Sahara Desert, Canyons & Kasbahs

Welcome to Morocco! Arrive at the Marrakech Menara International Airport, where you will be met with your driver and transferred to your hotel or riad in the centre of town. Opt to independently explore the vibrant Djemaa el Fna Square this evening and enjoy the snake charmers, story tellers, food stalls and souks all in full swing.

You will be picked up from your hotel at 09am, meet your guide and start your Guided city tour of Marrakech, visit The Bahia Palace, Medrassa Ben Youssef, Dar EL Bacha, see the Koutoubia Mosque from outside  Souks and Jamaa el Fna Square.

Your driver will pick you up at 08:00 a.m. from your hotel or in the closest accessible point for the car and leave the busy city behind and head east toward the desert. Cross the High Atlas mountains via the Tizi n'Tichka (2260m), stop at multiple beautiful panoramas for pictures. See if you can spot Mount Toubkal, the highest peak at (4,167 m).  Along the way, you will pass many Berber villages—made up of traditional mud-brick buildings. After the Tichka pass, you will leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which was once the palatial residence and headquarters of the powerful Glaoui tribe. In Telouet you will be introduced to your local guide who will take you on a visit to the Kasbah. From here, you drive along the beautiful and awe-inspiring Ounila Valley, also known as the salt valley, full of bends in the roads, surprises at the hues of the rock and soil, Berber villages, gardens, as well as smaller Kasbahs.  Arrive in Ait Ben Haddou, you will meet your local guide to visit the World Heritage Site, one of Morocco’s most spectacular ksours (fortified villages). Then overnight in a guest house in Ait Ben Haddou.

Ait Benhaddou is a mind-blowing example of a historic medieval kasbah and of traditional desert architecture with its earth houses and high protective walls. After breakfast, we will continue our journey to the nearby city "Ouarzazate" where you can visit Film Studios and Taourirt Kasbahs. Discover how the area has been featured in movies, including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and many more. Follow the route of the Thousand Kasbahs to Skoura. Here, we'll stop to visit Amridil, the kasbah has been beautifully restored and is well worth visiting; constructed entirely of adobe, an excellent building material that keeps the room's temperature cool in the summer and warm in the winter due to the thickness of the walls. We will then continue to Kelaat M'Gouna " Valley Des Roses".  The region is the biggest producer of rose oil and water in the whole country, thus receiving the name the rose valley. Both rose oil and water are fundamental to local culture and economy. We will continue towards the gorges of Dades through the Mgoun River and via the village of Boutghrar, with a small Stop to visit nomad in caves. Drive up the Valley of Dades to reach our hotel with a couple of stops to enjoy the beautiful views of the valley and a bizarre rock formation called "The monkey feet" . We will spend the night in our hotel in Dades Gorge.

Departure will be after breakfast to visit Dades gorges, taking the road back to Boumalne Dades, drive around the colourful Berber villages of the Dades valley, to get to Tineghir with it's beautiful palm grove. We will continue to the Gorge of Todgha, where we go on a trek along the canyons of about 300 m high, a preferred place of mountain climbers. Afterwards, we will drive further east to the Sahara Desert and stop for lunch in Tinjdad or Touroug, depending on your hunger-meter. On the route to Erfoud, you will notice strange piles of clay following the road. These are the heads of the “khettarat”, the ingenious underground water channels designed to minimize evaporation in the desert heat. It is fascinating to climb down to experience the coolness below ground and to wonder at the ancient engineering involved. Arrive in Erfoud, a town known for its figs and fossils, visit a craft workshop and discover how the fossil-rich rocks are skilfully transformed into practical and decorative objects. Continue to Merzouga, and overnight in the Hotel in a peaceful setting at the foothills of Erg Chebbi Sahara dunes.

Today, we will explore the desert region and the marvel Erg Chebbi dunes. We will circuit the desert dunes, where you will have the opportunity to see the the nomad's way of life and the amazing changing contrasts of the of the desert. Rissani is very interesting to visit because of its cultural diversity of Berber, Arab and desert communities, all recognizable and differentiated by their clothing style and colors worn. Also well known for its market, or souk. As a former caravan center, Rissani remains a major commercial center in the region. The Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif (one of the founders of the Alaouite dynasty) could be a part of your exploration. Drive back to the edge of the dunes, mount your camels to the middle of the dunes, where you can take your time to witness the mesmerizing sunset of the sahara, take photos, share a laugh and recharge your soul. After the sunset, the camel caravan will continue to the camp, where you will be welcomed with mint tea, then show you your tents, so you can rest, freshen up, sort your luggage while the dinner is being prepared.

After a quiet and memorable night in the dunes of Erg Chebbi sand, you can watch the sunrise over the dunes, followed by a typical breakfast in the camp, thereafter ,you will ride the camels back to meet your driver and leave for Zagora. The itinerary continues along a more southerly road following the Anti-Atlas mountains towards the Dra’a Valley passing the villages of Alnif, Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’) and Nkob. Lunch will be taken on the way. Passing more oases and traditional villages of Draa Valley, you will be amazed at the view of the vast Oasis of the Draa Valley with its thousands of date palms, producing an amazing 44 varieties. At the end of the afternoon, we will reach our hotel in Zagora for the night.

After breakfast, we will travel north, along the lengthy magical Dra’a Valley that is full of huge palm trees and old villages, with a stop to visit Kasbah Tamnougalte, the oldest Kasbah in the area, which is partially still lived in. Afterwards, we will continue our journey, following the former caravan route, (which was used by Sahara traders in pre-historic times and it goes all the way to Timbuktu in Mali.) Cross the Anti-Atlas by Tizi N Tnifift ( 1600m ) towards Ouarzazate for Lunch. After lunch, we will drive to Marrakech via the High Atlas mountains. Arrive in Marrakech in late afternoon, drop you off at your accommodation.

All good things must come to an end and it's time to head home. Transfer to airport included. Should you wish to further explore Marrakech or any of Morocco's other cities or sights, please let us know.