Morocco Family Tours

What actually works with children

Morocco is an easy country to travel with kids — children are genuinely welcome everywhere, and restaurants will happily improvise something plain. The hard part is distance. The drive from Marrakech to Merzouga is around nine hours, which is fine for adults and miserable for a six-year-old. Our family itineraries break long drives into two shorter days, or skip the far Sahara entirely in favour of Zagora or the Agafay, which are much closer.

Children riding camels on a family Morocco tour in the Sahara

Sahara with kids

Camel rides, dune sledding and a night under the stars — the part children remember.

Family-friendly coastal day trip to Essaouira from Marrakech

Short, easy days

Cooking classes, Essaouira beach and the Ourika valley — half-days that suit small children.

Family walking through Berber villages in the Atlas Mountains

Gentle mountain walks

Berber village walks with mule support, so nobody has to carry a tired five-year-old.

Pace: how much driving is too much?

Our rule of thumb is one longer driving day at a time, then a day that stays put. Realistic distances from Marrakech:

Agafay desert — around 35 kilometres.
Ourika Valley — about an hour.
Essaouira — roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.
Zagora — about 6 to 7 hours, so a two-day trip.
Merzouga — around nine hours, always split. Our four-day Merzouga desert route adds a night in the Dades Gorges for a gentler pace.

How we set family trips up

Every family tour is private, which matters more with children than with anyone else: you stop when someone needs the bathroom, you leave the museum when they are done, and nobody on a bus is waiting for you. We provide child seats at no cost if you tell us the ages, put families in riads with a pool wherever the budget allows, and pick desert camps with proper beds and private bathrooms rather than the bare-bones option. Drivers who work our Morocco family tours are chosen for patience.

Family-friendly places, and why they work

Marrakech

Gardens give children room to run, and a hands-on tagine cooking class fills a morning with no driving at all.

The Atlas foothills

Our Ourika Valley day trip walks up to the waterfalls above Setti Fatma and is cooler than the city in summer. Active older children can try the three-day Berber villages trek, with mules carrying the luggage.

Essaouira

A day trip to Essaouira means ramparts, a fishing harbour and a sandy beach with optional camel rides, cooled by the Atlantic breeze all year.

Shorter deserts

The Agafay desert day trip or an overnight Agafay camp give the feel of the desert close to the city; the two-day Zagora desert trip adds a real camel trek and a night in the dunes. Our guide to the best places to visit in Morocco covers the rest.

The desert night with children

The camel ride to camp runs at sunset — around 60 to 90 minutes on our Zagora trip — and anyone who has had enough can walk alongside. Nights are cold: around 10–14°C in spring and autumn and near freezing in winter, so pack a warm layer for every child. Beds and blankets are provided, but electricity is limited, so bring a headtorch and a power bank. Our Sahara packing list and Zagora versus Merzouga comparison cover the details.

Riads, hotels and family rooms

Riads are a joy, but many have steep, narrow stairs, open roof terraces and sometimes small courtyard plunge pools — fine with older children, worth knowing with toddlers. Medina lanes are often too narrow for cars, and rooms can be small, so larger families may need a suite or two adjoining rooms. Tell us your children's ages and we will factor them into where you stay.

Best age, best season

Children from about five upwards get the most out of Morocco — old enough for a camel ride and a night in the desert, young enough to find it magical. Under-fives travel fine, but plan shorter days. Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the seasons to aim for; July and August in the desert reach 45°C and are genuinely unsuitable for young children. December school holidays work well too — see our Morocco Christmas tours for family itineraries over the festive break.

Babies and toddlers

A carrier beats a pushchair on medina cobbles. Base yourselves in one or two places and choose Agafay over the long drive to the dunes.

Five to twelve

The sweet spot for camels, dunes, waterfalls and the beach — plan the medina in half-days.

Teenagers

Happy with Merzouga and longer loops, and keen on treks, cooking classes and the fossil workshop in Erfoud on the four-day route.

Food, health and everyday practicalities

Bread, grilled chicken, couscous, omelettes and mild tagines are on most menus, and the spicing is fragrant rather than hot. Stick to bottled water, carry personal medication and basic stomach remedies, and pack high-SPF sunscreen and hats. Check vaccinations with your doctor or a travel clinic, and carry some dirhams — cards are not accepted in the desert.

Common questions

Is Morocco good for a family holiday with kids?

Yes. Morocco is very welcoming to children and easy to travel with as a family. The main thing to plan around is driving distance: long transfers such as Marrakech to Merzouga take around nine hours and are best split over two days or replaced with a closer desert like Zagora or the Agafay.

What is the best age to take children to Morocco?

From around five years old. That is old enough for camel rides, desert camping and the souks to be genuinely exciting. Younger children travel fine too, but itineraries should use shorter driving days.

When is the best time for a family trip to Morocco?

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November). Summer temperatures in the desert and in Marrakech regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius, which is hard on young children.

Do you provide child seats?

Yes, at no extra cost. Tell us the ages of your children when you enquire and the correct seats will be in the vehicle when we collect you.

Can children sleep in a desert camp?

Yes. Our Morocco family tours use camps with proper beds, private bathrooms and solid tents rather than basic bivouacs. Most children find the night in the dunes the highlight of the trip.

Which Moroccan desert is best with young children?

For the youngest children, the Agafay desert, around 35 kilometres from Marrakech, gives the feel of the desert without a long drive. Zagora works as a two-day trip, and Merzouga's taller dunes are best kept for older children and trips of three or four days, so the nine-hour drive can be split.