Marrakech
8h00 am
After an early start from your riad, we will begin this Marrakech desert tours 5 days, by driving over the Atlas Mountains via the Tichka pass
at the breathtaking altitude of 2260m. Along our trip, there will be plenty of places to stop and
enjoy the beautiful scenic vistas. By afternoon we will arrive at the Kasbah ait Ben Haddou, a
UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most famous and historic places in Morocco.
Depending on your mood, lunch will be before or after your visit to the Kasbah. There, you
will explore the ancient streets and earthen buildings and see where many popular movies
have been filmed. Next, we will visit the Atlas Film studio (Lawrence of Arabia. Patton. The
Jewel of the Nile, The Living Daylights, The Mummy, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Asterix
&Obelix: Mission Cleopatra etc.) and then take a short (5 minute) drive to the Kasbah of
Taourirt, the most impressive fortification in Morocco. After Ouarzazate, we will drive to
Skoura valley to follow the ancient trading route.Known as the valley with a thousand
kasbahs, Skoura’s historic mud brick kasbahs dot the valley, a testament to the ancient
desert traders who made the two-month journey across the Sahara. After spending time
exploring, we proceed through the Roses valley to Dades valley where you will spend the
night in a lovely hotel.
The next morning, we begin our journey after breakfast in the hotel. We start with a drive to
Todra valley with its beautiful palm orchards and old Berber-Jewish kasbahs, and explore the
Todra gorges, a splendid series of limestone river canyons. After Todra valley, we will
continue on to a small village called Jorf. In this village you will visit an underground system
of irrigation, a marvel of technology from ancient times. Then we travel to Erfoud, an oasis
town known for its fossils. We arrive at the Erg-Chebbi dune with an astounding height of 150
meters, where our camels are waiting. After a picturesque hour long camel ride through the
sand dunes, you will arrive at your camp for an evening of music by the fireside. This
traditional Berber camp has everything you will need for a cozy night in your tent.
The next morning you will want to wake up early to enjoy the magical sunrise among the
sand dunes. After breakfast we will start our tour around the Erg Chebbi area with a visit to a
nomad family. Then we continue on to Rissani, the ancient capital of Tafilalet and the home
of one of the oldest markets in Morocco. We will visit this ancient souk, where visitors can
still experience the true mystique of Morocco. Our tour continues with a visit to the
mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, third great-grandfather of MoulayCherif, founder of the
Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco. After Rissani we will drive back to Merzouga to have lunch in a
small village called Khamlia. In this village you will want to enjoy Gnaoua music, a traditional
North African style of music. At the end of the day we will drive you to your hotel or back to
your camp to spend a second night in the desert.
If you have chosen to spend the second night in the desert, then the next morning you will
want to wake up early to enjoy another sunrise among the sand dunes followed by breakfast.
After breakfast, you will ride the camels back through the sand dunes. Otherwise, we will pick
you up at your hotel. We start our journey past several small villages on our way to the Draa
valley, the longest valley of palm trees in Morocco with a length of 1100 km (680 mi). We
continue through the Anti-Atlas Mountains, a mountain range known as a desolate world of
rocky outcrops and lunar landscapes where the contrasts are extreme. We complete our
day’s journey on to Ouarzazate where you will spend the night in a riad.
We begin our journey in the morning after breakfast in the hotel. We start with a drive to
Telouet kasbah. Known as the Palace of Glaoui, this once glorious structure still shows the
work of over 300 craftsmen.After our visit to the Kasbah, we begin our drive through the High
Atlas Mountains. Along our trip there will be plenty of places to stop and enjoy the beautiful
scenic vistas. Our Marrakech desert tours 5 days finishes when we arrive in Marrakech and we return you to your riad.