Day 1 Marrakech – Skoura via Kasbah Ait Benhaddou & Ouarzazate
You will be met at your hotel by your English speaking driver and depart Marrakech for Skoura. Drive through the High Atlas Mountains via Tizi-n-Tichka pass and experience some of the most amazing mountain views of Morocco before arriving at Ait Benhaddou.
Spend time exploring Ait Behaddou, one of the most exotic and best preserved Kasbahs in the entire Atlas Region. The Kasbah is now under UNESCO protection and has magnificent views of the surrounding palmerie and beyond.
From Ait Benhaddou head towards Ouarzazate, home of Morocco’s ’Hollywood’ movie industry, take time to visit the movie studios and see where films such as Gladiator and the Mummy were shot. Explore the city and make a visit to Kasbah Taourirt, once one of the largest Kasbahs of the area, and also once home to members of the Glaoui Dynasty, who ruled the vicinity. Parts of this Kasbah have been carefully restored by UNESCO and it is probably the main sightseeing venue of Ouarzazate.
Travel through the beautiful Valley of the Roses before arriving at your destination for the night Le Palmerie Skoura.
Skoura is a fertile oasis lined with immense palm groves that provide great views of the Atlas Mountains alongside deserted landscapes. It is renowned for the cultivation of roses. The palm groves were laid out in the 12th century by the Almohad sultan Yacoub el-Mansour and named after its original inhabitants, the Berbers of the Haskourene tribe. The most beautiful kasbahs in southern Morocco can be found here. Many of them are still partially inhabited.
Day 2 Skoura – Tinehir – Merzouga
Depart Skoura for the Sahara. One of the highlights of the South is the massive fault in the plateau that divides the High Atlas from the Jebel Sarhro, called the Todra Gorges.
The crystal clear river emerging from the deep ochre and pink rock formations offer a dramatic landscape and great photographic opportunities. A lovely place to relax, enjoy and reflect on the surrounding beauty.
In Tinehir we organize a short guide tour for you for an hour or so to give you an overview of the ancient berber culture and heritage that exist in the region.
The city of Tinehir is known for being one of the most beautiful oases in Southern Morocco, boasting with canyons up to 300m high. The scenery here is truly breathtaking.
Arrive late in the afternoon for your auberge in Merzouga, the threshold of the Sahara, where you will enjoy a delicious evening meal overlooking the dunes.
Day 3 Merzouga – Erg Chebbi (Sahara Desert)
Erg Chebbi is the large sand-sea which effectively marks the start of the real Sahara and some of the dunes in this area rise to over 245 metres. The colors of the rising and setting sun over these dunes make for a truly magical experience.
Enjoy a leisurely morning. Your driver is available for you all day which gives you the opportunity to explore the surrounding desert areas.
In the afternoon your driver will introduce you to your nomad guide for your overnight camel excursion. Your guide will take you into the desert, around a 1½ – 2 hour ride by camel. When you reach your bivouac you can relax, climb the dunes or just star gaze while your guide prepares your evening meal and sets up your campfire for you.
Accommodation is in a traditional Moroccan Nomad tent, called a Bivouac. There are campsite beds with clean linen and plenty of warm blankets for winter and there are toilets at the camp site but no showers, so after your night in the camp you’ll then head directly back to your hotel where you will be able to shower and have a breakfast.
Day 4 Merzouga – Fez
After your night in the dunes return to your hotel for breakfast and freshen up before leaving for Fez. On your journey to Fez, travel through the Efous Oasis which offers amazing photographic opportunities and then through the Ziz Valley where you will experience spectacular views of fabulous rock formations.
Later, travel through the scenic and beautiful Midelt, visit the Barbary apes in the Cedar forests and tour through Morocco’s ‘Switzerland’ called Ifrane before arriving at your destination of Fez.
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