7-Day Tour from Marrakech

Our driver meets you at the airport. Then the rest of the day is yours — explore the great square of Jemaa el Fna and the souks.

Today you visit the Marrakech medina with a knowledgeable local guide. The tour includes the famous Koutoubia Mosque and the medina with its souks and narrow streets.

Explore Marrakech’s hidden gems and fascinating sites — the Bahia Palace, the Ali Ben Youssef Koranic School, and the breathtakingly beautiful Majorelle Gardens. Then return to your riad in the medina.

Your 7-day tour leaves Marrakech at 8:30 am for the Dades Gorges, crossing the famous Tizi n’Tichka pass with sweeping views across the High Atlas and its Berber villages. We continue to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, where you eat lunch at a local restaurant nearby.

We then travel through Ouarzazate, “the Gate to the Desert”, to see the Kasbah Taourirt and the Atlas studios. The city is small, but international filmmakers have embraced it for its setting and nearby kasbahs — it’s been called “the Hollywood of Africa”.

Then we head for the Dades gorges, a breathtaking natural wonder between the Rose and Dades valleys. Your evening brings a traditional Moroccan dinner and a night at a hotel or riad in the Dades Valley.

After a hearty breakfast, head back into the valley to take in the unique rock formation known as “the monkey toes” and the 19th-century Kasbah of Ait Youl. Leaving the Dades Valley, we continue to Tinghir and the Todra canyons, with beautiful views of the ancient clay Berber villages overlooking the canyon.

In the Todra Gorges, you walk beneath the 300-m red cliff that rock climbers love.

We continue to Erfoud for lunch, then on to the spectacular sand dunes of Erg Chebbi at Merzouga.

On arrival, an experienced camel guide is waiting to lead you on a ride through the wavy dunes — punctuated by a thrilling session of sandboarding, a unique way to experience the desert. You also have time to relax and soak in the sun amid this stunning landscape.

After the day’s adventures, you spend the night beneath the stars at a well-equipped camp, in a traditional Berber-style nomad tent, complete with a delicious dinner and a lively campfire party.

After a shower and breakfast at the desert camp, you ride your camel back to the starting point, where your driver meets you. Then begin a journey of discovery through the Merzouga region, including the seasonal lake and its migrating birds — flamingos among them.

Nearby is Khamlia, a village whose Gnawa community has roots in sub-Saharan Africa; enjoy their music and a glimpse of their way of life. Traveling on with a nomad family stop, we also visit the isolated town of Mifis with its mineral and lead mines.

After a day full of adventure, we head back to the comfort of the hotel for a relaxing evening — a delicious dinner and a peaceful night’s sleep before the journey continues. Dinner, bed, and breakfast included.

After a farewell breakfast and a shower at the hotel, we leave the Merzouga desert and begin the journey towards Ouarzazate by a different route, through the Berber settlements of the Atlas mountains — Alnif, Agdz, and the Draa Valley. We arrive in Ouarzazate late in the evening for dinner and the night in a riad.

Today we leave Ouarzazate early in the morning for Marrakech, our final destination. After a visit to the film studios, we cross the High Atlas on Morocco’s highest road pass, the Tizi n’Tichka, with stunning views of mountains, canyons, and Berber villages. We arrive in Marrakech late in the evening.