9 Day Trip Discover Marrakech, the South and the heart of Amazigh Morocco

Pick up from the airport at your arrival time and transfer to your riad in the old medina, two minute’s walk from the famous square Jamaa El Fna.

In the afternoon, explore the medina on your own, visiting the square that in the evening is full of narrators, jugglers, diviners. snake charmers, dancers, tooth removers and many more fantastical sights! If you’d rather be accompanied by a guide, we can arrange this for you. Overnight in your riad.

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. We will then take a small road to Telouat Kasbah. After visiting the kasbah you’ll have some free time to enjoy lunch in the town.

In the afternoon, we will continue through the Ounila valley, where you can see small villages and families that live in adobe houses, before we reach the ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou 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 , Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile, and Sahara with Penélope Cruz.

You will spend the night in Ouarzazate and enjoy dinner in your hotel.

After breakfast we will depart for the Draa Valley where you can see one of the longest rivers in Morocco. On the way we will make a few stops to take pictures and enjoy the view of the spectacular kasbahs and berber villages that dot the road, as well as the beauty of the Draa valley.

We will have lunch in Nkob or Alnif and then continue driving to reach the wonderful Merzouga dunes. Here, we will swap our motorized transportation for a 4-legged one (camel!) to enter inside the heart of the desert. Your camel ride will last around 1.5 hours, during which you will stop on top of a big dune to catch the sunset. Here you can also have a go at sandboarding (included).

When you reach the camp, you will find your luggage waiting for you and enjoy dinner before spending the night in the dunes, listening to traditional Amazigh music, or stargazing. Our luxury desert camp has cosy beds, hot water, showers and private bathrooms in each tent.

This is a complete ‘desert day.’ This morning you have a ‘date with the sunrise.’ When you are in the middle of the desert, waking up early is a must to watch the spectacular sunrise from the top of a dune close to the camp. After breakfast we will return to Merzouga by camel. Then, we will skirt Erg Chebbi, a great extension of sandy desert where we can find the Big Dune of Morocco, more than 250m high.

We will continue by the former ‘Paris-Dakar Rally Road,’ stopping at the Tissardmin oasis where we can find fossil quarries still present in the area. We will continue by road, passing nomad settlements, where we can stop and enjoy tea with the families living there to learn more about their way of life. The next stop will be a high viewpoint where you can see the whole of Erg Chebbi.

Next we will reach Kamilia Village. The inhabitants of Kamilia came to Morocco from Mali, and we will take a relaxing cup of tea whilst listening to some of their traditional Gnawa music. In the afternoon, we will head to your Merzouga desert hotel, where you have free time to enjoy the town or the dunes next to the hotel to see the sunset. Dinner and night in the hotel.

After breakfast we start our last day, heading north through the Tafilalet palm grove, the biggest in the world. You will see thousands of palm trees along this 20km of road. The way leads us to the Ziz Valley, whose river comes down from the High Atlas and feeds the palm grove. Here we will make a stop and from this high viewpoint, enjoy a magnificent view of the valley and the town of Aoufous.

We make another stop in Midelt, in the heart of the Atlas, where you will have free time for lunch and a rest. In the afternoon we continue our way through the Cedar Woods where, if we are lucky, we will see some monkeys. The next place we visit is the city of Ifrane, situated in the northwestern slope of the Middle Atlas at 1630 meters above water level. With its broad avenues, wooden ski-style chalets and manicured gardens, this city is called ‘the Switzerland of Morocco.’ It also has its own ski resort.

At around 6pm we arrive to Fes.

Breakfast in your riad, before your day of exploration in the old medina of Fez where you will visit the many hidden treasures that only the inhabitants of the place know about. Fes served as the capital of Morocco for more than 350 years and is home to the University of Al Karaouine, the oldest operating university in the world.

Your guided tour will take you to Moulay Idriss mausoleum, the Nejjarine Fountains and the Tanneries. After lunch you will also view the exterior of the Royal Palace and walk through the famous Jewish quarter “the Mellah,” where you will have the option to visit one of the few living synagogues in Morocco.

Your tour of Fes includes a short visit to the famous ceramic factory, and then you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over the whole Medina of Fes.

Overnight accommodation at your riad.

Leaving Fes in the morning, we will head for Casablanca. Before arriving to Casablanca we will stop in Meknes to see the granary Sahrij Swani, used to store food and water for the ‘black Army’ of Sultan Moulay Ismael. We can visit the mausoleum of the Sultan and admire the Arab-Andalusian style and look at the tremendous gate of Bab Mansour. Only 30km from Meknes we will also visit Volubilis, the archeological roman site with astonishing mosaics, hundreds of Latin inscriptions and artistic materials.

In Casablanca we will visit the Hassan II mosque, the landmark of Casablanca which is the only mosque open for non-Muslims. The Hassan II Mosque will be the first introduction of Moorish influences in Morocco. It is built by the king Hassan II between 1987-1993. Over 25 thousand worshipers can pray inside and 80 thousand worshipers pray outside in the big square of the mosque.

We will arrive to Marrakech in the early evening.

Full day in Marrakech: after breakfast in the riad, you will enjoy some of Marrakech’s historical and cultural sites, including the Koutoubia Minaret; the Saadian tombs; the beautiful Palace of Bahia and the Ben Youssef Quranic School. Finally, end the morning by walking through the medina alleys -getting a chance to admire the different artisans performing their crafts before arriving at the famous Jamaa El Fna Square.

Lunch at a restaurant near the square, and then in the afternoon visit the gardens at Majorelle, and have a short tour at Gueliz -the new city of Marrakech.

After dinner you will have the option to walk through the square entertained by magicians, story-tellers, tooth-pullers and food sellers. Overnight accommodation in your riad.

Breakfast in your riad, after which you can enjoy some time exploring the city or relaxing in your riad before we take you to the airport or your onward transport.