7-Day Morocco Desert Tour — Sahara, Kasbahs & Medina

Experience Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 — Agadir to Taroudant

   • ›Pickup at your hotel or the airport in Agadir (or about 3 hours from Marrakech).
   • ›About 1.5 hours of driving inland across the fruit farms of the green Souss Valley to Taroudant, often called the 'grandmother of Marrakech'.
   • ›The town was the capital of the Saadi dynasty in the 16th century, before they took Marrakech.
   • ›In the afternoon a guided walk along the city walls and through both markets — the Arab souk for spices, fruit and clothes, and the Berber souk for crafts, jewellery and rugs.
   • ›Free evening in the hotel or, optionally, a horse-drawn carriage ride before dinner.
2. 2

   Day 2 — Taroudant to Foum Zguid (via Taliouine & Tazenakht)

   • ›We drive east along the Souss River through the Anti-Atlas peaks of the Jbel Siroua.
   • ›We stop in Taliouine (at 1,500 m), Morocco's saffron capital, where the crocus sativus is grown and picked by hand every September and October.
   • ›A women's cooperative shows us how to tell good saffron, and we taste saffron tea.
   • ›The road then winds among argan trees to Tazenakht, famous for hand-woven Berber carpets made by tribal women.
   • ›After lunch, 1.5 hours to Foum Zguid, where you sleep in a boutique hotel set in an oasis with gardens and pool.
   • ›Optional: a carpet-weaving workshop or a short hike in the Anti-Atlas.
3. 3

   Day 3 — Foum Zguid to Erg Chigaga camp

   • ›Morning at the oasis with lunch at the hotel.
   • ›In the afternoon we begin a 3-hour off-road safari along the old Paris-Dakar rally route, across the dry salt flats of Lake Iriqui and the bare wilderness, until we reach the great dunes of Erg Chigaga at sunset.
   • ›Time for a camel ride, to climb the dunes or to try sandboarding.
   • ›Overnight in a comfortable bivouac camp with the Blue Men nomads.
   • ›The tents are made of camel wool, sleep up to 4 people, with proper beds.
   • ›After dinner, drum music and songs around the fire, stargazing in a clear sky.
4. 4

   Day 4 — Erg Chigaga to Ouarzazate via the Draa Valley

   • ›Early breakfast and a 2-hour drive in the 4x4 back to M'Hamid el Ghizlane, at the foot of the Draa Valley, where we stock up on water and snacks.
   • ›We then drive north through palm groves, across the Jbel Bani, to Tamegroute, famous for its green-glazed pottery, its Koranic school and its old library with hand-drawn manuscripts.
   • ›Lunch in Zagora in a street restaurant or a riad garden.
   • ›In the afternoon, scenic drive north along the Draa River, with palms on each side.
   • ›We visit either the 16th-century mud-brick ksar of Tissergate, still inhabited, or the kasbah of Tamnougalt, before reaching Ouarzazate.
   • ›Dinner and overnight in a hotel, riad or kasbah-style guesthouse.
5. 5

   Day 5 — Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou and Telouet

   • ›We drive north from Ouarzazate to the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, the strong mud-brick village that once controlled the spice caravans from the Sahara.
   • ›It was the film set for Lawrence of Arabia, Jewel in the Nile and Gladiator.
   • ›About 8 families still live in the kasbah, which goes back to the 17th century, and we walk up the narrow alleys to the granary on top.
   • ›We then take the less-travelled Ounila Valley road through mud-built Berber villages, with snowy peaks in winter and almond and wildflowers in spring, to Telouet and its restored Glaoui kasbah, with magnificent zellige mosaics, carved cedar ceilings and old reception rooms.
   • ›Lunch with valley views.
   • ›We cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, with dramatic scenery, then drop down to the Haouz plains and Marrakech.
   • ›Dinner and overnight in the medina.
6. 6

   Day 6 — Free day in Marrakech

   • ›A full free day to explore Marrakech on your own, or with an optional half-day local guide.
   • ›You can walk the souks of the medina, see the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Garden, take a horse-drawn carriage around the ramparts, or try a cooking class or a hammam treatment.
   • ›In the evening, dinner on Jemaa el-Fnaa square at one of the famous food stalls.
   • ›Overnight in the riad in the medina.
7. 7

   Day 7 — Marrakech departure

   • ›Check-out at midday and transfer to Marrakech airport for your departure flight.
   • ›On request, transfers to Agadir or Casablanca airport are also possible (about 3.5 hours each).
   • ›You can also choose to add another tour to your stay.

Know Before You Go