DAY 1: Marrakech – High Atlas – Aït Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of the Roses – Dades Valley
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, the city from where great expeditions depart from and the place of the Taourirt Kasbah. The trip will continue to the Valley of the Roses through the great palm grove of Skoura and Boulemane Dades. Dinner and accommodation in the Dades Valley (kasbah).
DAY 2: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Erfoud – Merzouga desert
After breakfast, we will start on a road dotted with all kinds of kasbahs. After several stops, 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. After lunch, we will head towards the desert and reach the imposing Merzouga Dunes. Arrival at a nearby hotel.
DAY 3: Merzouga – Khamlia village – Nomad families – Erg Chebbi – Dromedary ride – Overnight stay in jaimas (Berber 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 4: Merzouga – Rissani – Aoufous – Midelt – Azrou – Ifrane – Fez
Wake up before dawn to watch the sunrise from the dunes. After breakfast, we will ride back on the dromedaries and take our car. Our trip will now head north through the palm grove of Tafilalet until we reach the Ziz Valley, where we will stop to enjoy the panoramic views and the town of Aoufous. Our next stop is Midelt to rest and eat. In the afternoon, we will continue to Azrou, where we will hand feed the monkeys, and will then visit Ifrane, known as the Morocco’s “Little Switzerland”. Arrival in your hotel or riad in Fez.
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