DAY 1: Marrakech – Transfer from the airport to the riad
We will pick you up from the Marrakech airport and take you to your riad.
DAY 2: Marrakech – High Atlas – Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate
After breakfast, we depart to Ouarzazate via the High Atlas through the dramatic Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass (2260 m) with stops to enjoy the panoramic views. We will visit the Argan oil cooperative to learn about the making process and the benefits for the human body. We will continue south and take a detour to the site of Aït Ben Haddou, which is the famous ksar (fortified village) declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. This is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture. Renowned films such as Gladiator, The Jewel of the Nile, and Sahara (starring Penelope Cruz) have been shot in this spectacular setting. We will have lunch in the village and continue our trip to Ouarzazate, also known as the Desert Gate. Accomodation in a hotel.
DAY 3: Ouarzazate – Draa Valley – Nkob – Merzouga desert
After breakfast, we will depart to the famous Draa Valley to admire Morocco’s longest river. We will make several stops to contemplate beautiful adobe kasbahs and Berber villages, as well as the wonders that the valley offers. We will have lunch in Nkob or Alnif and continue our trip. After a three hours drive, we will reach an impressive desert of fine sand: the Merzouga Dunes. Accomodation in a nearby hotel.
DAY 4: Merzouga – Khamlia Village – Nomad families – Return from Erg Chebbi – Dromedary ride – Overnight stay in jaimas (Beber tents)
This will be a day full of adventures in which we will discover another side of Morocco! We will start the trip in a 4×4 car and make our first stop in the Khamlia village to enjoy the Gnawa music. We will continue through mountains that at first glance seem rocky, but from close by, one realizes that they are made of fossilized sand deposited millions of years ago. We will walk to a place where dinosaurs remains are extracted. Experience the daily routine of an explorer at first hand by visiting the interior of one of the excavations and enjoy the calm of the arid landscape by the small village of Bega. We may also search for the Desert Rose and whoever finds it will have a surprise prize! Next, we will continue our trip along cobbled paths close to the border with Algeria until we reach an area where marine fossils are extracted. We will stop for a Berber-style picnic with a nomad family at a unique landscape, on one side the mountains and on the other the orange dunes of the Sahara. We will visit the French Cemetery at an abandoned town from the colonial era. We will then set off in a caravan of dromedaries that will take us to the Great Dune in about an hour and a half. There, we will watch a beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight will be in a camp in the heart of the desert. At night, we will enjoy traditional Berber drums, singing, and dancing under a spectacular starry night sky.
DAY 5: Merzouga – Rissani – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley
You are in the desert! Wake up early to contemplate the beautiful sunrise from the top of the dunes. After breakfast, we will ride back on the dromedaries and take our car. We will bid farewell to the desert and head towards Rissani, where we may go to the souk (market), provided we visit it in one of its opening days: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. We will then stop in Erfoud, with the possibility to visit the fossilized marble factory, before continuing to the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad. An hour later, we will reach one of the South’s strongest points: the Todra Gorges. The Todra riverbed has formed a beautiful gorge of vertical walls of enormous proportions. This unique place is a rock climber’s paradise. In the afternoon, we will continue to Dades Valley, where we will spend the night in a kasbah.
DAY 6: Dades Valley – Valley of the Roses – Skoura Oasis – High Atlas – Marrakech
After breakfast, enjoy the views and the colors from the Dades Valley. We will then follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, a road dotted with all kinds of beautiful kasbahs. The trip will continue to the Valley of the Roses and the great palm grove of Skoura. We will then arrive in Ouarzazate, where we will visit the Taourirt kasbah and have lunch. In the afternoon, we will depart to Marrakech by crossing the Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass, with stops to take magical photos. Leave behind the lunar landscape that gradually gives way to the predominant green and ochre color. We will in Marrakech at your hotel or raid in the late afternoon.
DAY 7: Visit the Red City: Marrakech (with a local guide)
You will have the day free day to learn how to bargain in the souks and to discover the most hidden gems in the medina. Accommodation in a riad.
DAY 8: Transfer from your riad to Marrakech airport
You will have the morning free up to two hours before your flight, when we will take you to the airport. We will help you with your luggage and with the check-in.
*If this tour does not meet your vacation needs, let us know and we will offer alternatives.
**For more information, contact us through our form.