7-Day Tour from Agadir: the Sahara, the Draa Valley & Marrakech
7 days · 6 nightsAgadir → Merzouga → MarrakechEasyPrivate
A week through the south: the Anti-Atlas, the kasbahs and gorges, two nights in our camp in Erg Chebbi, the oases of the Draa and a guided day in Marrakech.
Starting from your hotel in Agadir, this tour discovers the most beautiful landscapes of southern Morocco without rushing: the red walls of Taroudant, the saffron fields, the road of the kasbahs, the Dades gorge and two nights in the dunes.
The return goes through the volcanic Saghro and the palm groves of the Draa to Marrakech, where the last day is dedicated to a guided visit of the red city.
Highlights
Taroudant and the saffron of Taliouine
Skoura and the Dades gorge
Two nights in our desert camp
Nkob and the Draa valley
Guided day in Marrakech
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.
Day 4
A second day in the Sahara: free day in the dunes and second night in our camp
Today there is no car waiting for you: the whole day belongs to the desert. After the sunrise and a slow breakfast in the camp, you can climb the highest dune nearby, the Big Dune, for a view over the whole sea of sand and, on clear days, the Algerian border. Many guests choose a sandboarding session on the soft slopes, a visit to a nomad family who live with their goats and camels in the hamada, or a quad or buggy ride with our guides. Others simply rest in the shade of the lounge tent with a book and endless mint tea, listening to the silence. In the late afternoon a short camel ride takes you to a crest for another sunset, and the evening brings a new dinner cooked in the camp, drums around the fire and, if the moon allows it, a short stargazing session with your guide. Second night in your private tent with 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.
Day 6
Agdz – Ouarzazate – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech
After a walk at dawn in the palm grove of the Draa, when the farmers go to water their gardens, we cross the Tizi n'Tinifift pass, with its wide views over the black mountains, and arrive in Ouarzazate. If you did not see it on the way out, we stop at Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified village of earth classified by UNESCO, and climb to its granary for the view. Then the road climbs into the High Atlas through the valley of the Ounila, with its terraces and villages of red earth, to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres. On the north side the mountains turn green, with forests of pines and junipers, walnut trees and Berber villages. We descend to the plain of Marrakech and arrive in the late afternoon at your riad or hotel, in time to enjoy the evening on the Jemaa el Fna square.
Day 7
Marrakech: guided visit of the red city
A day to discover Marrakech with a licensed local guide. We start at the Koutoubia mosque, whose 77-metre minaret has been the symbol of the city since the 12th century, and walk to the Saadian tombs, hidden for centuries behind a wall, and the Bahia palace, with its gardens, painted ceilings and courtyards decorated with zellige. Then we go through the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter with its spice market, and into the souks, where each alley has its craftsmen: dyers, blacksmiths, leather workers and carpet sellers. In the afternoon, your driver takes you to the Majorelle garden, the blue garden of Yves Saint Laurent, full of cactus and bamboo, and to the palm grove. Evening free to enjoy a dinner on a terrace facing Jemaa el Fna. Night in your riad.
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
Visit to a nomad family
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.
