Day by day itinerary
1. Marrakech - Ait Ben Haddou - Skoura - Dades Valley
We leave Marrakech at 8:00 and head for Ouarzazate across the Atlas, with short stops at the Tizi n'Tichka pass and in the Berber villages along the way.
The first visit is the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the setting for films such as Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia and The Mummy. We explore it with a local guide and stop for lunch. We then carry on to Ouarzazate, the film city and home of the Taourirt kasbah, and continue through the Skoura palm grove on the old Road of a Thousand Kasbahs.
The route goes on through the Valley of Roses, where the Damask rose is grown, one of the most fragrant and sought-after roses in the world. If you like, we stop to learn about the natural cosmetics made there: rose water, soaps and other products.
Arrival in the Dades Valley, dinner and overnight.
2. Dades - Todra Gorge - Merzouga
After breakfast we leave the Dades. We drive on towards Tinghir through palm groves and mud-brick villages to the Todra Gorge, where we take a short walk inside the canyon. Further on, in Touroug, we can stop to see the old underground irrigation system the tribes used to bring water down from the mountains. Lunch is on the way.
We pass through Erfoud, on the edge of the desert and known for its fossils, and arrive in Merzouga. Before that, if you like, you can buy a desert scarf. There we get ready to head into the desert. We climb onto the camels and ride into Erg Chebbi for about an hour and a half, stopping on the dunes to watch the sunset and take photos. The camp staff take care of carrying your luggage to the tent.
At the camp you are welcomed with a cup of tea. After a rest and a look around the camp, you have dinner in its restaurant, and the evening ends with traditional Berber music around a campfire under the starry desert sky.
- Meals: Breakfast and dinner
3. Merzouga - Rissani - Draa Valley - Marrakech
We get up early to watch the sunrise from the camp. After breakfast you return to the guesthouse in Merzouga by camel or 4x4 and we start the journey back to Marrakech.
We pass through Rissani, birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty that rules Morocco today and an important town on the old trade routes, and through the Berber villages of Alnif, known for its fossils, and N'Kob, at the entrance to the Draa Valley, where we stop for lunch.
We then cross the Draa Valley, with its palm oases along Morocco's longest river. On the way we can stop for a drink if you feel like it. Arrival in Marrakech at around 19:00.