7 days from Marrakech: The Imperial City of Marrakesh and the desert
Experience the south of Morocco in 7 days. The Imperial City of Marrakech, with the famous Djema el Fnaa square, the Souk and the medina of the old city, as well as the beautiful gardens of Marrakech. The individual off-road tour takes you in 4 days through the picturesque oases of the Draa Valley with millions of date palms to the fantastic desert landscape of the Erg Chigaga dunes.
Enjoy nomadic hospitality with a day of trekking with dromedaries in the desert; experience the life of the nomads and the thrill of 2 nights in the comfortable tented camp under the stars of the immense sky in the dunes of Erg Chigaga.
Activities
Itinerary: Marrakesh – High Atlas – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Draávalley – Agdz – Tamnougalt – Tamegroute – Mhamid – Oasis of Iriki – Dunes of Erg Chigaga – lake of Iriqui – Foum Zguid – Tazenakth – High Atlas – Marrakesh
Type of tour: Stay in Marrakech and private guided off-road tour and a day of trekking and picnic with dromedaries in the desert
Min. participants/max. participants: from 2 participants; maximum 6 participants in Jeep
Duration of the tour: 7 days and 6 nights with half board
Departure /Arrival: transport to/from Marrakech airport
Individual starting dates
Activities
Day 01
Arrival at airport Menara Marrakesh
Airport transfer to your Hotel (overnight with breakfast in the Riad in the Medina of Marrakesh)
Day 02
Marrakesh – guided city tour in the afternoon
Marrakesh, is one of the imperial cities of Morocco. Marrakech holds the promise of incomparable sensations. Stroll through the Jemaa El Fna and the bazaars with their bright colours and oriental scents, and the red city will whisk you into another world in the blink of an eye. Overnight with breakfast in the Riad in the Medina.
Day 03
Start of the desert tour: Marrakesh- High Atlas– Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Draávalley– Agdz – Tamnougalt
We set out in the morning at 8.30 am from your Riad in Marrakesh. We'll be crossing the mountains of the High Atlas range and the pass of Tizi-n-Tichka (2,260 m), where the views are breathtaking. The scenic road runs through oak woods and walnut groves, Berber villages with stone and mud brick houses, and pastures where goats and sheep graze. After crossing the pass, we come down into the lunar landscape of the Lesser Atlas and reach Ait Benhaddou, a mud brick kasbah protected by UNESCO and known as the finest and most famous in Morocco, which has featured in a number of films, such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth and The Gladiator. After the tour we stop for lunch. We continue on our journey to Ouarzazate and the Draa valley. From Agdz, we reach Tamnougalt, where we visit one of the oldest kasbahs in Morocco. Dinner and overnight accommodation in a typical Riad in Tamnougalt.
Day 04
Draávalley– Zagora – Tamegroute - Mhamid – Oasis of Iriki – dunes of Erg Chigaga (sandboarding)
After breakfast on the terrace of the Riad, we go for a walk in the oasis before leaving for the Draa Valley. We pass through Zagora and Tamegroute, famous for its craft pottery production, and reach M'Hamid, the desert outpost. From M'Hamid, we continue our journey into the desert. An adventurous journey through the Sahara by jeep awaits us. After covering 50 km of track, we reach the oasis of Iriki, before continuing towards the dunes of Erg Chigaga – an amazing series of golden desert dunes stretching for 40 km and reaching a maximum height of 300 metres. Here, you can admire the sunset amid the dunes. The typical nomad hospitality awaits us here in our tented camp, surrounded by the dunes of the Sahara, with the ritual welcome with mint tea, a traditional nomad dinner with music and a bonfire and overnight accommodation in a nomad tent.
Day 05
Trekking with dromedaries in the dunes of Erg Chigaga
If you sleep in the desert, make sure you get up early to admire the golden light of dawn as it illuminates the sand dunes. After breakfast, we set out on our trek with the dromedaries to the dunes of Erg Chigaga. After 2 - 3 hours of travelling, we reach a tamarind tree, under whose shade the guides cook a lunch of kebabs and fresh bread baked in the sand in the traditional nomad style. We go back to our camp, where you can admire a breathtaking sunset among the dunes while awaiting dinner. Dinner and overnight accommodation in a Berber tent.
Day 06
Lake of Iriki –fossil mountains– Tazenakht – Marrakesh
After breakfast, we continue on our journey by jeep along the old track of the Paris-Dakar rally, reaching the dried up salt lake of Iriki. We pass below the fossil mountain and finally leave the desert behind and reach Tazenakht, a famous carpet manufacturing centre. We stop in Tazenakht for lunch and return to Marrakesh towards evening. Overnight in Riad.
Day 07
Breakfast and transfer to the airport Menara Marrakech
Included
- The airport transfer from/to airport Marrakesh Menara
- The half day guided English speaking city tour in Marrakesh
- Private transport in an air-conditioned Landcruiser (Minivan)
- English speaking driver/guide
- Free time to explore the places such as Ait Ben Haddou, Draavalley ecc for walks and photo stop
- 3 overnight in air-conditioned room with private bathroom in the Riad in the Medina of Marrakech with breakfast
- 1 overnight in air-conditioned room with private bathroom in the Riad in the Draavalley with breakfast and dinner
- 2 overnight in private comfortable tent in our desert camp in the Erg Chigaga dunes with breakfast and dinner
- the trekking with dromedaries and local guide in the desert with picnic for lunch
- sandboarding and Berber drumming in the desert camp
- tea, coffee and mineral water in the desert camp
Not Included:
- Remaining lunch
- dinner in the Marrakech
- beverages
- entrance fees
- personal expenses
- Tips