3 days 2 nights
Daily Tour
6 people
Arabic, English, Espanol, Francais
Departing and returning to Marrakech, this 3 day/2 night tour will take you through panoramic mountain roads to kasbahs, gorges, valleys and palm groves. The highlight of the trip will be spending the night beneath the stars in a traditional nomadic tent in the Sahara dunes.
You will be picked up from your accommodation in Marrakech around 8 o'clock in the morning. We will then depart for the High Atlas mountains, going through the Tizi N´Tichka pass with stops for panoramic views and taking pictures of the small Amazigh villages that dot the landscape.
Then, we will continue south to the ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). Famous films have been shot in this spectacular set, including Gladiator and Game of Thrones. There will be free time for lunch in town.
After lunch, we will continue to Ouarzazate, also known as “The Gate of the Desert.” Here, we will see the Taourirt kasbah, one of the most spectacular ksars in Morocco. The next site on our itinerary will be the Rose Valley as we drive through the big Skoura palm grove, a beautiful place with more than 700.000 palms and numerous kasbahs that are built in the surrounding area. In this Valley damascenes roses are raised for cosmetic use, such as rosewater. The Rose Festival is held here annually in May.
Finally, we will reach the Dades valley where we´ll spend the night. Your hotel has spectacular views of the valley and a panoramic swimming pool.
After breakfast we will enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Dades Valley from a strategic lookout in the mountains. From there you can see a great number of kasbahs. A good asphalt road will take us up the valley from the city of Tinerhir and then to the desert.
After some stops along the way, we´ll reach the Todra Gorge where the scenery is spectacular. Thanks to its rocky sides with many uneven surfaces, these gorges are popular among rock climbers. Local people live in the area and we will see their adobe villages. After a short walk in the Todra Gorge, you'll have free time for lunch in Tinejdad and then we will continue our way to the desert to reach the spectacular dunes of Merzouga.
We´ll take a camel ride lasting one hour to our nomad camp located in the middle of a sea of dunes (Erg Chebbi). Before dinner we´ll see the sunset at the top of a dune and then you will sleep in a tent under a beautiful starry sky.
Very early in the morning we have a “date with the sunrise." In the middle of the desert, waking up early is a “must do” to see the most spectacular sunrise at the top of a dune close to the camp. Then, we will return to Merzouga on the camels where a delicious breakfast will be waiting for us.
Having regained our strength over Moroccan tea, we will start the last day of our trip going through the arid pre-desertic area where we´ll meet the “acacia,” a typical tree of this region. On the way to the Draa valley we´ll make some stops to enjoy the beautiful views of the river that gives name to the valley.
The Draa River is the longest river in Morocco, going through the whole country until it reaches Mauritania. Our trip continues towards Ouarzazate going through the Anti Atlas. We´ll have some free time for lunch in the town and in the afternoon we start off again, reaching Marrakech about 8pm.
Transfer to your hotel will mark the end of your trip.
We work with solo travelers, couples, families - all the way to large groups - and have a range of transport options to suit groups of all sizes.
We focus on authentic, locally owned accommodation for all of our trips. On this tour you will stay in a mix of hotels and a desert camp. We have accommodation in mind, but once you contact us to book your trip, we will work with you to choose the perfect accommodation for your budget and needs.
Our shortest desert trip is a 3 day trip. If possible, we recommend spending as long as possible on your desert trip to reduce the traveling time each day and allow you to really soak up the desert atmosphere, and slower pace of life in the South East. If you're traveling all the way to the Sahara desert, you may as well make the most of it! If, however, you only have a short period of time, we can make it work in just 3 days!
If it works with your flights, a Marrakech-Fes tour can allow you to see more of Morocco and have a more diverse tour, as you will return from the desert via the Middle Atlas. It's also a good option if you want to continue traveling in Morocco after your desert trip. However, flights are often cheapest booked as return trips to Marrakech, so depending on your time and budget this may be the better option.
We will take a deposit in advance of your trip online, and then accept the balance in cash when you arrive for your trip in Morocco.
Member Since 2023
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