8 days desert trip from Marrakech
Tour Details
- 8 Days
- 7 Nights
- 6 Guests
For a once-in-a-lifetime trip, choose the ultimate 8 days desert trip from Marrakech to Marrakech. Your desert adventure will kick out in Tangier, Morocco’s northernmost city and the continent’s most direct route to Europe. Take a guided tour of Fes, the cultural center of Morocco, after seeing the blue-painted city of Chefchaouen. You’ll travel west from the Middle Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh through the Dades Valley, Ouarzazate (the “Hollywood of Africa”), and Ait Benhaddou, where you’ll spend the night in the desert.
Here are all the details of your 8 DAY TRIP FROM MARRAKECH:
DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO MARRAKECH – TRANSFER TO THE HOTEL:
The Morocco Colorful Tours team will be waiting for you at the door of Menara Marrakech airport to start your 8 days desert trip from Marrakech. You meet them and they pick you up at your hotel or riad which is usually located in the old Medina*old city.
(Possible city sightseeing tour depending on your arrival time)
Overnight in Marrakech.Overnight in Chefchaouen.
DAY 2: MARRAKECH -ATLAS MOUNTAINS – AIT BEN HADDOU KASBAH – TO OUARZAZATE – DADES GORGES:
Around 9 am as agreed before. Our team will be waiting for you in the lobby of your hotel. They meet you there and pick you up to show you around some Southeast parts of our beautiful country. Crossing the highest road in Morocco, the Tizi n Ticha pass in the High Atlas mountains. We stopped through the way for outstanding pictures of the muddy Berber villages, landscapes, and nature.
In about 4 hour drive, we arrive at one of the famous sites in Morocco, the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, a fortified castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A place where popular movies have been filmed. Such as Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia, and many more. Make a visit to this extraordinary site, then have lunch either there at the village of Ait Ben Haddou, or at our next stop Ouarzazate which is half an hour’s drive.
In Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of all Africa. You visit and discover the Atlas studio, the world’s largest film studio. Afterward, you drive through the road named the road of thousands of Kasbahs. To the city of roses in Morocco *Kelaat M’gouna. Here you can see the pink flowers everywhere alongside the road during springtime, and see how people there make different products from roses.
Eventually, we arrive at Boumalne Dades, or Dades Valley, a calm town, with a beautiful green valley. You spend the night here in a hotel or a riad with dinner included.
DAY 3: BOUMALNE DADES – TOUDRA GORGES – ERRFOUD – MERZOUGA DESERT:
After a restful night and a flavourful breakfast at your hotel. The MCT team picks you up for your second day of the tour. It usually starts around 9 am. Leaving the town of Boumalne on the way to Tinghir, the city Toudra Gorge lies. You visit the astonishing Canyons of Toudra Gorge, a place visited all year round by worldwide rock climbing for adventuring. You may be lucky to see them climbing during your visit. A place not far from where nomads still live in caves, they come with their animals “sheep, goats, donkeys” for water, and also take water with them for their home use. After a walk near the freshwater, you hit the road to Tinjdad town or near another village for lunch. Next to Erfoud, a town famous for fossils, not to forget fresh dates from the large valley of Ziz crossing the town. After that, in an hour’s drive, you get to the beautiful Sahara desert of Merzouga, one of the most visited sites in Africa.
Overnight in a hotel by the great Erg Chebbi dunes.
DAY 4: SAHARA DESERT SIGHTSEEING:
In the morning around 10 am and after breakfast at the camp. Our driver and guide pick you up by a 4WD for one of the best experiences in the desert. Your visit to the Merzouga area starts from your hotel driving by the high dunes of the desert. Firstly, a panoramic view stops for the Sahara from a high mountain close to the dunes. Then drive to nomad families living next to the Moroccan/Algerian border to know about their culture and the way they are living in a harsh environment, sitting under their tents while having a cup of tea.
After that, our 8 days desert trip from Marrakech resumes at the M’ifis mascara mountain mine. You explore and have an idea of how workers get mines from the heart of the mountains. From there to Khamlia village, settled by the “black-skinned” people, who are famous for their Gnawa music all around the world. Here you try Berber Pizza, a recommended meal in Morocco for which this area is famous. Besides, listening and dancing to Gnawa music played by these friendly people.
Later, we keep up to the Sahara Oasis for a walk inside its almond, palm, and fig trees and different vegetable plants. From there on, we drive you back to the hotel, to get ready to ride the camels to camp on the other side of the desert. Your camel man awaits you next to the dunes for lifting you by his camels to the desert camp. The camel ride takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes including an amazing stop for an incredible sunset at the top of a high dune in the middle of the desert. Your camel guide will take several memorable pictures for you along the ride to the camp. Arriving at the well-equipped camp, you will be welcomed with Moroccan tea and some cookies by the camp workers. In an hour, the working staff serve you a delicious dinner, then they make a fire outside the camp under a sky full of stars, where they will be playing Berber and African music, while you enjoy and dance around the fire.
Overnight at the camp.
DAY 5: MERZOUGA – RISSANI – NKOUB – AIT SAOUEN PASS – OUARZAZATE:
Life is getting up an hour early to live an hour more, but only on this day in the desert. For witnessing one that may be the best sunrise in your whole life, we always advise you to wake up early. After a tasty breakfast at the camp. There are two optional ways to get back to the village of Merzouga to recommence our trip. Either by camels or by a 4WD vehicle.
We depart the pretty desert to Rissani town. The closest town to the Erg Chebbi. With the legendary history between the 14th and 18th centuries. You explore the largest Souk/market in the area, mainly the sheep and cattle market.
Then, continue your way to Alnif, and Tazarin to N’Koub for lunch. Afterward to Ouarzazate city along the Anti-Atlas mountains. Here in Ouarzazate city, you spend your night in a hotel or riad with dinner included.
DAY 6: OUARZAZATE – AIT BEN HADDOU/TELOUAT KASBAHS – HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS – MARRAKECH:
Today’s program is as follows: After a peaceful night at your hotel in Ouarzazate city, it’s time to leave it behind, and direct to our next target, which is Marrakech. On the way, we will explore the Telouat Kasbah or Glaoui Palace, an abandoned castle, built starting in 1860.
Lunch will be either in Telouat town or later on in the High Atlas mountains. You cross Tichka pass, with beautiful landscapes, nature, and muddy Berber small villages over the road.
Get to Marrakech in the afternoon, the fourth largest city in Morocco, an economic center, and home to gardens, palaces, and historical mosques.
Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 7: MARRAKECH SIGHTSEEING WITH A LOCAL GUIDE:
Today’s program will be for visiting Marrakech. In the morning around 9h30, your local guide will be waiting for you at the reception of your hotel. Your guide will accompany and show you all the historical sites of the red city Marrakech, including; Jemaa el-Fna Square, one of the main cultural spaces in Marrakech founded in the eleventh century and considered one of the busiest squares in all the world. And Saadian tombs dated back to the Saadian dynasty(1578–1603). In addition to Bahia Palace, one of Marrakech’s most impressive buildings that were built at the end of the 19th century, and intended to be the most eye-catching palace of all times. Moreover; the 12th Koutoubia mosque was the most important and largest worship place at that time.
Later on, you will stroll inside the narrow streets of the old Medina *old city, and visit the colorful Souks/markets. After lunch in one of the restaurants in the old Medina, you hit the road to the modern area. Where you explore the blue garden of Majorelle and YSL Musume.
Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 8: TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT:
After an amazing adventure in Morocco, we pick you up at the airport of Marrakech for departure. And the 8 days desert trip from Marrakech ends.
- Pick up at Marrakechairport.
- Private trip the entire 8 days desert trip from Marrakech.
- Transport in an air conditioned touristic vehicle.
- Fuel/gas.
- An English speaking guide / a well-experienced driver during the trip.
- Marrakech local guides.
- All the accommodations included breakfast for 7 nights.
- Sleep in a luxury desert camp+private tents with private bathrooms.
- 4WD tour in Merzouga desert.
- Pick up and drop off at the hotel/riad everyday.
- 4 Dinners in Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, Merzouga Camp and hotel.
- Drop off at Marrakech airport.
- All lunches
- Dinners in Marrakech, Fes and Chefchaouen.
- Drinks
- Entrance fees to attractions and museums(cheap).
- Any other personal expenses.
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