An 8- Day Adventure - Including 2 nights camping in the Sahara
The Dunes & Kasbahs of Morocco. Start and end in Marrakech
Compare with Start Marrakech and end in Casablanca

Click here for the 11 Days with a seaside stay in Essaouira

Explore the historic kasbahs (fortresses) and natural alpine beauty of southern Morocco's mighty High Atlas Mountains on this 8 day tour to Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Erfoud, and Berber villages at the edge of the Sahara Desert. Compare with the daily arrival Version , or with a one night camping in the Sahara

This tour starts weekly on Sundays , year round

Day 1 - MARRAKECH - Sunday
Welcome to Marrakech! We escort you to your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure.

Arriving be Ferry Algeciras or from Gibraltar:
When you arrive by ferry to Tangiers , we'll meet you at the pier: Transfer and first class train ticket : Tangiers/ Marrakech , overnight , sleeper car, leaving Tangiers at 10:30 PM, arriving Marrakech 07:50 AM next day : Please add $115.00 Per person , to add a tour of Tangiers before you board the train, please add $40 per person .

DAY 2 - MARRAKECH TREKKING- Monday (BLD)
After breakfast in you hotel, leave to Amizmiz, 54 Kilometers from Marrakech. On the way you will see the Oumnast Kasbah then the Lalla Takerkoust Dam built between 1929 and 1935 with it man made lake. It will take you about an hour to reach Amizmiz , a typical Berber village , we tour the Kasbah and the "Mellah" (Jewish quarter). Every Tuesday an important country market is held, where all the villagers from the area come for their weekly shopping and gossiping. You can buy there interesting Regragra potteries. Your guide will welcome you in his home for a traditional Berber breakfast then you will start your hiking first through Sidi Hossein valley to reach Tizi Oughourane. On the way you will see picturesque landscapes of the Atlas mountains , Berber villages with their houses built in stone and earth. After a typical lunch accompanied by mint tea, you will come back to Amizimiz by a different itinerary and be transferred back to busy Marrakech by late afternoon. Remainder of the day at leisure. In the evening enjoy a delicious Dinner & music at a Moroccan restaurant.

DAY 3- OUARZAZATE- Tuesday (BLD)
This morning we take a closer look at Marrakech's most important historic and architectural wonders: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs and the Bahia Palace. In the afternoon we hit the road, climbing through striking alpine scenery into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing to the southeastern side of the range via the Tizi N'Tichka Pass (7415 feet). We descend to the Draa Valley, dotted with ancient kasbahs (fortified palaces), to the caravan-town of Ouarzazate at the edge of the mighty Sahara Desert.

DAY 4 - ZAGORA - Wednesday (BLD)
Starting bright and early, we traverse the Draa Valley with its six palm forests forming grand ribbons of greenery across the flat valley floor. Thanks to the proximity of the river, cereals, henna, vegetables, fruit and date palms are cultivated, either on the floor of the valley or on stepped terraces. We arrive in Zagora around noontime. After lunch, we change our mode of transportation to 4 wheel drive jeeps : on our camp site , we enjoy a one hour camel trek before sunset.
Dinner and overnight under the stars ( Camping - Bedouin Tent)

DAY 5 - ERFOUD, RISSANI & MERZOUGA/ Camp- Thursday (BLD)
Today it's off to Erfoud through a dramatic landscape of "regs" (rocky tables), small mountains and oases, each with its small Berber village. In the early afternoon we arrive in Rissani, the cradle of Morocco's royal Alaouite dynasty, to admire the exterior architecture of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, and to take a tour of the Abou Aam Ksar (fortified village). In the late afternoon we head out by camels to our camp sites and the golden dunes of Merzouga. Watch the sunset over the pastel-colored Saharan dunes, Dinner and overnight under the stars ( Camping - Bedouin Tent)

DAY 6 - TINERHIR, TODRA GORGE & OUARZAZATE- Friday (BLD)
Enjoy a pre sunrise camel ride to the Dunes to watch sunrise , then we change our mode of transportation and drive through the beautiful Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to Tinerhir. A former military outpost built on terraces above a magnificent palm grove, Tinerhir stands at the entrance to the Todra Gorge, framed by awesome thousand-foot-high cliffs which make you think that you're "at the ends of the Earth." From Tinerhir we proceed past a series of great kasbahs to Boumalne du Dades, a large town at the foot of the gorge to Skoura. Beyond Skoura, the desert palms give way to orchards and irrigated gardens. Roses are the specialty of El Kelaa des Mgouna. The rose oil is sent to Paris to be made into perfume by Yves Saint-Laurent. Do some "rose" shopping here--rose water, body milk, dried rose petals before returning to our hotel in Ouarzazate for the evening.

DAY 7- MARRAKECH - Saturday (BLD)
We drive back to Marrakech over the High Atlas, admiring the majesty of towering Djebel Toubkal (13,665 feet). In the afternoon, drive to the ancient Kasbah complex of Ait Ben Haddou , and impressive 11th century site that 's now declared as a historical treasure by the UNESCO. A photographer's wonderland, Ait Ben Haddou remains home to five families.

In Marrakech we tour the city by "caleche,"; the traditional horse-drawn carriage: a romantic first look at this fabled metropolis, discover Marrakech's teeming, labyrinthine souks (bazaars) with their hundreds of tiny little shops, and Djemaa El Fna square with its medieval circus atmosphere. In the evening we have a special treat: a Moroccan "fantasia" dinner served in tents, with a traditional folklore show.

DAY 8 - DEPARTURE- Sunday (B)
We escort you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage

Rates per person, In US $
Based on modest 4 stars and 3 stars outside of major cities

In Triple Occupancy :	US$ 2280.00
In Double Occupancy :	US$ 2295.00
In Single Occupancy :	US$ 3290.00

Your tour includes:

• Accommodation in , modest first class hotels, as shown in the table "Our Hotels;" all rooms with private bath. As well as Deluxe Tented camp .
  
  
• Domestic air ticket within Morocco .

• ALL Meals as indicated in the itinerary: Continental (cB) or full breakfast (B) daily; set-menu lunch (L); set-menu dinner (D)

• Transportation throughout by deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach

• Locally guided sightseeing tours by air conditioned private car/van or motor coach as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees.
  
  
• English speaking private driver escorting you all the way.

Your Hotels ( or similar)

• For upgrade to Jardin de La Medina boutique hotel in Marrakech or the new Sofitel with the Atlas Mountain's view , please add : $150 per person for the full stay in Marrakech.

• Tips.
• Travel Insurance ( Please ask for the flyer)
• Flights between JFK & Casablanca , please ask us about air fare on Royal Air Maroc or Air France

 

 

 

 

Henna party ( For ladies only ) :
One of the "insiders" excursions into Moroccan culture, a chance to attend a henna party, the painting of hands and body r with this natural red dye is a symbol of joy at weddings and regarded as a way to enhance one's beauty , if interested in attending a Henna party , please let's know in advance.

 

Luxury stay & Spa Experience at the new & luxurious Sofitel Essaouira

 

 

 

 

For the camp :
ACCOMMODATIONS: Two-person tents equipped with 4-inch (10 cm)-thick foam mattresses. (Participants at the single rate occupy the tent alone.)
For the one night in the Sahara we suggest list of things to bring:

• Thermal clothing, to use as sleeping wear, for tenting in the desert, where evenings and early morning can be quite chilly (particularly in October, April and May) . Polar fleece jacket or woolen sweater for early morning and late evening. Windbreaker. Long-sleeved shirts to cover your arms and shoulders from the intense sun.
  

• Sturdy jogging or walking shoes, well broken in (NOT brand new); lighter tennis or regular shoes; sandals for wear in camp and in your tent

• Linen or straw sunhat, visored cap and/or head scarf

• Good sun block cream or lotion

• Miscellaneous personal items:
  - good sunglasses with UV protection, in a sturdy case

  - spare pair of prescription glasses, if you wear glasses

  - pocket flashlight, with spare batteries and bulbs

  - insect repellent .

 

 

 

 

TRAVEL/MEDICAL INSURANCE:
Travel and medical insurance is not included in the rates. We will send you the necessary forms and information, upon request.
We highly recommend travel insurance for any trip that includes sailing , active sport, adventure ad Sahara.

For the camp : SANITARY FACILITIES:
To ensure your utmost comfort, showers /toilets are available