8-Day Morocco Desert Tour From Marrakech

Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech.

On the week-long trip to Morocco, we will pick you up at the airport upon your arrival in Marrakech. Free day to get acquainted with the place: one of Morocco’s four imperial cities.

Famous for its numerous monuments recognized as World Heritage Sites, and its well-known Jemaa el Fna square. You can explore its different and characteristic neighborhoods, the modern city: Guéliz, Hivernage, Palmeraie, Mellah (the Jewish quarter)…

Or let yourself be carried away by the winding streets of the Medina, to the square of Jmaa el Fna, the scene of endless outdoor activities: jugglers, musicians, fakirs, snake charmers, minstrels… who will awaken all your senses with the multitude of sounds, aromas, flavors, and colors that characterize it. Accommodation in a riad.

Day 2: Marrakech – Dades Gorges

After breakfast, we will leave Marrakech and head towards the Dades Gorges. On the way, we will cross the High Atlas Mountains, passing through the Tizi n’Tichka pass and winding our way through numerous villages inhabited by Berber nomads. Spectacular scenery will take us to the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, famous for being the setting for more than twenty films, including “Babel.” We will continue via Ouarzazate, crossing the Valley of Roses, to enter the Dades Gorges, where the so-called “route of a thousand kasbahs” begins. Accommodation in the Dades Valley and dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Dades Gorges – Todra Gorges – Merzouga.

Breakfast at the hotel. We head to the Todra Gorges, where you can take a pleasant walk through the imposing canyon with walls over 200 meters high, until you reach the desert via the Tafilalet palm grove. Arrival at the hotel at the foot of the dunes, where you can walk on the fine sand of Erg Chebbi, relax, and enjoy this impressive landscape. In the evening, you will savor a delicious Moroccan dish. Accommodation in a hotel room.

Day 4: Merzouga – Tour around Erg Chebbi – Merzouga.

After a hearty Moroccan breakfast, we will climb into the 4×4 to begin our tour around the Erg Chebbi dunes, a desert region covered in sand. Among the many stops that await you, we will discover how and where the nomadic families of the area live, wild oases in the middle of nowhere, spectacular landscapes and small desert villages, palm groves… An unmissable stop on our way through the village of Khamelia, home to people originally from Mali, who will treat us to a beautiful concert of Gnawa music while we enjoy a delicious cup of tea. On our return to the hotel, our dromedaries will be waiting to take us on a 90-minute ride through the dunes to the heart of the desert to watch the beautiful sunset.

Sheltered by the Great Dune, and enjoying the music of drums, dinner, and Moroccan tea, you can gaze at the immense starry sky and sleep in nomadic tents.

Day 5: Merzouga – Rissani – Ziz Valley – Middle Atlas – Fez.

We will wake up early in the morning to witness another spectacular sight among the dunes of the Moroccan Sahara: the spectacular sunrise. Once again, you will climb onto your dromedaries for another ride back to the hotel. After breakfast and a shower, we will continue on our way to Rissani. There we will stroll through what is known as the most authentic and traditional souk in Morocco, and the largest in the south of the country, where all kinds of handicrafts, food, and animals are traded.

We continue via Erfoud, the ancient gateway to the desert, a city famous for its fossil work, crossing the impressive Ziz Valley, with its more than 18,000 palm trees, until we reach Midelt. We stopped for lunch and continued on to Fez via Ifran (also known as the Moroccan Switzerland for the aesthetics of its buildings). We arrived in Fez and transferred to the hotel.

Day 6: Fez – Fez.

Free day in Fez to explore the city, another of the four imperial cities. In Morocco, it is considered the religious and cultural center of the country. Its university, famous for the study of Arabic and the Muslim religion, is a stopping point for many Moroccan students. You will have time to stroll around and explore its different neighborhoods, the new area or Fès el-Jdid, where you will find the Mellah (the Jewish quarter), the Ville Nouvelle (New Town), the French area in the northwest of the city, and of course, Fez el-Bali, the old town, within the city walls. You can stroll through its streets and feel as if you have been transported to a bygone era, where potters, blacksmiths, artisans, and donkeys laden with goods from various sources coexist with tourists wandering through its labyrinthine alleys.

Also famous for its tanners’ souk, you can witness the medieval craft process used to give leather its vibrant colors. Accommodation in a riad.

Day 7: Fez – Marrakech.

After breakfast, we set off for Marrakech, crossing the numerous valleys that make up the Middle Atlas: Ifrane, Azrou, Khenifra, Beni Mellal… Arrival in Marrakech. Transfer to your riad, and free time to continue exploring the city.

Day 8: Marrakech – Airport.

Transfer to the airport upon departure of your flight at the end of your 8-day tour of Morocco.