4 Days Marrakech to the Merzouga Desert

Pick-up around 8:00 am at your hotel or riad in Marrakech (we can also pick you up at the airport). Departure in a private air-conditioned vehicle.

We cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), with viewpoints over valleys, adobe Berber villages and peaks that are snow-capped in winter.

Walking visit of the ksar of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the setting for films such as Gladiator and series such as Game of Thrones. We climb up to the fortified granary to see the whole Ounila valley.

Ouarzazate, the “gateway to the desert”: view of the Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas film studios, where dozens of international productions have been shot.

The Dades Gorge and its famous mountain bends, with reddish rock formations (“the monkey fingers”) and villages perched above the river.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival at the Dades Gorge in the afternoon and overnight at the accommodation.

Breakfast and departure from the Dades Gorge towards the Todra Gorge.

Walk through the Todra Gorge, a canyon with walls up to 300 metres high and a crystal-clear river, a paradise for climbers.

Erfoud, the capital of dates and fossils: visit to a workshop where they work fossilised marble that is millions of years old.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

In the late afternoon we arrive in Merzouga, where the camel caravan is waiting. We leave the big luggage at the guesthouse and, with a small backpack, cross the Erg Chebbi dunes by camel (approx. 1 h 30 min) as the sun sets over the Sahara. Arrival at the camp, welcome tea, Berber dinner and music around the fire under a sky full of stars.

After watching the sunrise over the dunes and having breakfast, we set off by 4x4 to explore the area around Erg Chebbi.

We visit the village of Khamlia, where Gnawa musicians welcome us with their traditional music; we meet a nomad family in their tent for tea; and we stop at the seasonal lake of Dayet Srji (with flamingos in winter and spring), the old Mifis mines and a fossil site. At midday we have lunch in Rissani or Merzouga (the famous Berber pizza, “madfouna”). In the afternoon there's free time to relax or go sandboarding on the dunes, and at sunset we climb back up the dunes to watch the sun go down. Second night at the camp, with a Berber dinner and music by the fire.

We get up early to watch the sunrise from the top of the dunes. Breakfast at the camp and return by camel (or 4x4) to the guesthouse, where there are showers and we pick up the luggage. Departure towards Rissani.

Rissani, cradle of the Alaouite dynasty: its traditional market (the “donkey car park” on market days) and the old ksar.

N'Kob, the village of 45 kasbahs, at the foot of the Jbel Saghro massif.

Agdz and the Jbel Kissane viewpoint, at the entrance to the Draa Valley.

Ouarzazate, the “gateway to the desert”: view of the Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas film studios, where dozens of international productions have been shot.

We cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), with viewpoints over valleys, adobe Berber villages and peaks that are snow-capped in winter.

Marrakech, the red city: Jemaa el-Fna square, the Koutoubia mosque and the souks of the medina.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival in Marrakech in the late afternoon and transfer to your hotel, riad or the airport. End of our services. See you soon!