From the Atlantic to the Atlas, from the Sahara to the big city. This tour from Agadir to Marrakech goes to the desert and gives you free days in the first and last city. In between, a trip full of contrasts at all levels, configuring a very interesting package if you have less than a week to discover this spectacular country. And best of all: with Tenere Tours you can buy it in a few clicks and enjoy it privately, with whomever you want.
Agadir and Marrakech are the starting and ending cities of this tour. And since they have a lot to offer their visitors, on this tour we leave you free time in both so you can enjoy them at your own pace. In Agadir you will find fabulous beaches bathed by the impetuous Atlantic Ocean. And in Marrakech, an explosion of life within its monumental historic medina, as well as trendy neighborhoods around it that will keep you from getting bored when you’re here.
Despite the hustle and bustle of its cities and the narrow nooks and crannies of its historic centers, in Morocco you will also find vast spaces in which the view is lost and the human being feels small. This will happen, of course, in the Sahara desert, to which this tour takes you. Specifically, to the Erg Chebbi dunes. But you will also feel this exciting sensation in the imposing Atlas Mountains or in the pre-Saharan valleys (Draa, Dades), dotted with oases and kasbahs.
From Agadir airport to Marrakech airport (or other meeting points, if you wish), on a journey of 6 days and 5 nights, all in a private vehicle with a driver to optimize every minute of the trip. This is the itinerary, day by day:
The first day of this tour is an introduction to Morocco and the city from which the route begins: Agadir. To do this, we will pick you up at the airport terminal (or at the train station, if that is the means of transport you will use to get here). After the welcome, our driver will transfer you to the hotel in a private transfer.
The rest of the day, after check-in, will be free. Therefore, everything will depend on the arrival time of the flight or train. The proposals to occupy your time are varied, highlighting the cable car or the beaches and the promenade of the city, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. There are also numerous leisure and wellness plans, to relax and enjoy a city almost always sunny and refreshed by a gentle sea breeze. And at night, you will rest in a comfortable hotel.
The second day of this tour is the first on the road. Therefore, we will leave the hotel early to head to the Atlas Mountains, which we must cross to reach our first visitable destination: Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified village declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Ait Ben Haddou is striking for its typical Berber architecture, made of adobe, with high crenellated walls and simple decoration with a play of shadows. At the top of the village, a kasbah in ruins reminds us of the strategic importance of this enclave, which was part of one of the most important caravan routes in North Africa. Without a doubt, a ‘movie’ place, as demonstrated by titles such as 007: High Tension or the series Game of Thrones.
So it is no coincidence that near here, in Ouarzazate, are located the most important film studios in the country: Atlas Studios, which have given fame to the city. It will be in this city where the hotel for this second night will be located, where you will have dinner and rest.
On this third day of the tour we will reach the deepest part of the desert, but before that moment there is a long and interesting road to travel. First, again mountainous terrain through the Anti Atlas, whose landscapes have also been film sets, as in Babel.
The terrain will become flatter and, surprisingly, more fertile in the Draa Valley, and it has its explanation: it is a large oasis of palm trees whose ambient humidity favors the existence of humble crops and picturesque villages, such as those we will see on the route, and others in its surroundings, such as Nkob, Tazzarine and Alnif. In addition, it is part of the so-called Route of the Thousand Kasbahs, due to the abundance of these Berber castles, many of them in ruins.
Later, the road will take us to Rissani. If we are lucky enough to coincide with market day, we will see local life in full swing, with donkey parking included. In any case, its historic medina always welcomes its visitors with pride, as it is considered one of the most beautiful in the south of the country.
Next we will arrive at Merzouga, where one of the turning points of this tour occurs: we will park our vehicle and ride on dromedaries (one per person, replaceable by SUVs) to travel the last kilometers of today’s route. The goal will be a cozy camp of jaimas, and the journey could not be more suggestive: the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi.
Upon arrival at the camp, we will be greeted with a welcome tea and a typical Berber dinner will be served. The rest will be in tents with all the comfort, despite the isolated location of this place. And as a recommendation for this final stretch of the day: open your eyes wide to enjoy the colors of the sunset and the brightness of the stars at night.
Although the third day is beautifully exhausting, it is worth getting up early on the morning of the fourth day, because the prize is unforgettable: a poetic and silent sunrise that is only possible to experience in places like the dunes of Erg Chebbi.
With that spectacle still in our retina and after having breakfast at the camp, we will return by dromedary to Merzouga, where we have arranged a refreshing shower in a hotel (some packages include it in the jaima).
Back on the asphalt, we will add digits to the odometer as we travel through the most beautiful places in the Dades Valley, which will come our way after leaving the desert. In one of the strategic villages, Tinghir, we will deviate to enter one of those corners that seem unreal for its beauty and uniqueness: the Todra Gorges, an extremely narrow and high canyon, a paradise for climbers and a perfect setting for a pleasant walk camera in hand.
Back to the Dades Valley, we will continue until we reach our riad, which will not only be the accommodation for the night but also the place where we will have dinner.
Fifth day of the tour and last to the south of the Atlas, although there are still important places to discover. Without going any further, shortly after resuming the march we will cross the Valley of the Roses, named for the numerous rose crops that bloom spectacularly in spring, and that give a touch of greenery throughout the year.
Later we will arrive at Ouarzazate to see one of the monuments that were pending on the second day: the kasbah of Taourirt, which was the residence and palace of the El Glaoui family when it was one of the most powerful in Morocco in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its architecture is reminiscent of that of Ait Ben Haddou, due to the adobe and the decorative patterns in the upper part of the construction. But here a touch of elegance and refinement is added in its interior, decorated with tiles, plasterwork and wooden pieces that evoke the best of Islamic art.
After that, we will continue along the road that ascends the High Atlas until we reach the port of Tizi n’Tichka, at an altitude that exceeds 2,200 meters. Crowned the port, the descent takes us through picturesque valleys in whose slopes Berber villages are embedded and herds of cattle circulate.
Kilometers later, already in the plain, we will arrive at the goal of this tour from Agadir through the desert: Marrakech. In it, you will spend the last night of the tour and, as your hotel will be located in a strategic place, you will surely be able to enjoy a walk through the city freely.
The sixth is the last day of this tour and, if the departure time of your flight allows it, it can be dedicated to a short walk through Marrakech, known as the Red City and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Its medina and the Jemaa el Fna square are always full of life and you can buy interesting handicrafts in them, so this may be the last (and best) opportunity to make charming purchases.
Later, at the agreed time, we will pick you up at the hotel or another place to make the transfer to the airport and take the flight back home. We will say goodbye at the same airport terminal, where we will show our total gratitude for the trust placed in Tenere Tours.
Although this tour from Agadir to Marrakech gives you the possibility to enjoy free time, the package is designed down to the last detail so that nothing important is missing. It includes the following:
The following services are not included in the travel package. Each client can decide on them according to their preferences:
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