8-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga
- 8 days / 7 nights
- people: 10
- Marrakech -Marrakech
Overview:
A 8-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga over the High Atlas Mountains (Erg Chebbi). Check out Telouat Kasbah and Ait Ben Haddou. Photograph Ouarzazate and the Atlas Studio, Flowers Valley, and the Dades Gorges. Exploring the Desert on camel and spending the night in a tent.
Spend the night in a Berber tent in the center of the dunes, and the following day we’ll take a different route back to Marrakech.
Day 1: Arrive to Marrakech airport and transfer to your riad.
Today began our 8-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga. We will transport you straight from the airport to your Riad or hotel in the old medina.
Day 2: Marrakech Sightseeing.
Marrakech, the “red city of Morocco,” will be our first visit after breakfast. We will ensure you visit the Majorelle Gardens, the Koutoubia Tower, the Saadian Tombs, and the Bahia Palace, among other cultural and historical landmarks. We will have lunch at a restaurant near the plaza, and then we will visit the souks before releasing you for the rest of the day.
Day 3 : Marrakech - Ait Benhaddou - Boumalene du Dades
Following the picked up from your Marrakech riad or hotel, we will depart for the Dades Gorges. We will drive across the High Atlas Mountains through Tizi-n-Tishka and stop at Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and filming location for Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Alexander, among others. Following lunch, we will tour the magnificent natural landscapes and ancient landmarks of Taourirt Kasbah in Ourzazate and the Valley of the Roses, known for its annual Festival of Roses. Two Berber settlements, El Kelaa des M’Gouna and Boumalene du Dades, are where we will spend the night.
Day 4 : Dades Gorge - Todra Gorge - Merzouga. Camel ride and night in a camp
We depart Boumalene Dades for Merzouga and the largest windswept sand dunes in Morocco, Erg Chebbi. Via the Berber town of Tinghir, we reach Todra Gorge, where the 600-meter-tall cliffs are just 10 meters apart. We’ll leave Todra and drive through a variety of Berber villages on way to Tinjdad, where we’ll have lunch (or, if you want, you may continue on to Rissani, where you can have the local specialty, Berber Pizza, if you arrive before noon).
After lunch, we go to Merzouga to check into a hotel and store our luggage. We traverse the Erg Chebbi dunes on camels until we reach a Berber camp. These sand dunes are 20 kilometers in length and between 5 and 8 kilometers in breadth, making them the highest in all of North Africa. The setting is unique and diverse. We take a 1 hour and 30 minute camel ride from the hotel to the camp, where we retain our nomadic Berber identity. The dunes themselves offered part of the required infrastructure, so we added a restaurant and kitchen to our three Berber tents. We provide bedding, including beds, blankets, and pillows, for the tents. When the sun sets over the desert, we all congregate around the fire and listen to some music, with Berber drums.
Day 5: Merzouga area, culture and tradition
We plan to spend the day learning about the local nomads, lakes, and wildlife in Erg Chebbi, since there is so much to see and do there. We drink tea and listen to the soothing sounds of Gnawa music in Khamlia, the black community. Perhaps we will have lunch at a hotel or a picnic among some Tamarix trees. In the late afternoon, you may unwind at the campsite while listening to live music performed by local musicians and watching the sun set over the horizon as the stars appear.
Day 6 : Merzouga - Ouarzazate
You will be awoken early in order to climb the sand dunes before sunrise in order to get stunning photographs. After leaving the hotel and getting cleaned up, we will begin our journey to Ouarzazate through Alnif, Tazzarine, Nkob, and the Draa Valley. We will spend the night at a guesthouse in Ouarzazate.
Day 7 : Ouarzazate - Marrakech
Following breakfast, we will depart for Marrakech, traveling through the magnificent High Atlas Mountains, and drop you off at your riad or hotel.
Day 8: Transfer to the airport
Today, the 8 and last day of your 8-day trip from Marrakech to Merzouga that started in Marrakech, we will end up with a transfer to the airport.
Included In This Tour:
- Pickup And Drop off from your Hotel/Riad
- Professional English/Spanish Guide
- Private vehicle with A/C
- Fuel
- Camel ride in the Sahara desert
- Overnight in the desert camp.
- Accommodation in Boumalne Dades, Merzouga, and Ouarzazate hotel.
- 3 dinners & 7 breakfasts.
Excluded In This Tour:
- Drinks
- Lunches
- Tips [Optional]
- Entrance fees to museums and attractions.
Note: If you do not find the desired activities, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for any questions, requests, recommendations, or changes. Please do not hesitate to contact us by email or telephone; we are always ready to help to create an itinerary that meets your preferences and specifications.
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