First day : Morning departure from Marrakech by 4x4 to Ouarzazate, crossing the High Atlas mountains and the pass of Tizi-n-Tichka (2260m). At panoramic viewpoints, there will opportunities to stop and take photos. Later there is a stop to visit the Kasbah of Telouet, which once served as a palatial residence and as the headquarters of the powerful Glaoui tribe. A side road crossing the Oumila Valley leads to the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou where lunch will be served. In the afternoon, a visit to the Kasbah itself is scheduled, before continuing to Ouarzazate for the night in a Hotel.
Second day : Morning departure to the Toudra Gorge, passing the Oasis of Skoura, where numerous ancient Kasbahs, some sadly in ruins, stand amongst the palm trees. From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, to the Dades Gorges. It is here that lunch is planned and, in the afternoon, a continuation of the trip to the Toudra Gorge for the night.
Third Day : After breakfast there is time for a leisurely walk in the Tinghir palm grove, before driving to the Merzouga dunes via the Ziz Valley, the Oasis of Tafilalet, stopping in Erfoud or Rissani on the way for lunch. Having arrived in Merzouga, in the course of the afternoon there is time to take a camel ride for a couple of hours and ascend the Erg Chebbi dunes to watch the sunset from the summit (250m). After sunset, the night will be spent in a nomad tent, which is also the venue for dinner.
Fourth Day : If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. The itinerary continues to the Dra’a Valley via the village of Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’), and on the N’Qob for lunch. In the afternoon the journey takes us to Tanasikht, to drive along the ancient caravan route to discover the real Dra’a Valley, with its huge palm trees and ancient villages. At the end of the afternoon, the Kasbah of Tamnougalte offers dinner and a night’s rest.
Fifth day : After breakfast there will be a visit to the Kasbah itself before returning to Ouarzazate, via the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifte (1660m). Once in Ouarzazate, we visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, originally the residence of the Pasha of Marrakech and a symbol of the feudal period of the lords of Atlas. Afterwards, an unpaved track to the Fint Oasis nestling among the mountains, which once served as the crossroads of caravans, provides a hidden delight. The return to Marrakech will complete the trip at the end of the afternoon.
First Day : Morning departure from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, crossing the High Atlas and the pass of Tizi-n-Tichka (2260m). At panoramic viewpoints, there’ll be opportunities to stop to take pictures. After lunch in Ouarzazate, we visit the Kasbah of Taourirt in the town centre, once the residence of the Pasha of Marrakech and a symbol of the feudal period of the lords of the Atlas. In the afternoon we drive along the Dra’a Valley to reach the village of Agdez for the night in one of the most ancient Kasbahs of this valley, the “Kasbah of Tamnougalte”.
Second Day : After breakfast, a visit to the Kasbah is planned before driving off-road further down the Dra’a Valley to Zagora for lunch. In the afternoon, the trip takes us to M’hamid which marks the end of the paved road and the beginning of the desert. A two-hour camel ride takes us to the bottom of the highest dune where the view of the sunset is magnificent. The night is spent in a nomadic tent close to the dunes of Erg Lihoudi.
Third Day : The return to M´hamid is on camel back to have lunch in a riad in the midst of palm trees and where there is a possibility to freshen up under a shower.
In the afternoon, the 4x4 takes us to the Erg Cheggaga dunes (300m) with 60km of off-road. This route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases, and continues to dunes far away from civilization, in the desert proper … and the silence and the expanse of the sand is overwhelming. Dinner and the night are in a bivouac of nomadic tents.
Fourth Day : After breakfast, the road takes us through another 90km of desert with varying scenery; Lake Iriqui, the mountains and fossils. Lunch will be in Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert, where it is also possible to freshen up with a shower. From here the drive back to Ouarzazate is along paved roads via the village of Taznakht, famous for its Berber carpets and rugs, and we arrive in the course of the afternoon. Dinner and night in a Hotel.
Fifth day : Morning departure to the Kasbah of Tifoultout and the cinema studios, continuing to the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou and crossing stony desert; the scene of several Western movies. Lunch will be at Ait Ben Haddou, before taking the mountain road back to Marrakech.
