5 Days/4 nights Trip kasbahs and Sahara Tour

1st Day: Marrakech – Telouat – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate

We depart in the morning from Marrakech and travel to Ouarzazate by private SUV. We will pass through the stunning High Atlas Mountains via the famous Tizi-n-Tichka pass. We encourage you to stop and take photos of the breath taking scenery (check out our photo gallery!). Our first scheduled stop of the day is to visit the once glorious Kasbah of Telouet that served as a palatial residence and the headquarters of the powerful Glaoui tribe until 1953 when Pasha Glaoui was ousted by the Moroccan Independence movement. You will be amazed by this architectural masterpiece that required over 300 artisans to complete. Sadly, the mud brick Kasbah is slowly disintegrating with each rainfall. We then head off-road from Telouet through the lunar landscapes of the Ounila Valley to the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou. Ait Ben Haddou is a Unesco World Heritage site, where films such as Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia were filmed. In the afternoon, we explore the famous 11th century Kasbah before leaving for Ouarzazate for the night.

2nd Day: Ouarzazate – Skoura – Rose Valley – Dades Valley – Todra Gorges

We depart Ouarzazate in the morning where we will enter the Dades Valley, which is known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs. Then we pass through the Oasis of Skoura where architectural marvels are to be discovered at every turn. From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, where over 4000 tons of roses are harvested every spring from this desert oasis! We can shop for rose soaps and cosmetics that are locally made throughout the Valley. These products are famous throughout Morocco. Next we drive off-road to the Dades Gorge for lunch. The Dades Gorge is breathtaking with its sheer red rocks and lush oasis; we will spend part of the afternoon strolling along the river oasis. We are off to the Todra Gorge for the second night. The Todra Gorge, with its crystal clear waters, is a fantastic experience for any nature lover!

3rd Day: Todra Gorges – Tingdad – Erfoud – Rissani – Merzouga

After breakfast we can stroll along the Tinerhir palm grove, where you can see dates and figs. Then we drive through the Ziz Valley, the Oasis of Tafilalt and arrive in Erfoud or Rissani in time for lunch. The geography along the Ziz Valley is spectacular with Jurassic-sized rock formations contrasting against the cool green oasis. Erfoud is a boisterous little town on the edge of the Sahara, which is known for its amazing fossils. If you are interested, you can shop for prehistoric rarities in one of the area’s fossil factories. In the afternoon, we continue our trip to the rolling dunes of Merzouga in time for a two-hour camel ride in the Sahara. The sunset from the top of the Erg Chebbi (erg means “dune” in Arabic) is sensational and riding on camel back to camp under the big Saharan night sky is a memory you will cherish forever. Unforgettable singing and dancing of ancient folklore traditions follow a traditional Moroccan dinner. You will be happy but exhausted, and will spend the night in a nomad tent at the foot of the dunes. The station (called a bivouac) where you will spend the night has a café, clean bathrooms and showers, and a friendly serving staff ready to help and to entertain you. It is here that you can spend time with nomads.

Early risers are rewarded by the stunning views afforded at sunrise in the dunes—dawn light plays off of the dunes to turn the sand a myriad of colors while the ethereal silence of the desert slowly awakens your senses. After a leisurely breakfast of Moroccan crepes, bread, coffee and views of sand dunes, we return to Merzouga on camel (actually they are dromedaries, not camels, since they only have one “hump”). The drive west to the Dra’a Valley takes us through the villages of Tazzarine (Babel was filmed here) and N’kob (known for its fascinating architectural history with over 45 mud-brick ksours or castles) where we have lunch. In the afternoon we drive to the unforgettable village of Tanasikht, along the track of the ancient caravan route. We then traverse the Dra’a Valley, where the contrast of harsh desert landscape with lush oasis will make your pulse race! This is the land of a million palm trees and uncountable ancient kasbahs. We will spend the night in a pretty riad in Agdez, home to the Kasbah of Tamnougalt, which means, “meeting point” in Tashelhiyt. The Kasbah of Tamnougalt is one of the oldest surviving ksars or castles and is a must see of Moroccan architecture!

5th Day: Agdez – Anti Atlas – Kasbah Taourirt – Marrakech

After a traditional Moroccan breakfast we will visit the Kasbah of Tamnougalt prior to returning to Ouarzazate, via the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifte, affording more amazing views of southern Moroccan landscape. Once in Ouarzazate we visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, one of the most impressive of its kind in Morocco. Taourirt is a tightly packed maze of houses and towers, built from a mixture of chalk and sand. These buildings of the kasbah appear to melt into the surrounding red and ochre-colored landscape. Then travel back to Marrakech over the High Atlas Mountains, arriving in the afternoon at your hotel. This tour will leave you with amazing memories of southern Morocco’s finest offerings!