Camper vans, motorhomes and 4x4 campers for the High Atlas and southern Morocco
Compare the 2 campervan and motorhome rental companies in Marrakech to find the best price, and book at the price shown, mandatory fees included.
Hiring a campervan in Marrakech means setting off at the foot of the High Atlas, whose ridges, snow-capped in winter, close the horizon of the Red City. In one day's drive, the Tizi n'Tichka pass leads to the ksar of Aït Benhaddou and to Ouarzazate; beyond lie the Road of the Kasbahs, the Dades and Todra gorges, the Draa Valley and the dunes of Merzouga. On site, Baba Camper and ZigZag Camper rent out camper vans as well as family motorhomes and 4x4 campers.
Their two depots are on the outskirts, one in a business park, the other at a campsite: the trip begins far from the crowded lanes of the medina.
Public ratings collected on October 28, 2026 from independent review sites.
| Vehicle | Winter January | Spring April | Summer July | Autumn October |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campervan | from €81/day median €148/day | from €81/day median €148/day | from €79/day median €146/day | from €79/day median €146/day |
Daily prices observed on October 22, 2026 for a 15-day rental: CoolDrive selling price, mandatory fees included, 2 rental companies compared. 44% of offers with unlimited mileage. Median excess: €1,000.
To the north-east, the Ouzoud Falls plunge into a gorge home to Barbary macaques, then the Imi n'Ifri natural bridge awaits near Demnate. You head back down to the Ourika Valley as far as Setti Fatma, before climbing to Imlil, a Berber village at the foot of Toubkal where the hikes begin. Lalla Takerkoust Lake, facing the ridges, offers a last quiet night. The road to Imlil is narrow and steep: a van gets through more easily.
The N9 crosses the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with a detour to the kasbah of Telouet, former stronghold of the Glaoui pasha. The ksar of Aït Benhaddou, a World Heritage Site and the setting of many films, comes before Ouarzazate and its film studios. The Draa Valley then runs from Agdz to Zagora between palm groves and earthen villages, as far as M'Hamid, where the tarmac ends in front of the dunes. Erg Chigaga can only be reached by 4x4, along the track.
Beyond Ouarzazate, the Skoura oasis and its kasbahs, then Kelaat M'Gouna, the town of roses, open up the Dades Valley, whose winding gorges are explored as an out-and-back trip. Tinghir and the Todra cliffs come before the dunes of Erg Chebbi at Merzouga, best admired at sunrise. The return via Rissani, Alnif and N'Kob skirts Jebel Saghro on a quiet southern road, before rejoining Ouarzazate and the Tichka.
From March to May, then in October and November, Marrakech sees 23 to 30 °C in the afternoon, the passes stay open and the desert is bearable. In spring, the Atlas keeps its white peaks, the orchards blossom and Kelaat M'Gouna celebrates the rose in May; autumn brings the date harvest in the Draa and the Tafilalet. These are also the most sought-after periods.
Summer in Marrakech is scorching: an average high of 39 °C in July and August, and rain almost disappears. The desert and southern valleys become gruelling; better to head for the heights of Imlil, the Ourika or the upper Dades, drive early in the morning and choose an air-conditioned vehicle. Summer storms can suddenly swell the Atlas riverbeds.
Winter brings mild, bright days to Marrakech, from 20 to 22 °C, but nights drop to 6 or 7 °C, and much lower on the southern plateaus and in the desert, where it can freeze. A heated vehicle and extra blankets become essential. Around Christmas and New Year, Merzouga welcomes crowds of travellers.
Most pleasant months: October to May.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 °C | 6 °C | 24 mm | 9 h/day |
| Feb | 22 °C | 7 °C | 41 mm | 10 h/day |
| Mar | 23 °C | 9 °C | 50 mm | 10 h/day |
| Apr | 26 °C | 12 °C | 39 mm | 11 h/day |
| May | 30 °C | 15 °C | 17 mm | 12 h/day |
| Jun | 34 °C | 18 °C | 2 mm | 12 h/day |
| Jul | 39 °C | 21 °C | 1 mm | 13 h/day |
| Aug | 39 °C | 22 °C | 3 mm | 12 h/day |
| Sep | 34 °C | 19 °C | 6 mm | 11 h/day |
| Oct | 30 °C | 16 °C | 20 mm | 10 h/day |
| Nov | 24 °C | 10 °C | 27 mm | 9 h/day |
| Dec | 20 °C | 7 °C | 42 mm | 9 h/day |
Averages 2016–2025 computed from Open-Meteo data (ERA5 reanalysis).
Baba Camper welcomes its customers in the Sidi Ghanem industrial zone, north-west of the city, and ZigZag Camper at the Le Relais de Marrakech campsite, to the north. Both are outside the medina and close to the main roads: you join the ring road, then the Ouarzazate road, without crossing the historic centre.
The lanes of the medina are closed or impassable for a motorhome, and parking along the ramparts is saturated. To visit Jemaa el-Fna, the souks or the Koutoubia, park the vehicle at the campsite or in a guarded car park in the new town, then take a petit taxi. The attendant expects a coin when you leave.
The N9, the main road to Ouarzazate and the south, climbs in long hairpin bends, with slow lorries, risky overtaking and sections under widening works. Allow about four hours to Ouarzazate without stops. In winter, find out about road conditions the day before: snow can close the pass for a few hours or a few days.
Marrakech-Menara airport, to the south-west, is only a few kilometres from the centre, but both depots are on the other side of the city: plan a taxi and roughly half an hour's drive depending on traffic. Tell the rental company your flight details so it can set the handover time accordingly, especially after a late landing.
Baba Camper and ZigZag Camper each have a depot in Marrakech. The models we observed include the Renault Express Van, with two seats, the 6-Berth Motorhome sleeping six, the Atlas, the Shems and the Sahara Nomad, which sleep four, and the Merzouga Nomad, four seats for two berths. The address of the meeting point is sent to you in the confirmation.
For fifteen-day hires, the 36 offers from two rental companies compared in October 2026 start at €79 per day, mandatory fees included. The median price of a campervan or camper van barely moves with the season: €146 to €148 per day, whatever the departure month. Bookable prices for your own dates appear in the search.
The main roads of the south, from the Tizi n'Tichka to Merzouga and Zagora, are paved: a campervan or motorhome drives them without difficulty. The Sahara Rooftop 4x4 Overland, observed for departures from Marrakech, also opens up the tracks of Erg Chigaga or Jebel Saghro. On the narrow roads of Imlil and the gorges, a compact vehicle remains the most comfortable.
Merzouga is about 550 km by road, via the Tizi n'Tichka, Ouarzazate and Tinghir. The drive fits into two long days, but it is better to allow three or four to stop along the way. For a first taste of the desert on a shorter trip, Zagora and the Draa Valley are about 360 km away.
Yes: Essaouira, Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and Tangier also host our partner companies. After the desert, you can head up through the Middle Atlas to Fez, or end the trip by the ocean in Agadir. Choose the return city when you search: any one-way fee is then included in the displayed total.
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Campervans and motorhomes of 3.5 tonnes or less can be driven with an ordinary car licence. Tourists may drive on their foreign licence, but a recommended international driving permit makes police checks simpler; they are frequent at town entrances and on the Tichka road. The minimum age and years of driving, specific to each company, are stated in the rental conditions.
Several campsites surround the city, in the Palmeraie and along the exit roads, and others line Lalla Takerkoust Lake. In the Atlas valleys, at Aït Benhaddou or in Merzouga, many campsites and guesthouses welcome motorhomes in their courtyard, often with water and electricity. Isolated overnight parking is not advisable: always prefer a guarded place.
Not always: 44% of the offers observed in October 2026 for departures from Marrakech included unlimited mileage. The others come with an allowance and a price per extra kilometre. A loop via the Dades Gorges and Merzouga exceeds 1,200 km: compare each offer's allowance with your itinerary, or go straight for an offer with no limit.
The offers we observed show a median excess of €1,000: in case of damage, this is the ceiling the driver remains liable for, usually held as a deposit when the vehicle is handed over. The Tichka hairpins, stony tracks and narrow village lanes expose you to scratches and knocks: study the excess waiver options, and what they exclude, before setting off.
It is best avoided. In the Atlas as in the south, carts, donkeys, cyclists and pedestrians move along the roadside without lights, and lorries use the Tichka around the clock. Plan your stages to arrive before sunset, especially as finding a campsite in the dark, at the end of a track or in a palm grove, is tricky.
For Easter, the autumn holidays and the end of the year, the most sought-after periods for the Atlas and the desert, book months ahead, as only two rental companies share the demand: the 4x4s and family motorhomes go quickly. Summer, quieter in the south because of the heat, leaves more choice: booking a month ahead is usually enough.
No departure city is closer to the High Atlas and southern Morocco than Marrakech: less than a day's drive separates Jemaa el-Fna square from the kasbahs of Ouarzazate, and a whole country unfolds beyond, from the Berber villages of Imlil to the palm groves of the Draa, from the Dades Gorges to the dunes of Erg Chebbi. You can spend one or two weeks there without ever returning to the coast.
The two partner companies based in the city, Baba Camper and ZigZag Camper, offer camper vans, family motorhomes and off-road 4x4s on site, with prices observed from €79 per day in October 2026; the two reviews from customers who left from the city give them 4.5 out of 5 on average. Essaouira is 169 km and Agadir 205 km away as the crow flies; together with Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and Tangier, they let you end the trip elsewhere. And from October to May, the climate is ideal for a road trip.
