South Morocco Adventure

Upon arrival in Marrakech, please proceed through customs and immigration formalities. Collect your baggage and proceed outside where you are met by our representative then drive to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Overnight in Marrakech
Meals: Dinner

Unearth the secrets of Marrakech, beginning in the Medina, the old walled section of town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This thousand-year-old city was long a political, economic, and cultural center. Marvel at its architectural jewels, including the soaring Koutoubia minaret. Continue to the Bahia Palace, an example of privileged life in the 19th century. Your next stop is the Dar el Bacha Museum of Confluences. This palace was built by Pasha Thami el Glaoui in 1910. Walk in its lovely gardens, admire the zellige mosaic tilework of this opulent palace, and enjoy exhibitions focused on Moroccan culture. Then visit Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakech's main square, which is filled with orange juice stalls and vendors, along with fire-eaters, mime artists, snake-charmers, magicians, and street musicians performing at every turn. You may also take the opportunity to explore the city's fabled, labyrinthine souks, their bustling alleyways brimming with all manner of wares. Following your visit, return to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure, a perfect opportunity to freshen up and get ready for Dinner in a local restaurant. Return to your hotel and overnight

Overnight in Marrakech
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

As you leave Marrakech, the distant haze begins to resolve itself into a jagged mountain range, the High Atlas Mountains, jutting abruptly from the plain. Our route follows the same route that caravans used centuries ago, to bring into Marrakech gold and precious wood from the other side of the Sahara. Beautiful scenery and small villages built in tiers succeed among oak trees, walnut groves, and snow patches before arriving at the Tizi n Tichka pass, 2,260 meters high. Once over the past a totally different scenery is unveiled: the lunar landscape of the Anti-Atlas. Later, skirt past Ouarzazate and stop for a lunch (own expenses). Past Ouarzazate, our trip tour reaches another lush area, nested between the deserted crest and the desolate plateaus: Skoura palm grove. Then, we reach Kelaa des Mgouna, famous for the nearby Valley of Roses and its Rose Festival, where at the end of a 3-day celebration usually held in May, a local girl is crowned Rose Queen. The most looked after product is Eau-de-rose and two factories in the area distill and export the product. The process uses approximately three thousand kilograms of rose petals to extract a liter of rose oil. Further on, Boulmane Dades follows the starting point to explore the spectacular Dades Gorges, a luxuriant carpet set against the massive rocks and quite popular among those who like trekking. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Overnight in Dades
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Back on the road, our first stop is Tinghir, with its extensive palm grove, ksour (fortified village) built into the rocky hills above, and its mysterious decaying Jewish quarter. Tinghir has been for generations a stop for nomadic Berber tribes traveling from the northern mountains towards the desert. A rather inconspicuous hidden gem is the 19th-century adobe mosque nested within the old crumbling ksour, a heaven for photography enthusiasts. The Gorgeous of Todra, lies only 15km from Tinghir, presenting a capturing scene with its crystal clear river emerging from it, its huge walls changing color walls, a magical effect as the day unfolds. Its 300 meters high walls are home to more than 150 bolted routes and at any time of day, you can catch a glimpse of someone rock climbing his way up the gigantic walls. Before reaching Merzouga where the tarmac ends, we pass Erfoud and Rissani. In Erfoud, we may stop for a visit to Musée des Oasis if time allows. Rissani used to serve as the last stop on the great caravan southern route. Gold and slave auctions were taking place there in the 1800s. Before 1800, the caravan trade and the most important city in Morocco were Sijilmassa, the ruins of which lie opposite Rissani. From its gates, Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus left Morocco to embark on their illustrious journeys across the Sahara into African countries. Soon after we reach Merzouga and in the distance you glimpse the first leviathans of sand forming the Sahara: the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Serf the sandy sea on a powerful 4 WD Land Rover to the desert camp.Dinner and overnight under Berber tent.

Overnight in Merzouga
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy a sunrise camel ride along the golden dunes in Merzouga. Return to your Riad for breakfast before transferring to Zagora via the Amazigh (Berber) villages of Alnif and Tazarine. The road to Tazzarine sees almost no traffic, providing a scenic link between Tafilalet and Draa Valley. Aside from the landscape, fossils and prehistoric rock carvings are this region’s main attraction. The scenery grows wilder as you approach Tazzarine, set in a grassy oasis surrounded by bare mountains. Continue to Zagora. Famous for its palms valley which is the largest in Morocco. Dinner and overnight in your hotel.

Overnight in Zagora
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, enjoy the tour of Zagora including the oldest villages of Morocco. Stop by Tamegroute to visit the village’s famous library, which houses ancient Koranic scripts dating back to the 12th century. Visit the pottery quarter of Tamgroute then transfer to Ouarzazate along the Draa valley.

Overnight in Zagora 
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Begin the day by exploring Ouarzazate, a city originally built as a French garrison in the 1920s. Today, the city is a regional trade center, known for its pottery and carpets. Visit the Taourirt Kasbah, which now consists of simple clay houses and crenelated towers that are beautifully decorated with geometric motifs. On the way, optional visit to the Film Studios. Continue to elaborate on ksar Aït Ben Haddou, listed as UNESCO World Heritage, and home of the region’s most exotic Kasbahs, where all structures that defy the laws of gravity as they perch upon a steep slope. Some of these buildings have been featured in films, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. Your journey over the High Atlas Mountains, observing everyday life in remote rural towns, to the fascinating city of Marrakech. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Overnight in Marrakech
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner