5-Day Tour Marrakech – Merzouga Desert

We leave Marrakech at 8 am heading south to cross the High Atlas. The small mud-brick villages of these mountains are home to Berber people living a hard life… We cross one of the highest passes of the Atlas, the Tizi n’Tichka (2,260 m), stopping for a “Berber whisky” (Moroccan tea) and to admire the beauty of the mountains and villages. We take a detour to the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou and its famous kasbah, one of the most exotic and best preserved, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the set of many films such as Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia. Lunch in Ait Ben Haddou. We cross Ouarzazate and continue to the Valley of Roses, home of the Damask rose (famous for rose water and other products), then reach the Dades Valley, where we stay overnight, with a view of the Dades Gorges from above. Dinner, accommodation and breakfast in the Dades Valley.

After breakfast we leave the Dades Valley for the Todra Gorges, a huge fault in the plateau with walls up to 300 m high at its narrowest point, where we stop to walk, enjoy the river water and the rocky scenery. This time we see the gorges from below: the Todra river has carved a canyon of vertical walls of enormous size and great beauty, a climbers’ paradise and a unique place. Lunch on the way to the desert. At Erfoud we turn off towards the Erg Chebbi dunes, which can reach 250 metres high. There, the dromedaries will slowly carry you to the camp across the vast expanse of golden sand, as the sunset paints a marvellous desert landscape. Arrival at the camp, welcome tea and accommodation. Dinner at the camp under the full moon… drum music…

Early in the morning, watch the sunrise if you wish: the marvel of the sun rising over the sea of dunes. Breakfast at the camp, then back out of the dunes on dromedary. After a shower, an excursion around the desert area: the village of Hassi Lbied (“white well”), the palm grove, the village of Merzouga and the village of Khamlia, whose inhabitants descend from slaves from Sudan and Mali and play a spiritual music called Gnawa. Visit of the fossil and mining area. Lunch can be a picnic or the typical Berber pizza. After lunch, hotel, pool, relaxing, dunes… Hotel accommodation with dinner and breakfast.

After breakfast we say goodbye to the desert and head for Ouarzazate via the town of Rissani — if it is market day, you can visit it. The road to Ouarzazate crosses an African landscape of solitary acacias until the beautiful, spectacular Draa Valley. The Draa is Morocco’s longest river, and its valley is where many varieties of dates are grown. Walk through the Tamnougalt palm grove. We continue to Ouarzazate, where we stay overnight. Dinner and breakfast.

After breakfast, a visit of the Taourirt Kasbah if you are interested. We cross the High Atlas again towards Marrakech. Transfer to your riad, with breakfast.