Desert
Adventure
9
or 10 days tour to the Sahara desert from
Marrakech with shorter driving times including lots of swimming enroute (midApril
to midOctober); the Imperial City of Marrakech; Tizi n'Tichka pass; overnight
camel trek in the Saharan Erg Chebbi dunes; explorations of gorges, fossil
beds, movie sets, oasis exploring among the kasbahs and tea with Berbers;
a riad stay overlooking the splendid Ouzoud waterfalls; off roading by 4x4
in the wild Saghro Massif to visit Nomads and remote Berber villages.
Great for kids 6 to 106.
View Itinerary
Throughout
these tours you will be immersed in Berber and desert cultures mingling
with modern ways of life, closely tied to ancient traditions. You will visit
souks (markets), Imperial cities, stay in medina riads, country auberge and
old kasbahs. All transport
by a very comfortable private 4x4 cars with driver, gasoil, and air conditioning.
Tours leave and return to Marrakech and Fes or Casablanca/Rabat.
Tours run with a minimum of two persons.
We use small, family run hotels, auberge and riads (ensuite + air con)
that are of interest because of location, excellent food, and unique traditional
architecture; similar to quiet village centered exotic B and B’s. Generally
speaking the food in Morocco is excellent
and reflects traditional cooking. Vegetarians welcome.
For
more information about Morocco explore on the icons
at the top of this page; or go to Book a Tour.
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ITINERARY
- Book this tour
Below is a suggested 10 day itinerary that is great for kids with shorter
driving times and lots of swimming (mid-April to mid-October), including the
Imperial city of Marrakech, Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2 nights in the Saharan Erg
Chebbi dunes, explorations of gorges, a cave, fossils, movie sets, oasis walks
among the kasbahs, a riad stay overlooking the splendid Ouzoud waterfalls,
High Atlas Berber villages.
Day 1:
We will greet your arrival to Marrakech and transport to your medina
riad. Evening drums will draw you to the Djemaa El Fna (main city square).
It's a festival atmosphere, with snake charmers, Berber and Gnaoua musicians,
and storytellers illuminated by lamplight and wreathed in smoke. Food stalls
on the square sell fresh salads, harrira (lentil and bean soups), fried fish
and chips, chicken and beef kebabs and even boiled snails or sheep's head
(a speciality that has its own dedicated stalls). Finish it off with a glass
of sweet cinnamon tea. Stay in Marrakech riad in the heart of the medina.
Day 2:
Depart Marrakech and transport (3 hours) to the Cascades Ouzoud, waterfalls
into a spectacular gorge and an endless series of pools. The gorge
(and future designated bioreserve,) is home to Barbary apes and makes
for
some interesting bird watching. Nearby Berber villages in the surrounding
mountains are perfect for interesting short day treks. Stay charming
old riad overlooking the waterfalls.
Day 3:
Transport (3.5 hours) from Ouzoud crossing via a remote pass through
the High Atlas mountains. We will have time to stop and explore a large
cave, have lunch, before continuing on to the World Heritage Site of
Ait Benhaddou kasbahs. This village of clustered kasbahs has been used
as a backdrop for more than 20 films and was one of the most important
fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road where caravans brought slaves,
gold, ivory and salt from Saharan Africa to Marrakech and beyond. Stay
in Ait Benhaddou.
Day 4:
We pass through Ouarzazate, Valley of the Rose, famous for soft Persian
rose oil and Skoura oasis. Our next destination is Dades
valley. You
will pass through many Berber villages, and in the desert, see barren
red rock formations clustered with kasbahs (fortified dwellings that
house many families and their livestock). Stay in Dades valley auberge
(small country inn) with Moroccan dinner on the terrace, overlooking
the valley gorge and gardens.
Day 5:
After breakfast we have a short drive to walk through a massive fault
dividing the High Atlas. Todra Gorge sheer rock walls rises to 300
m in its narrowest part. After our walk, we'll have lunch in a desert
auberge
(small inn). Back in the car, we'll explore further until the Erg
Chebbi dunes appear on the horizon. Our afternoon destination is the auberge
near Merzouga, where you meet your camel guide and ride into the dunes
to the bivouac (camp). Upon arrival you will have a traditional tagine dinner prepared (vegetarians welcome), under the evening stars shining
brilliantly in the sky. Climb the dunes and watch the moon rise before
retiring to your bed in the nomad wool tent.
Day 6:
Return by camel at sunrise to the auberge for breakfast and shower. You
can chill out in the dunes or the auberge, or take your car and driver
for an off road tour around the Erg Chebbi. We’ll stop to visit
Nomad families for tea if they are in the region, and you can explore
as much as you wish. The village of Hamlia is on your route, and is famous
for Gnaoua music. Stay in desert auberge.
Day 7:
We’ll leave the dunes and head to Tinehir. Along the way we pass
through folded exposed rock slabs of fossils and we can stop and visit
a fossil workshop for a closer look at Sahara’s wonderful varieties
of ancient life. After lunch you can wander with a guide* through palmeries,
villages, gardens, and kasbahs for a close look at traditional Berber ways of life. Visit the market in Tinehir and old kasbah quarter. We
will have a late afternoon arrival to stay in an old kasbah with evening
Moroccan dinner by the pool.
Day 8:
After breakfast the remainder of the day is spent driving back to Ouarzazate where we’ll stop for lunch and visit the old Glaoui Kasbah
Taouirt.
Then we cross the High Atlas once more, down the Tizi nTichka pass.
Arrival evening in Marrakech at approximately 6pm. Stay Marrakech medina
riad.
Day 9:
Stay Marrakech. Visit artists Jacque Majorelle house and stunning gardens,
or the old Koranic school Ben Youssef Medersa that once housed 800
students. The Marrakech Museum is an old Pashas house with changing art
exhibitions.
Afternoon explore the vast Souk workshops where crafters ply their
trade; dyers walkways are strung overhead with colourful skeins of wool;
carpets,
and carpet sellers entice you into their shops with a glass of sweet
mint tea; tiny shops sell old Berber silver and African beads; smells
of spices, olives, and fresh herbs fill your senses; and traditional
apothecaries, where you can buy strange potions to heal or cast spells
of love or revenge. Stay Marrakech medina riad.
Day 10:
You will meet your taxi and be taken to the airport, and sadly say goodbye
to Morocco.
For more information contact
Telephone
Morocco:
GSM: +212 66 770 5212
Telephone
inside Morocco:
GSM: 0 66 770 5212
Telephone
Canada and voice mail:
+1 604 393 3715
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