Is There a Bus From Marrakech to Merzouga? Bus Travel Guide

Is There a Bus From Marrakech to Merzouga? Complete Bus Travel Guide

Yes, buses can get you to Merzouga — but not on a single, direct service. What "taking the bus to Merzouga" actually means is riding one of Morocco's national operators as far as Erfoud or Rissani, then covering the final short stretch (30-45 minutes) by local grand taxi, since neither major bus line terminates in Merzouga itself. All in, budget roughly 12-15 hours of travel and around €40-60, depending on route and company.

The two real operators

CTM and Supratours are the only established national bus companies running this corridor, and either is a reasonable, safe choice — Supratours (affiliated with the rail operator ONCF) tends to run newer coaches with more reliable timing and advertises fares somewhere in the 150-280 MAD band for a leg of this length, while CTM is generally the cheaper of the two, typically in the 130-220 MAD range for a comparable leg. Both typically route you either via Ouarzazate then onward toward Errachidia/Rissani, or via a more direct southeastern line — ask at the station counter which combination gets you there fastest on the day you're traveling, since exact schedules and fares shift and are best confirmed in person or via the companies' own booking sites (ctm.co.ma, supratours.ma) rather than trusted secondhand. Smaller regional operators also serve parts of this corridor at lower prices, but with much less consistency — worth asking your hotel which ones currently have a good reputation rather than assuming any specific name is reliable.

What the journey actually feels like

The first leg, typically toward Ouarzazate, takes you over the Tizi n'Tichka pass — genuinely one of the most scenic stretches of road in Morocco, though winding enough that it's worth having motion-sickness precautions if you're prone to it. Buses stop periodically for meals and rest breaks, and depending on how your connections line up, you may have anywhere from a short wait to several hours in Ouarzazate before the onward service departs. The second leg pushes further southeast through Erfoud, watching the landscape shift from mountain valleys into proper desert, before dropping you in Rissani for the final grand-taxi hop into Merzouga.

Because the connection timing between the two bus legs isn't always tight, many travelers doing this on a budget choose to break the journey with an overnight stop in Ouarzazate rather than risk a late-evening scramble for a connecting bus — it costs a bit more in accommodation but means arriving in Merzouga with daylight left, potentially even in time for a same-day sunset camel trek.

Booking it

Buying tickets at the station on the day (or a day ahead in peak season, October through April) works fine for both operators and avoids any online booking hassle — Supratours' website exists but is French/Arabic-only and not the smoothest experience for a one-off international booking. Your riad or hotel can usually arrange tickets for a small fee if you'd rather not deal with the station yourself.

Should you actually do it this way?

Bus travel is the cheapest way to reach Merzouga by a wide margin, and it's a genuinely more "local" experience than being driven privately — but it comes at the cost of comfort, a longer total travel time, and no guide to explain what you're passing (Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades Valley, the kasbah towns) along the way. If your budget allows even a modest step up, a private tour or transfer covers the same road in around 9-10 hours with someone else handling the logistics, the stops, and the desert camp booking on the other end — for many travelers that difference is worth more than the money saved.

Prefer the private option, or want help figuring out bus timing around your dates?

WhatsApp: +212675203319 / +212668534981 Email: hello@merzougaway.com

Last updated: August 2026.