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: [price] per person, standard camp; luxury option. Private: from [t2] per person for two, luxury camp and riad included, and [t4] per person for four. For one traveller, shared is much cheaper. For two, private costs about [x] times the shared price and includes the camp upgrade. For four or more, the gap narrows to the point where private is usually the better value once you count the upgrade and the freedom. [Rewrite this paragraph with real numbers once prices are set.]
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
Journal
Journal