Overview & Highlights:
- Cross the high Atlas Mountains and Tizi-N-Tichka pass (2260m of Altitude).
- Discover Aït Ben Haddou Ksar; UNESCO world heritage site and home for many films.
- Visit Ouarzazate city, the gate of the Sahara desert and the Hollywood of Africa.
- See the stunning Todra and Dades gorges.
- Explore the Sahara Desert with an SUV excursion.
- Experience camel trekking in the Sahara desert.
- Watch spectacular sunset in the Erg–chebbi
- Spend an unforgettable night in an authentic Berber camp.
- Enjoy a luxurious drive along Ziz valley, the largest valley in morocco.
- Explore Midlet and Zaida; two beautiful Berber towns in the middle atlas.
- Visit the wild monkeys in the cedar forest.
- See Moroccan Switzerland, the beautiful city of Ifrane.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Marrakech – Atlas Mountains – Aït Ben-Haddou – Ouarzazate.
This wonderful desert tour starts from your accommodation in Marrakech at 9H Am, then drive, by an air-conditioned SUV or Mini Van, to cross the high Atlas Mountains where you can enjoy the beautiful views of the Berber villages along the way, to the highest point (Tichka pass) that the road can reach with an altitude of 2260m, offering you stunning landscapes as far as the eye can admire.
Continue through the breathtaking landscapes to Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO world heritage site since 1987, this little old town located in the former route of the caravan trade between the Sahara desert and Marrakech, the Ksar is now often used as a filming location for movies such as The Jewel of the Nile, The Mummy, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.
Here you will be able to have walk and stroll in the Ksar and its Kasbahs where you will see the amazing traditional Berber architecture of the houses. Then Stop for lunch in a local restaurant with a panoramic terrace in the newer part of Aït-Ben-Haddou. Leaving the Ksar to the east to visit the old desert town of Ouarzazate, the gate of the Sahara desert and also called Hollywood of Africa, where you will have chance to visit the Atlas studio, the largest film studio in Morocco, where many films such as Game of thrones, Ben Hur and Cleopatra have been filmed.
And a visit to the famous Kasbah of Taourirt in Ouarzazate city center is worth. In the evening you will drive to your hotel/Riad in Ouarzazate where you will take some time to relax before going to enjoy traditional Moroccan dinner.
Overnight in Ouarzazate.
Day 2: Ouarzazate – Dades valley – Todra gorges – Tinjdad – Rissani – Merzouga.
In the morning and after breakfast we will start our journey to the Erg-chebbi desert. Driving through the road of thousand Kasbahs, and make a stop in Kalaat M’Gouna, small beautiful town lies on the rose valley, which is famous for its rose cooperatives, where thousands of pounds of rose petals are harvested each year to be distilled into rose water and rose oil for use in cosmetics.
From there you will enjoy scenic views of the lush Dades valley along the way. And then to Tinghir, where an impressive road takes you high above the palm oasis along the mountain into the stunning Todra gorges, the narrowest gorges in morocco, carved from the red rocks of the landscape by a river. There you will have the opportunity to walk in the famous canyon to experience the rocky world.
Then drive out the gorges enjoying the panoramic views along the Todra valley toward Tinjdad where you will enjoy your lunch. From there the road takes you through the Saharan regions and nomadic land, where you will be able to see goat herds and black nomadic tents. Then pass by the village of Jorf, where you will be amazed by the style of the women covered in deep black, which is an Arabic tribe that is settled here.
Then we will head down to Erfoud city, known by its palm trees plantations and fossils expositions. On the way to desert and after short drive from Erfoud, we will stop by the old town of Rissani to explore its local market, which is much more local-oriented than that of Marrakech. You will find blacksmiths and woodworkers, mountains of olives and spices, and everything from house wares to electronics.
There you can also visit the mausoleum of Moulay Ali-Cherif, the final resting place of the current king’s great grandfather and the founder of the current dynasty. The intricate decor on the entrance gate is reminiscent of the Bab Mansour in Meknes, while the interior courtyard has many flowers and date trees.
In the evening we will eventually arrive to the Sahara desert, one of the best places you may ever seen, which makes it one of Morocco’s best highlights. Then check into your hotel on the edge of Erg-chebbi golden dunes.
Overnight in Merzouga.
Day 3: Sahara Desert – Nomadic families – Gnawa village – camel trekking.
In the morning embark on an SUV for an adventure through the Sahara. Our excursion starts with a visit to Hassi labied village and its lush oasis, with palm trees, almonds and olives, which is being watered by an incredible irrigation system for ages and learn about this well-organized system.
Then we will speed through the golden Erg-chebbi dunes, enjoying the panoramic views and taking beautiful pictures. In the middle of Sahara we will make stop for tea with a nomadic family in a tent, their winter home, and see the nomads herd sheep and goats. After quiet stay with nomads, we will drive and hunt for fossils of aquatic critters in the desert.
Because the Sahara was once an ocean 7 million years ago, and there are countless fossils remaining. Next we will visit the Khamlia village, lived by a dark skin people coming from the South African countries from the time their ancestors were brought to the area as slaves. Stop in Dar Gnawa and listen to their entrancing music. The rhythmic, hypnotic music has long been part of their ceremonies, and has influenced an entire genre that is performed all across Morocco and has even inspired several music festivals. And then you will enjoy lunch with a local family at their home.
In the late afternoon meet your camels for trek into your desert camp, on the way you will enjoy an amazing sunset in the desert before getting to the camp where you will take some time to relax before enjoying a delicious dinner and live Berber music around camp fire under an incredible sky with billions of chining stars.
Overnight in the Sahara desert.
Day 4: Merzouga – Ziz valley – Atlas Mountains – Midlet – Zaida – Ifrane – Fes.
Today you should wake up early if you would like to watch a wonderful sunrise over the dunes, and then take time for a hot shower and traditional Berber breakfast in the camp. After you will ride back your camels to the village or maybe embark on an SUV if one camel is enough.
From there we will start our journey leaving the Sahara desert taking the way to Fes, as we come to pass Erfoud, you will enjoy the drive along the luxurious way on the edge of the Ziz valley, the largest valley in morocco. At the top end of the valley we will make a short break where you will enjoy the panoramic view of that contiguous date palm oasis.
Then we continue the way and pass by Errachidia, the capital city of that region lies on the edge of the high atlas, offering stunning views of the mountains covered by the snow almost the whole year, and the Berber villages in the plateau between the two atlases.
In Zaida we will make stop for lunch, enjoying fresh barbecue in one of the many street side restaurants. After quiet stay we will drive through the middle atlas enjoying the way with sheep herds, donkeys and dogs owned by the Berber people of the area, until getting to the cedar forest, the largest in morocco, where you will always find the wild monkeys but they are used to humans and they are happy to be fed, and surprisingly well mannered. Leaving the forest we will make a coffee stop in Ifrane, a small ski resort town that is also known as the Moroccan Swiss village due to its alpine-style architecture.
Here you will see yourself transferred to Europe at short notice, in fact here live Austrians, French and wealthy Moroccans, and it’s the most expensive soil in Morocco apart from the big cities. Continue to Fes in which we will arrive in the late evening and there our wonderful tour unfortunately ends.