8-Day Cultural and Desert Tour from Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou and Chefchaouen

The driver will pick you up from the airport of Marrakech up to your arrival time and transfer you to the Riad. You'll have the afternoon to relax while exploring the main square Jemaa el Fnaa and the souks. Overnight in standard accommodation

Overnight in the Hotel in Marrakech

Today at 8 am, you will have a private guided walking tour of Marrakech Medina with an official guide from Marrakech. You will see the famous Mosque of Koutoubia, the Medina, and its souks, and explore some more of Marrakech’s secrets: Ali Ben Youssef Koranic school, the Saadian tombs.

When you will finish, you will meet with your driver and depart to the High Atlas, a subrange of Moroccan Atlas Mountains, going through Tizi N´Tichka pass with stops for panoramic views and taking pictures of the Berber small villages that camouflage in the landscape.

Then we continue south to the ksar (fortified village) of Aït Ben Haddou where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). Famous films have been shot in this spectacular stage, including Gladiator, Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile, and Sahara with Penelope Cruz…etc. Then we continue to Ouarzazate also known as “The gate of the desert” that in the Berber language means “noiseless or without confusion”.

Here we´ll see the Taourirt kasbah, one of the most spectacular ksars in Morocco and check into your hotel/riad. Overnight in standard accommodation

Breakfast in the Hotel

Dinner in the Hotel

Overnight in the Hotel in Ouarzazate

After breakfast, we will start our trip to reach Merzouga desert. We will pass Rose Valley going through the big Skoura palm grove, a beautiful place to contemplate more than 700.000 palms and numerous kasbahs that are built in the surrounding area. In this Valley damascenes, roses are raised for cosmetic use such as the valued rosewater.

Later we reach the Dades valley where you can see the amazing rock formation “the monkey toes”, and the still-standing 19thcentury Kasbah of Ait Yul. Leaving the Dades valley towards Tinrghir and after some stops on the way, we´ll reach the Todra Gorges. The scenery is spectacular. At the Gorge, you’ll walk under the 300m high red cliff, where many rock-climbers come to enjoy their preferred sport. Local people live in the area and can be seen in their adobe villages.

After a short walk in the Todra gorges continuing our trip to Erfoud and Rissani where we’ll have lunch and afterwards we’ll leave for the village of Merzouga,In the afternoon get ready for a camel trek for an hour to enjoy the sunset. While on the back of your dromedary, you will continue to the camp. Dinner and spend the night in a bivouac tent in the middle of the dunes. Overnight in standard desert camp

Breakfast in the Hotel

Dinner in Berber camp in Merzouga Desert

Overnight in the Camp in Berber Tente Merzouga Desert

Very early in the morning, we have a “Date with the sunrise”. In the middle of the desert, waking up early is a “must-do” to contemplate the most spectacular sunrise you´ve ever seen at the top of a dune close to the camp

After having breakfast, we return to Merzouga on the camels and we start our trip to the north, through the Tafilalet palm grove, the biggest in the world. You´ll see thousands of palm trees along the 20km of road. This way leads us to the Ziz valley, which river comes down from the high Atlas and feeds the palm grove. Here we make a stop and from this high viewpoint, enjoy a magnificent view of the valley and the town of Aoufous. We make another stop in Midelt, just in the heart of the Atlas where you´ll have free time for lunch and rest for a while

In the afternoon we continue our way through the Cedar forest where, if we are lucky, we´ll see some monkeys. The next place we´ll visit is the city of Ifrane, situated in the northwestern slope of the Middle Atlas at 1630 meters above the water level. Its broad avenues, its urban development with perfect cleanness, the gardens, the green areas, and its architecture make this city look like a Swiss town. Ifrane feels misplaced in Morocco. That's why it´s named the Moroccan Switzerland, and if that´s not enough it has an important ski resort, Michlifen

About 6 pm we arrive at Fez and check into the riad. Overnight in standard accommodation

Breakfast in berber camp in Merzouga sahara

Overnight in the Hotel in Fes

After breakfast, you will meet with a local tour guide to explore Fes, the most ancient and holy of the Imperial cities. Your cultural and historic walking tour will take you through the 2000-year-old living medina. A labyrinth of narrow streets, alive with markets and souks, craftsmen, donkeys and mules transporting their loads. Visit the Attarine and Bou Anania Medersas (Islamic universities), the Nejjarine fountain, the Moulay Idriss Mausoleum, the Karaouine Mosque and of course the Chouara tannery

Later you will meet with your driver and you will depart for the enchanting mountain village of Chefchaouen. A scenic drive will take you through fertile agricultural land to high, in the Rif Mountains. Chefchaouen is famous for its vivid blue houses. Overnight in standard accommodation

Breafast in the Hotel

Overnight in the Hotel in Chefchaouen

This morning you will have the opportunity to explore Chefchaouen with a stunning walled medina. Enjoy a walking tour through Chefchaouen’s cobbled medina, absorbing the Moorish and Spanish atmosphere. Admire the striking blue-and-white houses and visit the 18th-century kasbah, with its tower, garden, and museum. The main square is the heart of Chefchaouen and features a kasbah built in the 18th century, a central mosque, and cafés with authentic Moroccan menus.The town itself is easy to explore. Although the old medina is small, and you’ll find souks offering an array of goods. Afterward, we will depart for Rabat, the capital of Morocco

You will explore the Imperial City of Rabat, including the Mechouar (the ramparts and walls surrounding the Royal Palace), the majestic Mohammed V Mausoleum, the Hassan Tower and the Oudaya Kasbah overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and offering fabulous views. Continuing to Casablanca where you will check into your accommodation

Overnight in the Hotel in Casablanca

Berakfast in the hotel

Overnight in the Hotel in Casablanca Centre Ville

After breakfast, you will visit the impressive Mosque of Hassan II, built-in 1993 by a team of over 6000 craftsmen. Located on the shores of the city it is an imposing edifice and one of the few mosques in Morocco that foreigners are allowed to enter.

Later we depart for Marrakech via highway. Check into your accommodation. In the afternoon the best option is to explore the medina on your own. Overnight in standard accommodation

Breakfast in the Hotel

Overnight in the Hotel in Marrakech

The driver will pick you up from your accommodation up to your departure time, transfer to the airport of Marrakech and this is the end of our services

Breakfast in the hotel

No accommodation included on this day.