Great discovery

Transfer from the airport of Marrakech to the riad for having dinner and night.

Morning departure from Marrakesh 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 kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (one of the oldest and most well-known of Morocco’s Kasbahs. In 1987 this Kasbah became one of the several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Morocco) where lunch will be served. In the afternoon, a visit to the Kasbah itself 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, the valley of the roses, where we stop for a coffee break. Afterwards, we drive off-road along the road of a thousand kasbahs to the Dades gorges for lunch. In the afternoon, there is time for a walk alongside the Dades river before continuing to the Todra gorges for the night in a riad.

After breakfast there is time for a leisurely walk in Todra gorges and in the Tinghir palm grove, before driving to the dunes of Merzouga via the Ziz valley and the oasis of Tafilalet, 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 the 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 Agdez and the Draa valley via the villages of Rissani, Alnif, Tazzarine and N’Qob where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon, the journey takes us to Tanasikht from where we drive along the ancient caravan route to be in the heart of 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.

Departure in the morning from Agdez through the Dra’a valley along the track of the ancient caravan route to Zagora. From here the trip continues along paved roads to the village of M’hamid, which marks the end of the paved road and the beginning of the Sahara desert. Here we pause for lunch. In the afternoon, we leave for Erg Chegaga (300m) with 68km of off-road driving. This route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases. By the afternoon, we have arrived to Erg Chegaga, there is time for a short camel ride to watch the sunset from the summit (300m). After sunset, the night will be spent in a comfortable desert camp, which is also the venue for dinner.

After breakfast, the itinerary continues from Erg Chegaga to Ouarzazate crossing another 100km in the Sahara desert, passing Iriqui lake and the mountains as well as fossils, for enthusiasts. The first village beyond the desert, Foum Zguid, is the place for lunch. In the afternoon, we travel north to Ouarzazate past hills and oases of palm trees until we reach Taznakht, a small Berber town famous for its rugs and gelims. We reach Ouarzazate by the end of the afternoon for the night in a hotel.

After breakfast, we visit the famous kasbah of Tifoultoute (originally the residence of the Pasha of Marrakech and a symbol of the feudal period of the Lords of the Atlas) and the Atlas Film Studios. Afterwards, an unpaved track to the oasis of Fint nestling among the mountains, which once served as the crossroads of caravans, provides a hidden delight. We then take the road back to Marrakech over the High Atlas. Alternatively lunch will be in the mountains. We reach Marrakech by the end of the afternoon, dinner and night in a riad.

Transfer from the riad to the airport of Marrakech in time for the check-in before your flight.