Discover the essence of Morocco with our meticulously crafted 8-day journey, blending natural wonders, cultural heritage, and adventure. This exceptional trip takes you from the vibrant city of Marrakech to the tranquil town of Ouarzazate, spanning the breathtaking Atlas Mountains and the mesmerizing Sahara Desert. Explore the highlights of this thrilling expedition:
Highlights
Morning departure at 8.30 from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to cross the High Atlas Mountains. After the Tichka pass, you leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family. Each addition to the building now stands in ruins exposed to the wind and the rain, having been abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha fled the country following the departure of the French in 1956. Wait to be pleasantly surprised by the traditional interior decoration as you reach the farthest end of the Kasbah.
From here you drive along the beautiful and awe-inspiring Ounila Valley, full of bends in the roads, surprises at the hues of the rock and soil, Berber villages and gardens, as well as smaller Kasbahs. Almost at the end of the road, you reach Aït Ben Haddou, where you stop for a tasty lunch. This will energise you for a visit to the Kasbah, after which you continue to Ouarzazate, where you visit us in the office for tea and to pay your balance. The night is spent in a riad/guest house in or near the town.
After breakfast, a trek of three days and two nights in the area surrounding the Dades Gorge begins. During the trek, mules carry the equipment (blankets, mattresses, kitchen equipment as well as personal luggage). The pace and length of each portion of the trek are set by the hikers, allowing time to stop as and when desirable or necessary. You will probably spend one night with a Berber family and the other higher up the mountains in caves with Berber nomads tending their goats up there.
In the morning, we walk back to the hostel to freshen up with a shower, before driving to the Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga, stopping along the way to visit the Toudgha Gorge and stopping again later at Rissani for lunch. Alternatively, you will have lunch in the camp on arrival, where you will spend the night.
You have dinner and spend the night at an authentic nomad camp with shared bathroom facilities and a private tent for each couple or family.
Alternatively, you can choose a luxury camp with a private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings, and lamps tastefully arranged to enhance your enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.
In the morning, a three-hour camel ride across the great sand dunes and through the stony Sahara is scheduled, stopping to prepare lunch among the dunes. In the afternoon, a camel ride for another two hours is programmed to reach the high dunes (Erg Chebbi). From here, at 250m, the sunset is a spectacular sight.
If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the color of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. The itinerary continues to the Dra’a Valley via the village of Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’), and on to N’Qob for lunch. In the afternoon the journey takes us to Tanasikht, to drive along the ancient caravan route to discover the real Dra’a Valley, with its huge palm trees and ancient villages. You return to Ouarzazate by the end of the afternoon.
