4 days Marrakesh Sahara Tour

“Winding Roads & Camel Tracks”

4 days, 3 nights

Starts: Marrakesh
Ends: Marrakesh

Overnight stays in: DADES VALLEY – MERZOUGA/ERG CHEBBI – AGDZ

Introduction

A private, guided 4 day trip to the Sahara Desert with Wild Desert of Morocco is different, because it’s completely personalised to your travel needs & wish list. Our 4 days Marrakesh Sahara Tour, “Winding Roads & Camel Tracks” is jam-packed with fun stops & activities that can be customised to suit your interests – at absolutely no extra cost to you. We’ll answer every question and attend to every detail, leaving you free to relax & enjoy your dream trip to the Sahara Desert!

Thrill to the stunning scenery as you cross the High Atlas Mountains and wind through the Dades & Dra’a Valleys on your way to the Sahara Desert. This 4 day, 3 night round-trip desert tour from Marrakesh features a sunset camel trek in the Sahara and visits to 3 historic Kasbahs (including Ait Ben Haddou). You’ll also visit Dades & Todra Gorges, experience a local souk (market), tour a Moroccan film studio, & more.

Outline

Your 4 days Marrakesh Sahara Tour “Winding Roads & Camel Tracks” starts from Marrakesh in the morning of Day 1. Cross the High Atlas Mountains to reach Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou in time for lunch and some exploring. Next, visit Kasbah Amridil in Skoura. Later in the afternoon, wind through the scenic Dades Valley. Make a stop in Kalaat M’Gouna (“Valley of the Roses”) before ending your day at the stunning Dades Gorge.

The next day, head out of the mountains towards the Sahara Desert. First, visit Todra Gorge then the local souk (market) in Rissani. Next, reach the Merzouga region of the Sahara in time for a sunset camel trek in the big dunes of Erg Chebbi. After your trek, enjoy a delicious Moroccan dinner followed by some African drumming.

Leave the dunes behind after breakfast on Day 3 of your 4 day desert tour from Marrakesh. First, follow the lush green Dra’a Valley into the High Atlas Mountains to N’Qob. After lunch, continue along the Dra’a Valley to Tansikht, where you’ll follow an ancient caravan route along the valley floor. Finish your day in Agdz.

On the final day of your tour, travel a short way to Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco”. After touring a Moroccan film studio, head back into the High Atlas Mountains. Stop to visit the ruins of Telouet Kasbah before leaving the mountains.

Arrive in Marrakesh later that evening. This completes your 4 days Marrakesh Sahara Tour “Winding Roads & Camel Tracks”.

Tour Highlights

Cross the Tizi-n-Tichka pass over the High Atlas Mountains
Explore Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tour Kasbah Amridil, a centuries-old fortified city
Visit scenic Dades & Todra Gorges
Experience a local souk (market)
Go camel-trekking in the Sahara at sunset
Enjoy African drumming entertainment
Have lunch in the High Atlas Mountains
Follow an ancient caravan route in Tansikht in the Dra’a Valley
Tour a film studio
Visit Telouet Kasbah

For more information…

For more details about this tour, see the tabs further down this page. You’ll find a detailed itinerary, a route map, & a list of what’s included & excluded in the cost.

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Back to all Tours from Marrakesh

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Details

Itinerary

Route map

Includes/Excludes

Itinerary

Route map

Includes/Excludes

Day 1 :

MARRAKESH – HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS/TIZI-N-TICHKA PASS – KASBAH AIT BEN HADDOU – SKOURA/KASBAH AMRIDIL – KALAAT M’GOUNA (VALLEY OF THE ROSES) – DADES VALLEY

Your 4 days Marrakesh Sahara "Winding Roads & Camel Tracks" Tour starts when we pick you up from your hotel/riad in Marrakesh after an early breakfast. We’ll travel the winding roads into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing over Morocco’s highest road pass – the Tizi-n-Tichka pass at 2260m. We’ll stop at the top of the pass for refreshment and to take pictures of the stunning views. We’ll then drive to Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest Kasbah in the south of Morocco, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the village was originally built in the 17th century, people still live and work there today. Homes are built right into the rock or with mud bricks, which are made locally using the same methods as in ancient times. Ait Ben Haddou has been used in many films, including The Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. After lunch in the village, you’ll have time to explore the Kasbah. It’s a gentle climb through winding streets to the top, where you can see in all directions. Our next stop is the village of Skoura, where we’ll visit the picturesque Kasbah Amridil. The 17th century fortified village (ksar) along the river is mostly in ruins now, but the Kasbah (fortified mansion) on the south end was built in the late 19th century and is considered one of the most impressive kasbahs in Morocco. It is still owned and maintained by the same family today. Leaving Skoura, we’ll travel through the winding Dades Valley to our next destination – Kalaat M’Gouna (“Valley of the Roses”). This lush valley is Morocco’s rose-growing hub. Every year, millions of rose petals are harvested to produce a wide variety of rose-infused products for culinary and cosmetic use. The harvest culminates in May with the annual Rose Festival – worth attending if you can arrange your visit around this popular festival. We'll make a stop here so that you can see, smell, and, if you wish, purchase some products made from local roses. Later in the afternoon, we’ll detour to reach the impressive Dades Gorge and the nearby rock formation known as “Monkey Toes”. You’ll have dinner & stay the night in a Berber guesthouse overlooking the gorge.

Day 2 :

DADES VALLEY – TODRA GORGE – RISSANI – MERZOUGA/ERG CHEBBI

The next morning you’ll have time for a walk along Dades Gorge before we start our drive to towards the Sahara Desert. We’ll head to the town of Tinghir, a lush green oasis full of palm trees and farmers’ crops, and visit the nearby Todra Gorge. Steep rock walls 300 metres high make this a popular rock-climbing spot, while the narrow river makes this a popular picnic destination for Moroccan families. We’ll stop here and you’ll have a chance to walk along the river. Afterwards, we’ll head to the town of Rissani for lunch and a visit to the local souk (market). The jumble of covered stalls contain just about everything. This is where local people buy food, clothing, household items – even livestock! On Tuesdays, the travelling market arrives, and people flock from nearby villages to shop. From Rissani it’s not far to the Merzouga region of the Sahara Desert. We’ll leave the paved highway to travel off-road across flat rocky desert towards the magnificent sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Erg Chebbi has the highest dunes in North Africa, and the sight of them rising suddenly out of the desert floor never fails to impress! Arriving at the desert hotel in the afternoon, your camels will be waiting for you. You’ll leave civilization behind and camel-trek into the high dunes, watching the sands change colour as the sun moves across the sky. You’ll have time to explore, take pictures, and watch the sunset before camel-trekking back out of the big dunes. After reaching the desert camp nestled among smaller dunes, you’ll enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal, followed by African music – drumming and singing and dancing – around a campfire. You’ll spend the night in tents surrounded by nothing but sand and sky.

Day 3 :

MERZOUGA – DRA’A VALLEY – N’QOB – TANSIKHT – AGDZ

On Day 3 of your 4-day desert tour from Marrakesh, we’ll leave the big dunes behind and drive through the lush, green Dra’a Valley Oasis – the longest valley in Morocco. We’ll pass through numerous villages, including Tazzarine, which was featured in the film “Babel”, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchette. Following the winding road back into the High Atlas Mountains, we’ll stop for lunch in N’Qob, and you can enjoy the stunning mountain views while you eat. After lunch, we’ll cross the Dra’a River to Tansikht, where we’ll go off-road to follow the ancient caravan route through the palm-filled valley. We’ll end the day inAgdz, where we’ll have dinner and spend the night.

Day 4 :

AGDZ – OUARZAZATE/FILM STUDIO – HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS – TELOUET KASBAH – MARRAKESH

In the morning of Day 4, we’ll drive a short way to Ouarzazate, known as the "Hollywood of Morocco" due to its thriving film industry. Ouarzazate is home to several film studios, both Moroccan and international. The surrounding barren landscape is a popular on-location site and has been used to portray everything from the Egyptian desert to the surface of Mars. After touring a Moroccan film studio, we’ll wind our way back into the High Atlas Mountains. Just before reaching the top, we’ll take a side road to visit the ruins of Telouet Kasbah (Palace of Glaoui) in the Berber village of Telouet. Then we’ll once again cross over the Tizi-n-Tichka pass and descend towards Marrakesh. We’ll reach Marrakesh in the evening and drop you off at your hotel/riad. This brings your 4 days Marrakesh Sahara "Winding Roads & Camel Tracks" Tour to a close.

4 days Marrakesh Sahara Tour