Desert, charming villages, large cities full of history, imposing mountains… Can anything else be added to a 12-day program? Yes: free time to enjoy the sea. All of this fits into this circular tour from Marrakech, through all of southern Morocco: the Atlantic Ocean in Essaouira, the deserts of Zagora and Merzouga, the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs through the Dades and Draa Valleys… Check the program and you will see that we leave nothing behind. And also, you will enjoy it as a private trip, booking directly on the Tenere Tours website.
The Sahara Desert extends, at its western end, to Morocco. And on this trip we will travel through two of the most spectacular sectors. The first, that of Merzouga, famous because in its heart are located the dunes of Erg Chebbi. And the second, that of Zagora, a town that the Timbuktu – Marrakech caravan route put on the map. And between them, large areas of sand, dust and dirt tracks, to enjoy in a 4×4. In addition, in the surroundings of these deserts are spectacular oases with thousands of palm trees that give a suggestive green contrast to the ochre of the terrain. And of course, in the shade of these oases, we will find small charming villages where we will stop from time to time.
Although many travelers associate Morocco with the desert, this country also has the opposite poles to this landscape. On the one hand, the mountain, specifically the High Atlas, with snowy peaks for a good part of the year. And on the other, the sea, specifically, the Atlantic Ocean, which we will discover between Agadir and Essaouira. Precisely this last city will be the protagonist of the program for its beauty and history, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. But the great city of the trip is, without a doubt, Marrakech, which also holds that title and which we will discover in depth thanks to the guided tour of its medina. And all this, leaving free time in the most suitable places for shopping, gastronomic experiences, relaxing baths…
Marrakech is the beginning and end of this circular tour. And the roadmap is made up of 12 days, staying 11 nights in total. To find the perfect balance between speed, comfort and enjoyment of the road, we provide a comfortable private vehicle with a driver throughout the tour, except in the desert where dromedaries and 4x4s are used:
Meeting at Marrakech airport, transfer in private vehicle with driver and check-in at the riad in the medina. These are the key moments of this first day of the tour, whose schedules will be conditioned by the arrival time of the flight. Therefore, there may be more or less free time for a first walk through the city, although with the peace of mind of knowing that the last days of the tour take place here again, when you will explore its great attractions in depth.
On the second day of the tour, this great tour from Marrakech begins, through all of southern Morocco. And to access that immense territory there is no choice but to cross the natural barrier that separates us from it: the High Atlas. Ascending along the road we will see small villages embedded in the hillsides, as well as livestock farms. And when we reach the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the highest peaks in the entire country will appear before our eyes.
On the descent, we will begin to familiarize ourselves with constructions that will be common from now on: the kasbahs. The first, shortly after crowning the port, that of Telouet, from the late nineteenth century but with ‘wounds’ from the 2023 earthquake. Like others in the area, it belonged to the powerful El Glaoui family.
More spectacular and large is the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified village that seems like science fiction. And in part it is, since important films and series are shot here, such as Game of Thrones. Its high adobe walls and its compact hamlet in the same material captivate, under the surveillance of a kasbah in ruins.
After this imposing place, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we will continue to Ouarzazate, a city where the hotel for rest and dinner is located on this second night.
As is usual in other tours of our catalog, from Ouarzazate we will head to the Dades Valley, in a section that is part of the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs. But in this case, we will do it more calmly, as this extensive 12-day tour allows us. Thus, we can enjoy this section, which houses surprising and authentic places.
For example, the palm grove of Skoura, one of the largest in the country, where its corresponding kasbah is not lacking, in this case that of Amridil, which combines popular atmosphere and Berber art. Or the town of Kelaa M’Gouna, considered the nerve center of the Valley of the Roses. Both this town and its surroundings are tinged with beautiful colors in spring, when its rose bushes bloom, which began to be cultivated in times of the French Protectorate, for industrial and varied purposes. The ruins of the kasbah of Itran add an added point of interest to the visit.
After that, we will return to the main road that runs through the Dades Valley to end the day in a charming riad, located in some town along the way, such as Boulmane Dades or one of its surroundings.
The fourth day of the tour has two great natural milestones: the Todra Gorges and the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Shortly after resuming the march we will arrive at the first ones, for which it is necessary to descend a zigzagging road. In this way we will reach the bottom of the canyon, which has a narrow gorge carved by the erosion of the Todra River. Walking around here is very special, and also climbing its walls, which exceed 100 meters in many points.
After visiting the Todra Gorges and returning to the main road, we will arrive at Erfoud, a city loved by Moroccans for the quality of its dates, and on the radar of many foreigners for the fossils and minerals that can be obtained here, in some cases from times as old as the Cretaceous.
Soon after we will park in the nearby Merzouga, but the journey of the day will not have ended yet. On the contrary, the best is yet to come: the dromedary ride (replaceable by all-terrain vehicles) that will take us through the dunes of Erg Chebbi to the haima camp, in the heart of the dunes. The lights of sunset will envelop the journey through these gentle undulations of fine sand.
The grand finale of the day will arrive at the camp, with tea, dinner, bonfire, starry sky and traditional canvas tents where sleeping takes on another dimension.
Before leaving the dunes of Erg Chebbi, there is a pending experience: watching the sunrise. Those who get up before the sun rises will have the prize of experiencing a magical dawn due to the mixture of silence and lights that change color as the minutes pass.
With that image in the retina, breakfast will be served in the haima camp and we will return to Merzouga by dromedary. From this town we will drive to Rissani, which preserves one of the most beautiful historical medinas in southern Morocco. And if we are lucky enough to coincide with market day, the popular atmosphere will give a special touch to the walk: stalls where food and gastronomic delights are sold, humble crafts and even a donkey parking lot at the gates of the wall.
Afterwards, we can dedicate the rest of the day to other experiences that can only be lived in the Merzouga Desert. One of them can be a 4×4 tour on tracks that once ran the Paris-Dakar Rally, which is a guarantee of adrenaline and adventure. The other is to go to the town of Khamlia, called ‘of the blacks’ for being the home of musicians descended from sub-Saharan slaves. These timeless artists will be able to delight us with a performance of the gnawa genre, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
And at the end of the day, you will go to today’s spectacular accommodation: a hotel-kasbah in Merzouga, with typical Berber architecture and decoration, where the pool for a refreshing dip is not lacking.
We reached the equator of this circular tour from Marrakech through all of southern Morocco. And it is time to change deserts: now we will go to Zagora, composed of large hammadas, largely with stones and rocks of volcanic origin. Therefore, this sector is often referred to as the ‘black desert‘.
The mountains of the Anti Atlas are the great geographical accident of the route, and we must cross it to reach the Draa Valley. Already in this valley (which like that of Dades is part of the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs), we find towns where it seems that time has stopped or, at least, that it runs at another pace. For example, in Tazzarine.
But the most striking thing about this place is the immense green tongue of the valley, which is lost in sight for a simple reason: it is the largest oasis in all of North Africa, with about 150 km of vegetation. We will delight ourselves with one of its most beautiful sections, that of Zagora, a place through which the ancient caravan routes passed, coming from Timbuktu. And in Zagora will be our quiet riad for dinner and rest at night.
The route of the seventh day is as interesting as it is unusual in tourist tours. Hence its interest. After breakfast in the riad in Zagora, we will travel kilometers by road again, still through the Draa Valley in the first bars of the day. It will be when we pass through towns such as Tamnougalt or Agdz, where there is that suggestive combination of palm oases and kasbahs in ruins.
During the route we will also pass through a natural monument: the Jebel Saghro, an appendage of the Anti Atlas that gives us unique rock formations, testing the imagination of travelers.
In the afternoon we will arrive at Taroudant, a small city that has little to envy to other larger ones in terms of history and monuments. We will understand this as soon as we see its imposing adobe walls and hear the nickname that its inhabitants boast: ‘the little Marrakech’. In fact, it shares with the ‘red city’ not only the color of its buildings, but also its foundation and golden age, with Almoravids (11th century) and later with Saadis (16th century).
In this city will be the riad of the night, so after a walk through the medina, you can return for dinner and rest.
The chronicles say that from Taroudant, the Saadi troops harassed the Portuguese of Mogador (Essaouira). And that is precisely the route we will take on this eighth day of the tour: we will leave the riad early and, after passing through Agadir, we will arrive at the so-called ‘pearl of the Atlantic’.
Indeed, the Portuguese of the sixteenth century, in their project of expansion towards the Indies bordering the African coast, founded here a strategic enclave, with its respective fortress. Later, already in the eighteenth century, the city was rehabilitated and expanded by different Alawite sultans, creating a medina full of charm.
That mixture of Portuguese architecture in the Skala fortress and Islamic medina gives a special air to the historic center, which you can start to explore freely from this afternoon. The riad will be located in a very central point, which will allow you to walk without problems.
One of the distinctive aspects of this 12-day tour is that one of them takes place, entirely, in Essaouira. And there are plenty of reasons: this city, bathed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, allows the traveler a refreshing respite on the route.
Therefore, on this day you can take a bath in its beaches or practice some aquatic activity, as there are many plans offered here. From the tourist and religious point of view, you can visit the surprising synagogues that are located in its mellah, one of the most important Jewish quarters in Morocco. And just like in Khamlia, gnawa music is another attraction of this city. And those who prefer a break in one of its charming places, will have much to choose from, including some of those frequented by Jimi Hendrix on his famous visit to the city, in 1969.
Therefore, the proposals to fill this free day in Essaouira are numerous, before returning to the riad for night rest.
The tenth day of the tour involves a road trip from Essaouira to Marrakech: about 170 km of road that will allow you to be in the ‘red city’ around noon. The road is simple and straight, and in some sections it crosses argan fields: these trees, typical of Morocco, are cultivated here to exploit the benefits of their oil, especially at a cosmetic level. And many local women’s cooperatives are in charge of this production, generating wealth and well-being.
In Marrakech, you will again have free time for a second contact with this city, now with more calm to ‘get lost’ in the medina and its souks, or in the peripheral neighborhoods, with a more modern and international atmosphere. The riad will also be in the old town, which will facilitate any walk.
Exploring Marrakech on your own is an interesting option that you can do at different times during this tour. But foregoing a guided tour would be a mistake: only with an accredited professional can you reach the most interesting corners of the medina… as you will do on the morning of this eleventh day.
The Koutoubia Mosque (exterior), Jemaa el-Fna square, the Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa… These are monuments that can be part of the route and that account for the different moments of splendor of the city in the past, especially with the Almoravids, Almohads, and Saadians.
And the interesting thing is that the medina still retains a popular atmosphere like that of centuries ago, especially thanks to the stalls where handicrafts are sold. You can dedicate the afternoon to this, but you can also opt for other visits that are outside the guided tour of the morning: Marrakech Museum, Jardin Majorelle, etc.
The last day of this tour will have the schedules set by your return flight home: if it is in the afternoon or evening, the first part of the day can be dedicated to a new walk through the city, with the last purchases in mind.
But what is certain is that, with the necessary time in advance, we will pick you up at the riad to make the private transfer to Menara Airport – Marrakech. And at the terminal, our services will end, with a farewell full of gratitude for having chosen us.
To travel all over southern Morocco in 12 days, you need a travel package full of transport, accommodation, meals, and activities. These are the ones we include in the tour:
The services and concepts that you can consult below are not included, so their reservation or payment will be borne by the client:
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