have private rooms and private tents — nobody shares a tent with strangers on either.
What changes
| Shared | Private | |
|---|---|---|
| Departure | Fixed, 07:00 daily | Any date; 07:30, 08:00 or 09:00 |
| Pick-up | Within 8 km of Jemaa el-Fna, or meeting point in Guéliz | Any address, at your door |
| Vehicle | Minibus, 18 seats, small group; more minibuses on busy dates | A car or 4x4 for your group only |
| Stops | Fixed programme, shared stops | Yours: Telouet, a nomad family, a longer walk, no lunch stop |
| Night 1 | Valley hotel, private en-suite room | Family riad, your choice of several |
| Night 2 | Standard camp (shared bathrooms); luxury as an option | Luxury camp with private bathroom, included |
| Pace | The group's | Yours |
| Price | Per person, lowest | Per person, falls as the group grows |
The price, honestly
Shared: from €95 per person, standard camp; luxury camp +€40. Private: from €846 per person for two, luxury camp and riad included, and €754 per person for four. For one traveller, shared is much cheaper. For two, private costs €846 each against €135 for shared with the luxury camp (€95 + €40), so about six times more. For four, it drops to €754 each. Private is never the cheap option: you pay for your own vehicle and driver-guide, the luxury camp and riad, and the freedom to stop where you like.
Who should go shared
Solo travellers and couples on a budget; anyone who likes company in a minibus; travellers happy with a fixed programme; people for whom the standard camp is the adventure. The shared tour is not a compromise — it is the tour most of our best reviews come from — it is simply fixed.
Who should go private
Families with young children (seats, timing, the private bathroom); groups of three or more (the price argument); anyone with mobility limits (4x4 into camp, riad rooms on the ground floor); photographers who want to stop; travellers who want Telouet or a longer walk in the gorge; anyone who dislikes 07:00.
The middle path
Take the shared tour and add the luxury camp option: the same group and price structure, with your own bathroom on the desert night. Or take the four-day shared tour for a gentler pace. → Shared 4-Day Marrakech to Merzouga
