Errachidia and its airport are located in a strategic place for the ‘assault’ on the spectacular south of Morocco. And to discover the most special of its landscapes and its people, only 4 days are needed. With this circuit from Errachidia through the desert and the Todra Gorges, you will travel through places where the human being occupies the humble place that corresponds to him in the world, respecting and adapting to nature and its multiple faces. Do you dare to discover it?
The Sahara desert, and especially the dunes of Erg Chebbi, have a natural attraction that needs no introduction. Its fine golden sand that forms gentle undulations, the magical color of the sky at sunset, sunrise and nightfall, the silence and stillness that invades everything… All this makes it an essential corner in the logbook of any self-respecting traveler.
But on this 4-day circuit from Errachidia, the desert is not the only space of natural beauty, far from it. Oases will also appear before our eyes, which arise thanks to the miracle of water, as occurs in the Dades Valley. Or rocky canyons of unlikely shapes, as in the Todra Gorges. Or imposing mountains whose peaks exceed 4,000 meters above sea level, snowy in many sections of the year.
In addition to the wild nature, there is another pillar that sustains this 4-day circuit from Errachidia to the desert and the Todra Gorges: the human factor. Although it seems a hostile environment to live in, there are people who display a sensational humility and resilience to get ahead. And what is more admirable: carrying out traditional activities.
We will verify this by visiting different communities established in the depths of the desert, where they still preserve folk music from yesteryear and economic activities based on nomadism. A whole life lesson to take note of and draw conclusions upon returning home.
4 days and 3 nights, from Errachidia to Marrakech, by road in a comfortable private vehicle. These are the basic elements of this circuit, whose stages are developed as follows:
Our services will begin at the Errachidia airport or at the agreed place in this city: we will pick you up with our comfortable vehicle to start a road route that offers great emotions from the beginning.
Taking the southern direction, we will travel the middle and lower section of the Ziz Valley: this river, which is born in the Middle Atlas, is dying as it approaches the Sahara desert. But in that slow and humble course, different places of interest will appear before our eyes. For example, Erfoud, a city famous for its wealth of fossils and minerals, which act as a tourist attraction for travelers who come here.
Or Merzouga, a small town that gives its name to the most beautiful sector of the desert in Morocco. With the immensity of the desert in front of us and in a charming hotel-kasbah, this first day will conclude, which will have served as acclimatization for the strong emotions that will arrive from the next day.
The second day of this circuit will make us feel like authentic desert nomads, as the program foresees precisely that: a route through stony tracks, used until recently by the Paris-Dakar Rally, which will take us through surprising corners and communities of people who have a lot to offer.
The first to come out to meet us will be the inhabitants of Khamlia, popularly known as ‘village of the blacks’, as many of them are proud descendants of former slaves from the other side of the Sahara. That is why their gnawa music, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco, is inspired by tribal rhythms based on percussion and group songs. A performance by these timeless artists will serve to earn our admiration.
After that, we will head to another area of the desert, passing through old kohl mines, exploited on a large scale in the times of the French Protectorate, a period from which other vestiges still remain in this area. In the highest points of the route, the panoramic views of the surroundings will be worthy of a photo. Especially when our eyes rest on the spectacular sand dunes of Erg Chebbi.
But before entering that immense field of golden sand, we will visit some nomadic families who, despite being in the process of settling down, continue to maintain the customs of their ancestors. They will open the doors of their home and tell us how they manage to survive in such a remote place as this.
In the afternoon, we will arrive at Merzouga, where we will park our all-terrain vehicle to climb on the backs of dromedaries (one per person), with which we will reach the heart of the Erg Chebbi dunes, previously contemplated. Inside, away from the worldly noise, is the Berber tent camp that will welcome us for this night.
Here, gathered in front of a bonfire and with a tea in hand, we will spend the end of the day and a typical Berber dinner will be served. To rest, the jaimas or traditional canvas tents will be our home for one night, under the watchful eye of the stars of the firmament, which do not find here the obstacle of artificial light or clouds.
Despite everything that the desert has already offered so far, there will still be something more. For many, the most magical and exciting: the sunrise over the dunes. To contemplate it, it will be worth getting up early and seeing how the sky lights up and the color of the sand changes, filling the shadows of the terrain with light.
All this will happen before breakfast and our return by dromedary to Merzouga, where we can take a refreshing shower to continue the route. Back on the road, the route now turns west, towards Dades Valley and Todra Gorges: this gorge, surprising for the narrowness of the space that remains between its vertical walls, is one of the ‘temples’ for climbers from all over the world, and also a beautiful place to take a very Instagrammable walk.
After visiting this unique natural space, we will return to the Dades Valley to stop in one of its small towns and settle in a charming riad: in it you will dine and rest peacefully on this last night of the circuit.
On this fourth and last day of the circuit, we will leave the Dades Valley, also passing through the suggestive (and colorful in spring) Valley of the Roses. And we will discover why this route is called “the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs”: here there is a large concentration of Berber castles and fortresses made of adobe. And although many of them are in a ruined state, others are well preserved and are even visitable.
An example of this is the kasbah of Taourirt, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate. It was one of the bastions of the El Glaoui family, whose power was comparable to that of the feudal lords of medieval times in Europe. Although its exterior architecture is severe and impregnable, its interior contrasts with the delicacy of the decoration in ceramics and plaster, combining the best of Arab and Berber traditions.
After your visit, it will be time to start the ascent to the port of Tizi n’Tichka, a natural pass of the High Atlas (2,260 meters above sea level) and, for that reason, a magnificent place from which to contemplate the highest sector of this mountain range. After that, the descent will be pleasant, between valleys and Berber villages, to arrive shortly after in Marrakech.
Here our services will end, being able to choose as the final point the Menara airport, the Marrakech station or any other point in the city, such as a hotel. But we will say goodbye with the hope that, in reality, it will be a “see you next time” route with us.
For this circuit to take place safely and comfortably, the travel package includes the following services:
The services and concepts indicated below are not included, so their choice and/or inclusion is at the discretion of the client:
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