Seven days/Six nights

This one week tour will allow you to relax, explore, and enjoy the beauty of Morocco. Our tour takes you into the Sahara desert through the High Atlas mountains where life goes on unchanged as it has for thousands of years. You will visit the most interesting sites and history of the Old Salt Road, and experience desert culture of the desert Nomads and Berbers, the original inhabitants of Morocco.

Day 1: We will meet you at your riad or hotel at 8:30a.m., depart Marrakech, and transport over the High Atlas mountains Tizi nTichka pass. We will have time to stop and enjoy the impressive landscapes, and coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice breaks. Near Ouarzazate, we will have lunch, then head south deeper into the Sahara, down the Valley Draa, famous for its millions of date palms along the old Salt Road where caravans brought slaves, gold, ivory and salt from Saharan Africa to Marrakech and beyond. Overnight in Zagora, with a 4x4 pre-dinner side trip to look at the stars in the dunes.

Day 2: Today we retreat along the Valley Draa and turn off the main road beside the stark Saghro mountains peppered with isolated villages, mesas and acacia trees. We will have lunch near Rissani before departing for the Erg Chebbi dunes. Our mid-afternoon destination is the auberge (small inn) near Merzouga, where you meet your camel guide and ride your camel into the dunes to the bivouac (camp). Upon arrival you will have a traditional tagine dinner prepared (vegetarians welcome) under the evening stars shining brilliantly in the clear night sky. Climb the dunes and watch the moon rise before retiring to your bed in the nomad wool tent.

Day 3: Bivouac trekkers return by camel at sunrise to the auberge for breakfast and shower. Take your time to explore and enjoy the dunes, before going back towards the High Atlas mountains. Along the way we pass through folded exposed rock slabs of fossils and we can stop and explore. Optional visit a fossil factory to see Sahara’s wonderful varieties of ancient life.  After lunch you can wander with a guide through palmery villages, gardens, and kasbahs for a close look at traditional Berber ways of life. Visit the women’s market in Tinihir and old kasbah quarter. We will have a late afternoon arrival to stay in traditional old kasbah.

Day 4: Our morning destination is the Dades valley, to visit the beautiful green river and red kasbahs nestled under fascinating Tamnault hills rock formations. Lunch on terrace in upper the gorge with views of the gardens. Our next destination is the Valley of the Rose (in full bloom in May), famous for the Persian rose, before Ouarzazate. Visit the Kasbah Touarite. Stay near Ouarzazate in hotel.

Day 5: After breakfast we will spend the morning visiting the Atlas film studios where many big box office adventure films were made (ie; The Mummy, Black Hawk Down, Cleopatra, Gladiator, Moses, and more) before stopping for lunch in the World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou This village of clustered Berber Kasbahs has been used as a backdrop for more than 20 films and was one of the most important fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road where caravans brought slaves, gold, ivory and salt from Saharan Africa to Marrakech and beyond. After exploring Ait Benhaddou, we return via the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Ouzoud waterfalls. Stay in riad overlooking the falls.

Day 6: Cascades Ouzoud in the middle Atlas mountains, is a series of beautiful waterfalls into a spectacular gorge and an endless series of pools. The red earth gorge (and future designated bioreserve) is home to Barbary apes and makes for some interesting bird watching. Nearby Berber villages in the surrounding mountains are perfect for walks any time of year, any kind of weather. This day involves walking on rough cliffside trails so good footwear is essential. Stay in riad overlooking the falls.

Day 7: After breakfast we will return to Marrakech, arriving by mid-afternoon.

From 530€                       >>Book

Price includes private transport by air conditioned 4x4; fuel: maximum 6 passengers; experienced driver, hotels, breakfast and dinner, (vegetarians welcome), very comfy overnight bivouac in the sand dunes, camel guide and (very friendly) camels of course… and lots of sand. Blankets and sheets are provided.

Not included: Marrakech hotels; tips; lunches; beverages like water, alcohol, sodas. Site guides are hired locally if wanted. Your driver by law, is not officially allowed to act as both a driver and guide, so on sites you can hire a local (and more knowledgable) guide for a nominal tip.