8-Day South Of Moroccos

Day 1: WELCOME TO MARRAKECH

Upon arrival at the Marrakech airport, you will be greeted by an English-speaking assistant to provide you with all the necessary information for your stay in the city and accompany you in the transfer to the hotel in one of our private vehicles and help you with registration. The rest of the day will be to relax and enjoy the city at your own pace.

Marrakech is one of the most important cities in Morocco and one of the four imperial cities along with Meknes, Fez and Rabat. Founded in 1062, it was one of the country’s capitals and has the largest traditional market in the region and one of the busiest squares on the continent and in the world.

Day 2: MARRAKECH – KASBAH TELOUET – VALLEE D’OUNILA – KSAR AIT BENHADDOU – OUARZAZATE

After an exquisite breakfast we will leave early for Ouarzazate (the door of the desert) along the main road that passes through the highest mountain pass in North Africa, the Tizi-n-Tichka (2260 meters), we will pass through incredible landscapes dotted with small towns and vegetation. We will visit the Kasbah of Telouet, which is located on the old caravan route to the Sahara, and which belonged to one of the most powerful families in the country before the independence of the protectorate and was forgotten and abandoned since the independence of Morocco.

Then we will go to the Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, an old obligatory stop for camel caravans, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Considered the most impressive ksar (fortified city) in southern Morocco and the best preserved in the country, which as the sun shines takes on different shades of red depending on the time of day. It has also served as the setting for numerous films.

Finally we will arrive to Ouarzazate, which was a small commercial point in the journey of African merchants to reach the north of Morocco and Europe. During the French colonial period it served as a supply city, administrative center, customs office and base for the French aviation. The most important film studios in Morocco (Atlas Studios), the largest in the world, are also located here. You will visit the city of Ouarzazate panoramically and rest with a photo session in front of the Kasbah of Taourirt, also a World Heritage Site.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: OUARZAZATE – TINGHIR – ERFOUD – MERZOUGA

After a typical and tasty Moroccan breakfast we will leave for Tinghir passing through “the route of the kasbahs”, a series of adobe fortresses with battlemented towers made of raw brick located in a spectacular landscape where the desert and the mountains meet, passing through the palm grove of “Skoura”, an oasis with more than 700,000 palm trees that stands out in the arid plateau of the Dades Valley that you will visit briefly. Next we will arrive at Tinghir, which stands out for being one of the most beautiful landscapes of the trip with “the Todra Gorges”, one of the most spectacular rocky canyons in the world, a place of great reputation among climbers.

Then we will go to Erfoud to enter the desert, where the road will get harder and the towns you will pass through will be more authentic as you enter the domain of the people of the desert. Erfoud is considered the gateway to the desert and is an old trading center where countless fossils can be found. From here everything will be a dirt track until you reach the desert of Merzouga, where you will stay in our Berber camp under a sky full of stars like you have never seen in your live.

Dinner and accommodation in Berber tents.

Day 4: MERZOUGA – KHAMLIA VILLAGE – ZAGORA

We will wake up early to take a short walk and watch the incredible sunrise from the dunes of the Merzouga desert. Later we will return to the camp to have our nutritious breakfast and begin your adventure in the desert and learn about life in these latitudes.

We will go on a trip through the dunes of Erg Chebbi, which reach an astonishing height of 150 meters. You will cross small towns and oases until you reach Khamlia, a small town inhabited by the ethnic minority of the “Gnawa”, very hospitable, whose ancestors go back to the black slaves brought to sub-Saharan Africa. A mystical sect of healer musicians who practice ritual possession ceremonies of spirits and who stand out for their spiritual music (Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO), the old mines of Mifiss, exploited during the French protectorate from which it was mainly extracted lead and today a little abandoned and small fossil deposits.

After our adventure through the deep desert we will leave for Zagora enjoying fantastic desert landscapes dotted with Berber villages until you reach Rissani, cradle of the current dynasty (Alawite dynasty) and an old commercial center in which its market and its famous donkey parking stand out. They´ll show you an authentic Morocco that has several monuments of interest. It is located in the great palm grove of Ziz, formed by kilometers of palm trees that make up this valley that runs along the river of the same name. Here you will visit the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherfi (with a monumental door, covered in green ceramics and crowned by a dome), founder of the Alahuite dynasty and which is located in a large square next to the Ksar Aber, a 19th century fortress.

Dinner and accommodation in Zagora.

Day 5: VALLE DEL DRAA – OUARZAZATE – MARRAKECH

We will get up at dawn to see the sunrise over the dunes. You can return by camel to Zagora and from there you will travel by car to Ouarzazate. We´ll visit Kasbah Taourirt, which in other times used to be the residence of the pasha (title similar to governor or king) of Marrakech, built in adobe with battlemented towers. Here we will visit the former quarters of Pacha el Glaoui, who received his title for his service in the civil war. Then, we will enjoy an exquisite meal in a traditional Moroccan restaurant. After the visit, you will begin the return to the city of Marrakech.

Day 6: DISCOVERING MARRAKECH

After a delicious breakfast, we will begin your visit to the city of Marrakech, you will start with the Menara Gardens, on the outskirts of the city. It´s a 14-hectare park in the center of which is an immense 12th-century pond. Later you will go to the city center to see the majestic Koutoubia minaret, twin tower of the Giralda in Seville. You will also visit the Bahia Palace built in the 19th century.

In the afternoon you will continue with a visit to the Majorelle Garden, designed in 1924 on behalf of the French painter Jacques Majorelle, who fell in love with the city and built a chalet and a botanical garden in which he planted a wide variety of trees and plants from multiple sources. In 1980 the designer Yves Saint Laurent and his friend Pierre Bergé bought the estate and restored the chalet and garden. To complete your tour you will make a stop at the Yemaa el Fna Square (Assembly of the People), declared a World Heritage Site. In the morning we will find sellers of orange juice and other fruit, wicker baskets, souvenirs, sweets, jewelry, dentists, healers, commissioned writers. This universe becomes particularly fascinating at nightfall, when the square is lit up with a thousand lights.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Marrakech.

Day 7: MARRAKECH DAY OFF

After a fabulous breakfast we will enjoy a free day in Marrakech with half board at the hotel. You can walk at your own pace and enjoy the magic that the city offers. The wonderful Yemaa el Fna Square, its souk, separated by guilds where you can spend the whole day without getting bored, visit a hamman or enjoy the exquisite cuisine.

Day 8: GOODBYE MARRAKECH!

After an exquisite breakfast and at the agreed time, we will be transferred to the Airport of Marrakech.

Have a good trip! Or, as you can say yourself, “Rihlat saeida!”