6-day route from Marrakech to the desert

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6-day route from Marrakech to the desert

Duration

6 days / 5 nights

Starting point

Marrakech

End point

Marrakech

Description

6-day route from Marrakech to the desert invites you to enjoy an unforgettable journey from the vibrant red city to the heart of the Merzouga desert. Along the way you will discover historic kasbahs, Berber villages and the spectacular landscapes of the High Atlas and the Draa Valley. Enjoy authentic nomadic life with dromedary rides, magical sunsets over the dunes and a night under a starry sky in traditional tents. A tour that combines adventure, culture and nature in a comfortable and enriching itinerary.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

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

Pick-up at 8:30 at your hotel in Marrakech, in a private vehicle towards Ouarzazate, crossing the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2,260 m, 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 with beautiful scenery to 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,

Sahara with Penélope Cruz and others. After visiting the kasbah we will leave for Ouarzazate, considered the great gateway to the desert, where we will visit its film studios. After the studios we will continue towards Agdz, crossing the Anti-Atlas range to reach this village in the middle of the great Draa Valley. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 02: Agdz – Draa Valley – Merzouga Desert

After breakfast at our hotel/riad in the middle of the Draa Valley, we will see one of the longest rivers in Morocco. We will make several stops to admire the beautiful adobe kasbahs and Berber villages that dot the route and the wonders of the Draa Valley.

After lunch in N’Kob or Alnif, we will drive 2 hours to reach the impressive dunes of Merzouga (a desert of very fine sand dunes). We will check in to our hotel at the foot of the dunes and, after a rest, drive out to enjoy the sunset from the top of the Erg Chebbi dunes; then back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the next day. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 03: Merzouga Desert – Nomad families – Village of Khamlia – Erg Chebbi tour

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

We will continue to a nomad settlement where we will learn some of the secrets of their life and customs. Then we will stop at a viewpoint to see Erg Chebbi as a whole. We will reach 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. Back at the hotel, free afternoon to stroll around the village or climb the nearby dunes to enjoy the sunset. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 04: Merzouga – Rissani market – night in tents

Today will be a quieter day. After breakfast you will have a free morning to stroll around the village of Merzouga and connect with local life; then we will go to the Rissani market, 35 km from Merzouga, one of the most authentic markets in Morocco, and return to Merzouga, where you can have lunch
with a local family. In the afternoon we will ride dromedaries into the heart of the dunes to watch an unforgettable sunset.

We will reach the camp on our dromedaries, 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 05: Merzouga Desert – Todra Gorges – Skoura – Ouarzazate

After a good breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to the desert and continue to Erfoud, where you can visit a fossil marble workshop, before heading to the palm groves of Touroug and Tinejdad. 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. Lunch on site; a half-hour walk is recommended to see and enjoy the gorges in detail.

In the afternoon we will continue to Skoura, where you can visit its old kasbah, «Kasbah Amridil», and take a short walk through its palm grove. Then we continue to Ouarzazate and arrive at our hotel to rest. Dinner and overnight.

Day 06: Ouarzazate – High Atlas – Marrakech

Breakfast at our hotel in Ouarzazate and departure for Marrakech across the High Atlas range. We will stop at the Kasbah of Telouet, visit the kasbah and enjoy a typical village lunch. Then we will continue through the Ounila Valley, among Berber villages where families live in adobe houses hidden in the mountains.

In the afternoon we will set off again for Marrakech, crossing the Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass with photo stops. Here we will leave behind the lunar landscape, which gives way to predominant greens, ochres and other colors. Arrival in Marrakech around 6 p.m., transfer to your riad/hotel in Marrakech and end of our services, hoping you have had a wonderful time.