It can be done in reverse, starting with Essaouira, and adjusted in length and accommodation. It's private: no groups and no fixed dates.
7 days · 6 nights · from Marrakech to Marrakech
Menara Airport → Marrakech
Pickup at Marrakech-Menara Airport at your flight's arrival time and transfer to your riad in the heart of the medina. The rest of the day is free to rest. If you feel like it, you can take a first walk through the nearby alleys and have dinner on Jemaa el-Fna square, which fills with food stalls and people as the evening comes on.
Overnight: riad in the medina · Marrakech
Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka · Telouet · Aït Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate
Departure at 9:00 a.m. in a private vehicle to cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 m (7,415 ft), with stops to photograph the Berber villages. A scenic detour leads to the kasbah of Telouet, with time for lunch in the village. In the afternoon you'll head down the Ounila Valley, past adobe houses, to Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage ksar and the setting for films such as Gladiator. Arrival in Ouarzazate.
Overnight: hotel, with dinner · Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate → Draa Valley · Nkob → Merzouga
After breakfast, the road follows the Draa Valley, one of the longest rivers in Morocco, with stops at the adobe kasbahs and Berber villages along the way. After lunch in Nkob or Alnif, it's about two more hours to the dunes of Merzouga. There you'll leave the car behind and ride into the erg by camel to watch the sunset. Dinner and the night at camp, in camel-hair tents like those the nomads use.
Overnight: tent at the desert camp · Erg Chebbi
Merzouga → Rissani · Erfoud · Todra → Dades Gorges
Breakfast and farewell to the desert. In Rissani you'll visit the market if it falls on a market day (Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday), and in Erfoud there's a chance to see a fossil marble workshop. Past the palm groves of Touroug and Tinejdad, you'll reach the Todra Gorges, with sheer walls carved by the river, and have time for lunch and a half-hour walk. In the afternoon, a stop at the Monkey Fingers rocks of Boumalne before reaching the Dades.
Overnight: hotel, with dinner · Dades Gorges
Dades → Skoura · Ouarzazate · Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech
In the morning, one of the best viewpoints over the Dades Valley and its kasbahs. You'll continue along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, stopping in the Valley of Roses and the Skoura palm grove, to Ouarzazate. There you'll visit the Taourirt Kasbah, the former residence of the Glaoui, and, if you're interested, the film studios and cinema museum. In the afternoon, the drive back to Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka, arriving around 6:00 p.m.
Overnight: riad in the medina · Marrakech
Marrakech → Essaouira
After breakfast, the drive to Essaouira, the old Mogador, on the Atlantic coast. Its walled medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been a crossroads of cultures and religions for centuries, and it's easy to explore on foot. The afternoon is yours to walk through the souks, look out from the sea walls, and discover the medina at your own pace.
Overnight: riad · Essaouira
Essaouira → Marrakech → airport
A free morning in Essaouira to walk the medina and the harbor, and have grilled fish at the stalls next to the boats. If you prefer, we can arrange a tour with a local guide. In the afternoon, the drive back toward Marrakech, with an optional stop at a women's cooperative that makes argan oil, and transfer to the airport in time for your flight. End of our services.
Transfer included · any time
We’ll adapt it to your dates, your pace and the style of accommodation you prefer.
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“Every journey starts with a conversation.”