TOUR ITINERARY:
Day 1: Marrakech airport – Hotel
Meet and greet at Marrakech airport, then transfer to your hotel. Enjoy an evening tour of the famous Jemaa L’Fna. Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 2: Marrakech (city tour) B
After breakfast, enjoy the guided city tour of Marrakeh. Begin the morning with a visit to the Kotoubia Mosque. The mosque is the largest in Marrakech and one of the oldest in the world. The minaret, 77 metres (253 ft) in height, includes a spire and orbs. It was completed under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199), and has inspired other buildings such as the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat. Continue to the world-famous Jemaa el Fna Square, which houses an array of food, snake charmers, local musicians, and fortune-tellers. There’s nowhere on earth like the Jemaa el Fna, the square at the heart of old Marrakesh. Your next stop is the Bahia Palace, and the Saadian Tombs. The Saadian tombs in Marrakech date back from the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were discovered in 1917 and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. The mausoleum comprises the interments of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty that originated in the valley of the Draa River. Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 3: Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Skoura – Dades BD
After breakfast, transfer along the spectacular High Atlas Mountains and Tiz in Tichka pass heading to the south of Morocco. Stop first at the wonderful fortress of Ait Ben Haddou. The village is a great example of earthen clay architecture that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Ait Ben Haddou is an iconic landscape immortalized in such films as “The Man Who Would Be King (film) (1975)”, “Jesus of Nazareth (1977)”, “The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)”, “ Gladiator (2000)”, “Son of God (film) (2014)”, etc. After the visit of Ait Ben Haddou, transfer to Skoura: a fertile oasis lined with immense palm groves. Skoura is also famous for its Kasbahs lined along the road. Continue your trip to Kelaat M’Gouna where you may stop to relax. Kelaat M’Gouna is a big touwn famous for cultivating roses. Expect to find many fine, rose-infused products there. Continue to Dades for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Dades – Tinghir – Merzouga BD
After breakfast, enjoy the visit of Dades with its wonderful landscapes. Dades valley is known as a valley of figs. The drive to Dades is spectacular, with hundreds of Kasbahs lining the route, winding through stunning desert landscapes, villages, palm grooves, and with the expansive Jebel Sarhro lunar-scape to the south. Arrive at Tinghir, which is famour for its charming oases and Toudra Gorge. Tinghir is a gorgeous, 40km oasis, which boasts one of the largest palm groves in the country. Take a walk through this valley village, stopping in to visit the earthen houses. Explore the Todra Gorge, a 300m wall, carved deep into the High Atlas Mountains. In the afternoon, transfer to Merzouga with a stop at Rissani. Visit this wonderful historical town. Optional 4×4 transfer from Rissani to the heart of the desert where you will enjoy dinner and overnight in a charming auberge at the foothills of the golden sand dunes.
NB: optional overnight in a standard or deluxe desert camp (tents).
Day 5: Merzouga – Alnif – Zagora BD
Enjoy an optional early morning sunrise experience over the golden sand dunes. After breakfast, transfer to Zagora, passing through a series of fortified villages. The trip to Zagora is amazing as you will pass through different landscapes that are different compared to the ones you have seen before. The dates and watermelon are the main agricultural products of the area. Zagora is flanked by the mountain Zagora from which the town got its name. Originally it was called ‘Tazagourt’ the singular of plural ‘Tizigirt’ in Amazigh (Berber) language. Enjoy your dinner and overnight in Zagora.
Day 6: Zagora – Agdez – Ouarzazate BD
After breakfast, enjoy the city tour of Zagora including the famous Tamgroute library. The latter has Coranic scripts dating back to the 12th century. Visit Tamgroute village where pottery is the main labor of the inhabitants. After the city tour, transfer to Ouarzazate through Agdez. Along the way, the Draa River cuts a deep channel between the Jebel Sarhro and the Anti Atlas Mountain ranges, through a series of steep canyons famous for their cliffs of green and black rock. The inhabitants cluster together in fortified villages called “Ksours”, surrounded by their patchwork blanket of fields and palm groves. Enjoy your dinner and overnight in Ouarzazate.
Day 7: Ouarzazate – Marrakech B
Begin the city tour of Ouarzazate with Taourirt Kasbah. The Kasbah is considered one of the most beautiful kasbahs in Morocco. Next, visit the film studios where some of the most famous desert landscapes were and are still being shot. Late in the morning, transfer to Marrakech where you will enjoy your afternoon at leisure.
Day 8: Marrakech airport B
Transfer to Marrakech airport.
