4 Days to Desert Tour From Marrakech
Marrakech,Morocco
Overview
Starting from Marrakech, 4 days is the perfect amount of time if you want to visit the really high dunes. This tour takes you over the Atlas Mountains and North Africa’s highest mountain pass. You visit kasbahs, oases and follow ancient caravan routes. Further we pass Berber villages and visit the carpet capital of Morocco. The absolute highlight of the tour is the desert. Our drivers take you off-road through different desert landscapes before you arrive to the desert camp. Camels take you for a ride in the dunes and you can try sandboarding. Watch beautiful sunsets from the top of the highest sand dune. Play drums and bake sandbread with the nomads in the evening. Sleep in a nomad tent under the stars.
Included/Exclude
- Transport: Landcruiser 4×4 car with aircondition
- Private transfers
- Language: Driver/guide speaks English and French
- Start/stop: At your hotel or riad
- Travel insurance
- Lunches
- Soft drinks
- Tips and personal expanses
Tour Plan
Departure at 8 am from your hotel or riad in Marrakech.
The driver picks you up in our air-conditioned and comfortable 4×4 car. We head to the spectacular High Atlas Mountains, crossing via the twisting pass of Tizi n Tichka. At the highest point of Col de Tichka, we make a left turn into a smaller road. We drive through the Ounila valley to visit the restored Kasbah in Telouet. The kasbah belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the powerful Glaoui family. Inside the kasbah you will see walls decorated with stunning mosaics and intricate wood carvings. It is remniscent of the Bahia Palace in Marrakech. The roof terrasse offers a far-reaching view of the valley and mountains.
Then we continue for another hour until we reach the famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. The ksar is a well-preserved fortified city which is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage site. From here we visit the city, or ksar, on foot together with a local guide. Lunch in Ait Ben Haddou.
After lunch we continue south, through the city of Ouarzazate, also known as Morocco’s Hollywood and nicknamed the «Gate to Sahara».
We finally drive to Agdz, where the lush Draa valley starts. Dinner and sleep in a guesthouse here.
After breakfast there is time to visit one of the oldest kasbahs in the valley, called Tamnougalt Kasbah.
We continue further south and turn off the main road to follow the old caravan route. We drive along the palm trees and pass Berber villages. Eventually we reach the desert town of Zagora. We have our lunch in a beautiful riad in Zagora.
After lunch we drive to the nomadic village M’hamid El Ghizlane. This is where the paved road stops and the desert starts. We spend the evening in the dunes close to the village. Sleep in nomad tents in a desert camp.
After breakfast we return to M’hamid by camels, a trip which takes about 2 hours.
From M’hamid we start the off-road journey into the desert with our 4×4 car. We pass different landscapes of the desert, such as reg, erg, hammada and oases. The desert camp is situated by the high dunes of Erg Chigaga. The highes dunes are around 300 meters.
Experience the extraordinary feeling of freedom and the desert silence. Try sandboarding and watch a fantastic sunset behind the dunes. Before dinner is served in the restaurant tent, you have time for a shower in the camp. After dinner the nomads take out their drums and play traditional music around the fire place. Enjoy the moment and sing along with the nomads if you want.
Sleep in nomad tent, or outside, under the starlit sky.
Departure after breakfast, around 8 am. We head off-road across the desert onto Lake Iriki, a dried out lake. We follow the old route of rally Paris-Dakar. After about 3 hours off-road, we reach the paved roads and the town Foum Zguid. Here we stop for refreshments. We continue and stop in Taznakht village which is famous for its Berber carpets. Lunch is served here.
We cross the High Atlas mountains once again on the way back. Arrival in Marrakech in late afternoon.
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