Desert dream

Morning departure at 8am from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to Ouarzazate, crossing the High Atlas mountains and the pass of Tizi-n-Tichka (2260m). At panoramic viewpoints, there will opportunities to stop and take photos. Later there is a stop to visit the kasbah of Telouet, which once served as a palatial residence and as the headquarters of the powerful Glaoui tribe. A side road crossing the Ounila valley leads to the famous kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou where lunch will be served (Ait Ben Haddou is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also well-known as being the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbusters). In the afternoon, a visit to the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou is scheduled, before continuing to Ouarzazate for the night in a riad.

Morning departure from Ouarzazate to the Dades gorges and Todra gorges, passing the oasis of Skoura where we stop to visit the kasbah of Amridil. From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna and the valley of the roses. Our trip continues along the road of a thousand kasbahs to the Dades gorges for lunch. In the afternoon, there is time to take a walk alongside the Dades valley before continuing to the Todra gorges for the night in a riad.

After breakfast there is time for a leisurely walk in the Todra gorges and in the palm grove of Tinghir before driving to the dunes of Merzouga via the Ziz valley and the Tafilalet valley, stopping in Erfoud on the way for lunch. Having arrived in Merzouga, in the course of the afternoon there is time to take a camel ride for an hour and ascend Erg Chebbi dunes to watch the sunset from the summit (250m). After sunset, the night will be spent in a luxury desert camp, which is also the venue for dinner.

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise. After breakfast, the itinerary continues from Merzouga to the Draa valley via the villages of Rissani, Alnif, Tazarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob for lunch. In the afternoon, the journey takes us to Tanasikht, to drive along the ancient caravan route and the Draa valley, with its huge palm trees and ancient villages. At the end of the afternoon, Agdez offers dinner and a night’s rest in a riad.

After breakfast, we drive from Agdez to Marrakech via the Anti-Atlas and the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifte (1660m). Once in Ouarzazate, an unpaved track to the oasis of Fint nestling among the mountains, which once served as the crossroads of caravans, provides a hidden delight. Later, we drive to Marrakech along the High-Atlas. Alternatively lunch will be in the mountains. We reach Marrakech by the end of the afternoon.