5 Days Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga Desert

Day 1: Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Ouarzazate

The first day of our best 5-day tour from Marrakech to the Merzouga Desert, we will pick up in the morning from the hotel in Marrakech. Welcome, and the route begins! We will cross the High Atlas (Tizi N’Tichka) with panoramic view stops. Optional: We will visit the argan oil cooperative, where they will teach us the production process. We will go through the fertile Zat valley (most of the potatoes, turnips, olives, figs, and tomatoes from Morocco are grown here). We will visit Ait Ben Haddou Ksar here. The movies such as Gladiator, The Jewel of the Nile, and Game of Thrones were shot here. After lunch we will continue to Ouarzazate (Great Desert door), where the most important film studios in Morocco called Atlas Studios are located. Here we will visit Kasbah of Taourirt (former residence of the pacha of Marrakech). At the end of the day we will arrive in Ouarzazate. Bed and dinner at the hotel

Day 2: Ouarzazate – Dra Valley – Rissani – Merzouga Desert

Today we dive into the Draa Valley, one of the most beautiful roads in Morocco. The valley of the Draa River is more than 100 kilometers between Ouarzazate and the gates of the desert. It is a very green valley, with date palms. It is the road very pleasant because the temperature is lower than on the road due to the shadow of the palms. On the bank of the Draa River, we will be able to see the impressive adobe fortifications, which served to defend the region/the Ksar. Although the Draa River begins in Ouarzazate, it remains invisible for 60 km until Agdz, where the true beginning of the Draa Valley can be seen. The Berber village of Agdz, dominated by Mount Jebel Kissane at 1535 meters of altitude, is a small agricultural town that offers magnificent Kasbas and beautiful palm groves. In the afternoon we will cross the Hammada (stony desert) to reach Rissani, where we will visit an authentic village souk. At the end of the day we will arrive in Merzouga, and we will take the dromedaries to reach our camp in the Erg Chebbi desert (150 m high dunes). Along the way we will contemplate the sunset over the dunes and then the starry night. We have a dinner accompanied by Berber music with drums. We will sleep in the desert in the jaimas.

Day 3: Tour around Merzouga Desert

It is worth getting up early to contemplate sunrise in the desert. Around 9 a.m. we will take the dromedaries again to return to the hotel, where we can take a shower and have breakfast. After breakfast we will leave for the Great Dune of Morocco and take the route along the old Paris-Dakar road. We will rest in the oasis of Tissardmine and visit authentic nomadic jaimas along the way. We will stop over in Khamlia, a town originally from Mali. There, we will enjoy a small Gnawa music concert while we have a tea with mint. We will stop for lunch and a free afternoon to climb the dunes and watch the unforgettable sunset in the desert. Bed and dinner at the hotel/riad.

Day 4: Merzouga Desert – Todra Valley – Dades Valley

After breakfast, we will go out to the gorges of the Todra, a gorge with a crystalline river surrounded by palm groves and Berber villages. We will pass through the town of Boumalne Dades (with souks on Wednesdays and Sundays) to reach the Dades valley, a grazing area for nomadic tribes; it is a strip of greenery enclosed among red mountains of great natural beauty. There, wheat, almond, fig, and poplar crops stand out. On the route we will see the spectacular kasbahs; the valley of Dades is known as the “valley of a thousand kasbahs.” Accommodation and dinner at the hotel in Valle de Dades.

Day 5: Dades Valley – Teluat Valley – High Atlas – Marrakech

Today we will cross the Valley of the Roses, which leads to the capital—Kelaa M’ Gouna, famous for its roses (waters of roses) and its daggers. In May, the Rose Festival is celebrated, coinciding with the rose harvests. We will pass between the palm trees and the adobe castles in the oasis of Skoura and the kasbah of Amridil towards Ouarzazate. We will continue through the High Atlas, crossing the port of Tizi N’Tichka with stops with panoramic views. We will visit the argan oil cooperative, where they will teach us the production process. We will pass through the fertile Zat Valley, a small Berber paradise in the heart of the High Atlas. Here we find the Berber villages with traditional architecture built on the hillside. Most of the potatoes, turnips, olives, figs, and tomatoes from Morocco are grown here. We will stop for lunch. Arrival in Marrakech. Transfer to your hotel/riad and end our 5-day tour from Marrakech to the Merzouga Desert.