5 days · 4 nightsAgadir → Merzouga → AgadirEasyPrivate
From the beaches of Agadir to the dunes of the Sahara: Taroudant, the saffron of Taliouine, the kasbahs, the gorges, a night in our camp and the Draa valley.
If you are on holiday in Agadir, the Sahara is closer than it seems. This loop of five days takes you inland through the valley of the Souss and the Anti-Atlas, a region few tourists see, and then along the great valleys of the south to the dunes of Merzouga.
The return follows a different road, through the oases of the Draa valley and its ancient kasbahs, so you never drive the same kilometre twice. A perfect break from the beach, with a private driver, comfortable guesthouses and a night in our camp in Erg Chebbi.
Highlights
The red walls of Taroudant
Saffron fields of Taliouine
Dades valley and Todra gorge
Sunset camel ride and night in our camp
Palm groves and kasbahs of the Draa valley
Day by day
Day 1
Agadir – Taroudant – Taliouine – Ouarzazate
We pick you up at your hotel in Agadir in the morning and drive east through the fertile valley of the Souss, a sea of orange groves and argan trees. Our first stop is Taroudant, often called 'the little Marrakech', surrounded by seven kilometres of red earth walls; you can walk in its two souks, quieter and more authentic than those of the big cities. The road then climbs into the Anti-Atlas between the Jebel Siroua and the Jebel Toubkal to Taliouine, the capital of saffron: at a cooperative you learn how the precious red threads are picked by hand from the crocus flowers, and you can taste saffron tea. We cross the high plateaus, with their villages of stone, and arrive in Ouarzazate in the late afternoon. Dinner and night in a kasbah hotel.
Day 2
Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of Roses – Dades gorge
In the morning you visit the kasbah of Taourirt in Ouarzazate, the former palace of the Glaoui family, with its maze of rooms, courtyards and decorated ceilings, or the film studios where films like Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven were shot. Then we take the road of the kasbahs to Skoura, a large palm grove where earth castles rise among the palm trees, olive trees and pomegranates. We continue to Kalaat M'Gouna, in the Valley of Roses, where in spring the whole valley smells of roses and the women gather the petals to make rose water. In the afternoon we enter the Dades gorge: we stop at the rock formations called 'monkey fingers' and drive up the famous zigzag road for the view. Dinner and night in a guesthouse in the gorge.
Day 3
Dades – Todra gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga, camel ride and night in our camp
After breakfast we drive to Tinghir and its immense palm grove, and walk into the Todra gorge, where the canyon narrows between orange walls 300 metres high and the river runs clear over the stones. We continue east across the desert plateaus, where the landscape becomes flat, wide and silent, to Erfoud, the town of dates and fossils, and finally to Merzouga. In the late afternoon your cameleer meets you at the edge of the dunes of Erg Chebbi. The caravan walks slowly into the sea of sand as the light turns gold, and stops on a high dune for the sunset before arriving at our camp. Dinner of soup, salads and tajine, Berber drums around the fire and a sky with thousands of stars. Night in a private tent with bed and bathroom.
Wake up for the sunrise over the dunes, a moment of complete silence, then breakfast and the camel ride back to Merzouga. Today we take the southern road, less travelled and very beautiful. We pass Rissani and drive west to Alnif, where the rocks are full of trilobite fossils, and along the volcanic mountains of the Jebel Saghro to Nkob, a village with dozens of kasbahs on a hill, many of them restored as small guesthouses. In the afternoon we reach the Draa valley, the longest river in Morocco, lined for a hundred kilometres by palm trees and ancient earth villages. At Agdz we visit the kasbah of Tamnougalt, where the local chiefs once lived, and walk through the palm grove among irrigation channels and gardens. Dinner and night in a kasbah guesthouse.
On the last day we cross the Jebel Bani pass, with a wide view over the Draa valley, and return to Ouarzazate. If you did not see Ait Ben Haddou on the way out, we can make a detour of an hour to visit the famous ksar before continuing. The road then follows the high plateaus of the Anti-Atlas back to Taliouine and down into the valley of the Souss, where the argan trees reappear, often with goats climbing in their branches. After a last stop in Taroudant for a mint tea under its red walls, we arrive in Agadir in the late afternoon and your driver leaves you at your hotel, just in time for a sunset by the ocean.
Included
Private air-conditioned vehicle
Local driver-guide
Pick-up and drop-off at your riad, hotel or airport
Nights in riads, kasbahs and guesthouses
Dinners and breakfasts
Camel ride with cameleer
Night in our desert camp in Erg Chebbi
Not included
Lunches
Local guides in the cities (on request)
Entrance fees to monuments
Tips
Good to know
Pick-up between 7:00 and 8:00 at your riad, hotel, airport or port. Bring a small bag for the desert night: big luggage stays in the vehicle. Hotels can be upgraded on request.
No payment is needed to book: you pay on arrival in cash (dirhams or euros). Free changes if the weather is not good.
Questions
Are the tours private?
Yes. Only your group travels in the vehicle, with your own driver, and the program can be adapted.
Where do the tours start?
Wherever you are: your riad or hotel in Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Ouarzazate, Errachidia or Essaouira, or the airport or port when you land.
Which camp do we sleep in?
In our own camp in Erg Chebbi, with private tents, bathrooms with hot shower, dinner and breakfast, and Berber music by the fire.
Can I change the itinerary?
Yes, every tour is private and flexible: add nights in the desert, a quad or buggy ride, a different finishing city or better hotels. Just tell us when you write.
