6-Day Tour from Essaouira to the Sahara and Marrakech
6 days · 5 nightsEssaouira → Merzouga → MarrakechEasyPrivate
From the Atlantic to the dunes: the argan forest, the High Atlas, Ait Ben Haddou, the gorges, a night in our camp, the Draa valley and Marrakech.
Essaouira is the favourite town of many travellers in Morocco, with its white medina, its port and its ocean wind. This tour starts there and takes you to the other face of the country: the mountains, the kasbahs of the south and the great dunes of Merzouga.
In six days you cross the argan forest and the High Atlas, sleep in Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades valley, our camp in Erg Chebbi and the Draa valley, and finish in Marrakech, where you can stay or take your flight home.
Highlights
Argan forest and its tree-climbing goats
Ait Ben Haddou at sunset
Dades valley and Todra gorge
Night in our camp in Erg Chebbi
Draa valley and arrival in Marrakech
Day by day
Day 1
Essaouira – argan forest – Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Ait Ben Haddou
We pick you up at your riad in Essaouira early in the morning and drive inland through the argan forest, where you may see goats perched in the branches of the trees, and stop at a women's cooperative to taste argan oil and amlou, the local spread of almonds and honey. We go around Marrakech and climb into the High Atlas, through Berber villages and valleys of walnut trees, to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres. On the other side the mountains turn red and dry, and in the afternoon we reach Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified village of earth classified by UNESCO. You climb through its alleys to the old granary at the top as the walls glow in the late light. Dinner and night in a kasbah hotel facing the ksar.
Day 2
Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of Roses – Dades
A day among the kasbahs of the south. We pass Ouarzazate, where you can visit the kasbah of Taourirt or the film studios, and stop in the palm grove of Skoura, a green oasis full of earth castles, to visit the kasbah of Amridil. We follow the valley of the Dades river to Kalaat M'Gouna, famous for its roses, which bloom in late April and May and are used to make rose water and perfumes. In the afternoon we enter the Dades gorge, where the river has carved red cliffs and rocks with rounded shapes, and drive up the zigzag road to the viewpoint. You can walk along the river among the fields of wheat, almond trees and fig trees before dinner. 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 walk into the Todra gorge, a canyon of orange rock so narrow that in some places the sun only reaches the bottom for a few hours a day. We cross the desert plateaus to Erfoud and arrive in Merzouga in the afternoon, where the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise suddenly from the flat black desert. Your cameleer is waiting with the caravan. You ride into the dunes as the sun goes down, stop on a crest to watch the sand turn red and violet, and arrive at our camp at nightfall. Dinner is served in the dining tent, followed by Berber music and drums around the fire. Night in your private tent with a real bed and bathroom, in the deep silence of the Sahara.
Watch the sunrise from the top of the dunes, have breakfast in the camp and ride back to Merzouga. Before leaving, we visit a nomad family in the hamada for a last tea in the desert. Then we take the southern road through Rissani and across the stony desert to Alnif, a village of fossil hunters, and along the foot of the Jebel Saghro, whose black volcanic peaks are one of the wildest landscapes of Morocco. We stop in Nkob, the village of the 45 kasbahs, and arrive in the afternoon in the Draa valley at Agdz. A walk in the palm grove and a visit of the kasbah of Tamnougalt, where some scenes of famous films were shot, end the day. Dinner and night in a guesthouse in the oasis.
Day 5
Agdz – Ouarzazate – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech
We leave the Draa valley over the Tizi n'Tinifift pass and arrive in Ouarzazate, then climb once more into the High Atlas. The road over the Tizi n'Tichka offers new views in the morning light, with stops at the viewpoints and in a Berber village for tea. We descend to the plain and arrive in Marrakech in the early afternoon. Your driver takes you to your riad in the medina, and you have the rest of the day to explore the souks and the Jemaa el Fna square, which fills at sunset with musicians, storytellers, acrobats and food stalls, a show that has gone on for centuries. Night in a riad in Marrakech.
Day 6
Marrakech: guided visit and end of the tour
On the last morning a licensed local guide shows you the essential Marrakech: the Koutoubia mosque and its gardens, the Bahia palace with its courtyards and painted ceilings, the Saadian tombs, decorated with Italian marble and carved cedar, and the alleys of the souks, where each craft has its own street. You can end the visit in the Majorelle garden, the blue garden once owned by Yves Saint Laurent. In the afternoon your driver takes you to the airport for your flight, back to Essaouira if you wish, or leaves you at your riad if you are staying longer in Marrakech. End of our services.
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.
