3-day tour from Marrakech via Merzouga

Home ❯ 3-day tour from Marrakech via Merzouga

3-day tour from Marrakech via Merzouga

Duration

3 days / 2 nights

Starting point

Marrakech

End point

Marrakech

Description

3-day tour from Marrakech via Merzouga to enjoy an unforgettable trip to the desert, crossing the spectacular High Atlas and passing through Ouarzazate and Berber villages. On arrival in Merzouga, you will enjoy a sunset camel ride and a magical night in a traditional camp under the stars.

The route continues by 4×4 through Erg Chebbi, with visits to nomad communities and the impressive Todra Gorges, before spending the night in the Dades Valley. On the last day you will explore the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage Site, and return to Marrakech via the Ounila Valley and the Tizi n’Tichka pass, on an authentic journey through southern Morocco.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

Day 01: Marrakech – High Atlas – camel trek – night in the desert

We will pick you up at your riad in Marrakech and set off in a private vehicle across the High Atlas range, with several stops to enjoy the wonderful scenery. We will pass through Ouarzazate, known as the gateway to the desert, and head to the southeast of the country through Berber villages that are still inhabited. In the afternoon we will reach the impressive dunes of Merzouga, where we will set off on a camel caravan into the heart of the dunes to watch an unforgettable sunset. We will reach the camp, where we will stay in nomad tents (made of dromedary hair), like those used by the desert nomads. Dinner and night in the tents, in the heart of the desert, under a spectacular blanket of stars.

Day 02: Merzouga Desert – 4×4 route – nomad villages – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley

After a hearty breakfast, we will drive around Erg Chebbi, the sand sea where Morocco’s Great Dune rises more than 250 meters high. We will follow tracks that were part of the old Paris-Dakar rally and see the mountains on the Algerian border.

We will continue to a nomad settlement, where we will learn some of the secrets of their life and customs. Then we will say goodbye to the desert and head to Rissani to visit its market (if we are lucky and it is a market day: Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday).

Next, we will continue to Erfoud, where you can also visit a fossil marble workshop, before heading to the palm groves of Touroug and Tinghir. An hour later, we will reach one of the highlights of the High Atlas: the Todra Gorges. The Todra river has carved a canyon of huge vertical walls of great beauty; it is a paradise for climbers and a unique place.

We will have lunch there and, if you like, take a half-hour walk to see and enjoy the gorges in detail. In the afternoon, we will continue to the Dades Valley, where we will spend the night. Arrival at our riad in the evening to rest and prepare for the next day. Dinner and overnight at the riad.

Day 03: Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Ounila Valley – Telouet – Marrakech

Breakfast at our riad in the Dades Valley and departure for the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou, where we will visit its famous kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Well-known films such as Gladiator, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Sahara (with Penélope Cruz) and The Jewel of the Nile have been shot in this spectacular setting. Then we will continue to the Kasbah of Telouet, one of the most beautiful in the country; as it is not very touristy, we can spend some time there with our local guide, Rachid. In the afternoon we will travel through the Ounila Valley, among Berber villages with adobe houses hidden in the mountains, and continue to Marrakech via the Tizi n’Tichka pass. We will visit an argan oil cooperative, where we will learn how it is made and about its many benefits. Arrival in Marrakech around 6 p.m., transfer to your riad or hotel and end of our services, hoping you have greatly enjoyed the trip.