5 Days from Marrakech to the Desert

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5 Days from Marrakech to the Desert

Duration

5 days / 4 nights

Starting point

Marrakech

End point

Marrakech

Description

5 Days from Marrakech to the Desert: discover Morocco in five days traveling from Marrakech to the Merzouga desert. Cross the High Atlas Mountains, visit Berber villages and historic kasbahs such as Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage Site. Travel through the Ounila and Dades valleys, enjoy oasis and mountain landscapes and get to know authentic nomadic culture up close.

Experience the magic of the Sahara Desert with a sunset dromedary ride, spend a night in tents under the stars and take 4×4 and quad rides over the Erg Chebbi dunes. An adventure that combines history, nature and authentic experiences for travelers who want to explore Morocco in a unique way.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

Day 01: Marrakech – Telouet – Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou – Ounila Valley – Ouarzazate

We will have breakfast at our riad in Marrakech and leave in a private vehicle towards Ouarzazate, crossing the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2,260 meters, one of the highest road passes in the country, where we will enjoy incredible scenery and make several stops to photograph the Berber villages.

Then we will turn onto a small road to enjoy the beautiful scenery until we reach the Kasbah of Telouet. We will visit the kasbah and enjoy a typical village lunch.

In the afternoon, we will continue through the Ounila Valley, among Berber villages where families live in adobe houses hidden in the mountains, until we reach the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou, where we will visit its famous kasbah (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987). Several famous films have been shot in this spectacular setting, such as Gladiator, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra and Sahara with Penélope Cruz, among others. After visiting the kasbah, we will leave for Ouarzazate, considered the great gateway to the desert. Dinner and overnight at a hotel.

Day 02: Ouarzazate – Skoura – Boutaghrar nomads – Dades Valley

After breakfast at our hotel in Ouarzazate, we begin our route to the Dades Valley. It is 120 km, including a stretch of track through the Anti-Atlas mountains.

After half an hour’s drive, we will reach the Kasbah of Amridil in the village of Skoura, one of the most beautiful in Morocco. We will visit it and then continue to the town of roses, Kalaat M’Gouna, the only place in Morocco with Damask rose bushes. We may have lunch in the village before continuing to an area inhabited by Amazigh (Berber) nomads.

On the way, we will see Berber villages hidden in the middle of nowhere and make several stops to enjoy the beautiful scenery. In the afternoon, we will reach the Dades Valley, where we will stay at a riad with magical views from its terrace. Dinner and overnight at the riad.

Day 03: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Merzouga Dunes – Night in tents

After breakfast, we will enjoy one of the best views of the valley from one of the most strategic viewpoints in the mountains. From there we will see the many kasbahs and how picturesque they are. After several stops along the way, we will reach the Todra Gorges.

Located near the town of Tinghir, they open the way to the desert. Surrounded by a valley full of palm trees and adobe villages, these are the mountains most prized by climbers. The Todra and Dades gorges are the best known and the most impressive in Morocco.

After walking through the Todra Gorges and having lunch in Tinejdad or Touroug, we will leave for the desert to reach the impressive dunes of Merzouga, where we will set off on a dromedary caravan for about an hour to reach our nomad tents in the middle of a sea of dunes (Erg Chebbi). We will watch one of the most impressive sunsets you have ever seen. Dinner and night in nomad tents in the heart of the desert, under a spectacular blanket of stars.

Day 04: Merzouga Desert – Nomad families – Village of Khamlia – Quad ride

Today will be a full desert day. «A date with the sunrise»: since you are in the desert, it is worth getting up early to enjoy the sunrise and this relaxing landscape.

After breakfast at our camp, we will set off by 4×4 to drive around the Erg Chebbi dunes, 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, with the mountains on the Algerian border in the background. Then we will continue to a nomad settlement, where we will discover some of their secrets and customs, and stop at a viewpoint to see Erg Chebbi as a whole.

Next, we will go to the village of Khamlia, whose people originally came from Mali, where we will relax with tea while enjoying a small concert of spiritual Gnawa music. We will return to the hotel to rest before setting off on quads for an adrenaline-filled ride across the Erg Chebbi desert and watching the sunset from the top of the dunes. Then we will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 05: Merzouga – Marrakech

After breakfast at our riad, it is time to say goodbye to the desert and start our journey back to Marrakech. On the way, we will stop in the Draa Valley, the largest in Morocco, more than 240 km long with over 10 million palm trees.

Then we will cross the Anti-Atlas mountains to reach Ouarzazate, where we will stop for lunch. After lunch, we will cross the High Atlas Mountains to reach Marrakech. Transfer to your riad or hotel and end of our services, hoping you have had a wonderful time.