7 day marrakech desert tours
Itinirary
Day 1 : Marrakech – ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Skoura – Roses valley
After an early start from your riad, we will begin this marrakech desert tour by drive 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.). We 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. Then we will complete our day’s journey to the Roses valley where you will spend the night in a lovely hotel.
Day 2 : Roses valley – Dades valley – Todra gorges – Erfoud – Merzouga
The next morning, we start our journey after breakfast in the hotel. We begin our drive to Dades valley then on to Todra valley with its beautiful palm orchards and old Berber-Jewish kasbahs. We will 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 continue our journey to Erfoud, an oasis town known for its fossils.Finally, 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.
Day 3 : Merzouga – Ziz valley – Midelt – Fes
The next morning you will want to wake up early to enjoy the magical sunrise among the sand dunes followed by breakfast. After breakfast, you will ride the camel back through the sand dunes. We will leave the Erg-Chebbi dunes and begin our drive to Erfoud, an oasis town known for its fossils. Here, you will have the opportunity to do some unique fossil shopping. We will continue into the Ziz valley with stops for picture taking of the beautiful panoramas. Our tour continues through the High Atlas Mountains with a stop for lunch in the lovely town of Midelt, with its pleasant climate and local handicrafts. After lunch we proceed through the Middle Atlas Mountains and through the Azrou cedar forest. Here you can see monkeys in their natural habitat. After the cedar forest, we drive to Ifrane, known as “Morocco’s Switzerland” because of its chalet type summer homes. Built by the French in 1929 as a cool respite during the hot summer months, this town is known for its gardens and tree lined streets. We will continue our journey to Fes, where you will spend the night in a traditional Moroccan riad.
Day 4 : City tour of Fes
On this day you will explore Fes. Fes is one of the largest cities in Morocco with a rich and
storied history. You will certainly want to explore the medina (a UNESCO World Heritage
site) and wander the streets of what is believed to be the world’s largest urban pedestrian
zone. We will show you the best parts of this city.
Day 5 : Fes – Meknes – Volubilis – Chefchaouen
We begin our journey in the morning after breakfast in your riad. We start with a drive to Meknes, the former capital city of Morocco and an imperial city known for its Spanish- Moorish style architecture. After visiting Meknes, our tour continues to Volubilis, the ancient capital of the Roman-Berber kingdom of Mauritania and a UNESCO world heritage site. Volubilis is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire. After Volubilis we will continue our journey to Chefchaouen, the “blue city”. This majestic city is a must-see for tourists and the place where you will spend the night in a hotel or riad.
Day 6 : Chefchaouen – Asilah – Rabat
After breakfast in the hotel, you will have time to explore Chefchaouen. In the afternoon, we
start with a coastline drive to the city of Asilah. Our first stop of the day will be in this lovely
community. Asilah is known for its annual festival of the arts and most ofthe walls of the
Medina are painted by various famous artists from all over the world. You will certainly want
to take the opportunity to explore the city. Our day’s journey ends with a drive to Rabat
where you will spend the night.
Day 7 : Rabat – Casablanca – Marrakech
The next morning, we begin our journey after breakfast in your accommodation. We start by visiting the main historic sights of Rabat. First, we will see the Hassan Tower. At 44meters high, this tower is Rabat’s most prominent landmark and an important piece of history from the 12 th century. On the opposite side of the tower is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, considered a masterpiece of modern Moroccan architecture. We complete our time in Rabat with a visit to the Kasbah of the Udayas, a UNESCO world heritage site.After leaving Rabat, we will continue to Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco and one of the most important cities in Africa. A “must see” in Casablanca is the Hassan II mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world and the largest in Africa. After visiting the mosque, we will take a short drive to the ocean. Here, you can take a nice stroll along the beach before wecontinue our journey to Marrakech. Our marrakech desert tour ends when we arrive in Marrakech and we return you to your riad or to the airport.
