One Week of Bliss

7 day tour includes 2 days exploring Marrakech, Tizi nTichka pass to Ait Benhaddou, the Erg Chebbi dunes for an overnight camel trek, Todra Gorge, a walk through the desert palmery, villages and kasbahs, and a day trip to Essaouira, with a vist to the Argan Oil Women's Cooperative, Thule wood factory and traditional Berber medicine and spice shop.
Everything included: transport by 4x4 Land Cruiser seating maximum 6 passengers;or Mini buss, experienced driver; hotels with breakfast and dinner; lunch stops with swimming; personalised extended walks and exploration of palmeries and kasbahs; nomad desert bivouac; camel guides and camels of course…, it's your tour!

Day 1
Arrive Marrakech. Evening drums will draw you to the Djemaa El Fna (main city square) where a festival atmosphere awaits. Plunge past the snake charmers and have your fortune told, listen to Berber and Gnoua musicians, or storytellers, or watch the "exotic" dancers illuminated by lamplight and wreathed in smoke. Food stall meals range from a bevy of fresh salads, harrira (lentil and bean soups) fried fish and chips (Moroccan style) to kebabs and even sheep's head (a speciality that has its own dedicated stalls). Stay Marrakech ancient medina in the heart of the old city. Your riad (old house) has a central, tiled, courtyard, with breakfast served on a rooftop terrace.

Day 2
Depart early morning (3 hours) and head for the High Atlas passes, where Ait Benhaddou, World Heritage Site of Kasbahs (used as a backdrop for more than 20 films) sits perched on the Old Salt caravan trail. After lunch transport (2 hours) to Dades, a small valley with stunning rock formations. You will pass through many Berber villages, and once in the desert, see riverside oasis and barren hillsides clustered with ksours (fortified dwellings that house many families and their livestock). Stay in old kasbah, with dinner beside the pool.

Day 3
Morning departure after breakfast (1 hour) to visit Todra gorge, a massive fault dividing the Atlas mountains, rising to 300 m. Walk among Tinehir palmeries, gardens, Berber villages and old kasbahs. After lunch transport (2 hours) further into a desert auberge near the tiny village of Merzouga, and take your camels at sunset into the glowing Erg Chebbi dunes for a traditional nomad tajine dinner under the stars. You will sleep in traditional nomad tents, with modern comforts, mattress and sheets. Auberge overnight is optional with sunset camel trek into the dunes.

Day 4

Return by camel at sunrise to the auberge for breakfast and shower. The remainder of the day spent driving back to Ouarzazate and down the Tizi nTichka pass. Arrival evening in Marrakech approximately 6pm.

Day 5
Explore Marrakech. Visit Majorelle gardens, Ben Youssef Medersa and the Marrakech Museum. Afternoon explore the Jemma El Fna and the vast Souk. The Souk is comprised of many specialist areas e.g. metalwork, where crafters ply their trade; dyers workshops are strung with colourful skeins of wool; carpets, and carpet sellers entice you into their shops with a cup of mint tea; search tiny shops selling Berber jewellery, old silver, and African beads; or spices, olives, fresh herbs; or traditional apothecaries where you can buy all manner of potions to heal or cast spells of love or revenge. Stay Marrakech medina riad.

Day 6
Day trip to Essaouira (3 hours one way), a relaxing town set on the Atlantic coast with an expansive golden beach popular with surfers; famous for its seafood, thuja wood crafts and artists colony. Old Portuguese ramparts guard the walled city where you can watch silver craftsmen and wood carvers at work in one of the most charming medinas in all of Morocco. Visit a traditional pharmacy and learn about natural medicines and cures, and a Women's cooperative where Argan nuts are processed by hand into one of the rarest oils in the world. In June a Music Festival attracts musicians from all over Africa and further afield. Stay Marrakech medina riad.

Day 07

Fri shopping in Marrakech with a Guide or Hammam and Spa

Day 8 Depart

From 550€                       >>Book