Romantic Couples Desert Tour

On the day before you depart for your desert trip, or the day after you return, a magical hot air ballooning experience is included in your trip.

Watch the sunrise over red dust, palm groves, and majestic open landscapes from a hot air balloon. Flying with a small group of travelers and live commentary from your pilot, soak up the sights as you glide through the air, then refuel with an authentic breakfast in a Moroccan tent.

You will be picked up early (around 5.30am) from your riad by your driver to head out by 4×4 to your flight site. You will have tea, coffee and pastries at your arrival, before getting ready for your balloon flight.

The balloon flight lasts for one hour – where you can see the spectacular Atlas Mountains, the surrounding hilltop villages, and the ancient city of Marrakech. Upon landing, you will enjoy traditional breakfast in Moroccan tents. Your driver will take you back to your riad or hotel after your adventure!

You will be picked up from your accommodation in Marrakech around 8 o’clock in the morning by your private driver in a 4×4. We will then depart for the Southeast, 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). You will enjoy a private walking tour of Ait Ben Haddou with a local guide.

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. In Ouarzazate, we will have the chance to take a guided tour of the Atlas Studios. Famous films have been shot in this spectacular stage, including Gladiator, Sahara with Penélope Cruz and Game of Thrones.

Overnight at Ecolodge La Palmeraie, Ouarzazate in the African Lodge. A beautiful slice of paradise on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, with breakfast and dinner included.

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 along the way, 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 (camels!) to enter inside the heart of the desert. Your camel ride will last around 1 hour and you still stop to catch sunset on a dune before you arrive to the camp, where your luggage will be waiting. When we reach the camp, there will be dinner before spending the night in the dunes, listening to Amazigh music around the campfire, or stargazing.

You will stay tonight in a luxury desert camp where you will have a unique panoramic dome tent, with an en-suite bathroom. Breakfast and dinner included.

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. 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. 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.

In the afternoon, you have the option to add quad biking in the dunes. Check into Riad Serai, a luxurious boutique riad nestled at the edge of the desert, offering a peaceful and romantic retreat. Check into your stunning suite, where you’ll have access to top-tier amenities and panoramic views of the desert.

This evening, enjoy a private, romantic dinner in the dunes, where your meal will be served in a secluded, candlelit spot, with the desert surrounding you. Enjoy the silence of the desert, accompanied by the beauty of the stars above.

Accommodation: Suite at Riad Serai

We will leave the desert after breakfast to head to Rissani, where we will visit the market (market days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday).

We will then continue to Erfoud, where many fossils have been found, before making our way to the Touroug and Tinjdad palm groves. One hour later we will best the Todra Gorges. The course of the river has carved out a cliff-sided canyon. You will have some free time to walk through the gorge to better appreciate the beauty of the landscape, before having lunch.

In the afternoon we continue to the Dadès valley, also known as the fig valley. We will have dinner and spend the night in Dades.

Your hotel is a stunning ancient kasbah in a lush green valley.

Accommodation: Kasbah Ait Moussa, breakfast and dinner included.

After breakfast you can enjoy one of the best views of the Dadès valley from a strategic lookout point. From there you can see the amazing number of kasbahs. Then we will continue by a road known as the “one thousand kasbahs road,” through the Roses Valley and the giant Skoura palm until we reach Ouarzazate to visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, the old residence of the Glaoui the Pasha of Marrakech.

In the afternoon we start our way back to Marrakech going through the mountain pass of Tizi n’Tichka with some stops to take pictures. Here we leave back the moonlike landscape to reach another one full of colors. We will arrive at Marrakech around 6pm where your adventure ends.