Marrakech & Desert Week

Arrive into Marrakech Airport and transfer to your accommodation. After check-in, the remainder of the day is free for you to relax after your journey.

In the morning, take a half-day city tour of Marrakech, focusing on the old medina. You explore the souks, with their colourful stalls selling spices, textiles and handicrafts, and visit historic palaces and a madrassa that highlight the city’s importance as an imperial capital and centre of learning.

The afternoon is free for you to spend as you wish. You may choose to explore the modern streets of Gueliz, known for its cafés and shops, or enjoy a more relaxing experience with a visit to a local hammam or by joining a cookery course to learn about traditional Moroccan cuisine.

Marrakech - Ait Benhaddou - Draa Valley - Zagora. An early start sees you driving over the High Atlas Mountains via the scenic Tizi n’Tichka Pass, one of Morocco’s highest road passes, with dramatic views across mountain valleys and villages. Descend towards the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a famous backdrop for many films, thanks to its striking mud-brick architecture. You have time to explore the kasbah and walk through its narrow lanes up to the upper levels for views across the surrounding landscape.

Continue onwards into the Valley of the Draa, an area characterised by long palm groves and the remains of old kasbahs that once guarded ancient caravan routes. Travel south to Zagora, gateway to the Sahara Desert. Here you meet your camel team and ride into your desert camp, experiencing the changing colours of the desert as evening approaches. Dinner is served under the stars at the camp.

Zagora - Dades Gorge. You may choose an early start to watch the sunrise over the dunes, when the desert light gradually transforms the landscape. Afterwards, travel onwards through the Saghro Mountains, a remote and rugged region known for its dramatic scenery and strangely shaped rock formations, including the distinctive pinnacles at Bab n’Ali.

Continue to the Gorges of Dades, where a river has carved a deep valley between steep rock walls, creating one of southern Morocco’s most striking landscapes. The area is dotted with traditional villages and kasbahs set among fertile valley floors and barren hillsides above.

Dades Gorge - Valley of the Roses - Demnate. Travel from Dades along the Valley of the Roses, an area known for its fertile valleys and rose cultivation, with villages and kasbahs lining the route. Continue onto the Three Valleys Road, an off-the-beaten-track journey that winds through remote mountain scenery, offering a sense of rural Morocco away from the main routes.

En route, see the caves of Imi n Ifri, a dramatic natural limestone bridge and cavern formed by the river below, long regarded as a place of local legend and interest. Continue onwards to the town of Demnate, set at the edge of the High Atlas.

Demnate - Marrakech. Enjoy a leisurely drive back to Marrakech, arriving in time for a free afternoon and evening to explore further at your own pace. You may choose to see more of the modern side of the city, including the new town of Gueliz and Avenue Mohamed VI, known for its wide boulevards, cafés and shops. Alternatively, you can wander back through the souks of the medina for some last-minute shopping, soaking up the atmosphere of Marrakech before the end of your journey.

Your tour comes to an end after breakfast and hotel check-out. An included transfer takes you to the airport.