After breakfast in your riad, your driver will take you on a desert tour around the Erg Chebbi sand dunes. You will hear the music of the Gnawa people – originally from Mali, Senegal and Sudan – in Khamlia village. later, we will meet nomad families to explore their way of life. Today our lunch will be a traditional berber meal (Berber pizza). In the afternoon, we will return to the desert hotel in Merzouga where you will meet your camels and your camel guide. Hop on the caravan and head into the heart of the dunes until you reach our desert camp. Here, dinner will be served in front of the traditional nomad tent where you will spend the night.

Early the next morning, you’ll hop back on the camel caravan and return to the desert hotel where breakfast awaits. Take some time to shower at the hotel if you wish. Depending on whether it is market day, your driver may suggest a visit to the old city of Rissani – the foundation of the Alaouite dynasty – the current ruling royal family in Morocco. Rissani is surrounded by about 360 ksar (a fortified village with many towers) and has a big souk (an open market), held three times a week. Once called Sijilmassa, this was the meeting place for the salt caravans, coming from Timbuktu in Mali. Here you’ll see merchants selling spices, vegetables and cloth. Next we’ll continue to the mountains where we’ll see the steep rock walls of Todra Gorge and also the peculiar geological formation known as the “monkey fingers.” We’ll spend the night in the peaceful Dades Valley.

After breakfast, we will travel through the Dades Valley towards Kalaa M’gouna and Ouarzazate. The route through Dades Valley is the way of the thousand kasbahs – providing numerous opportunities to take some of your best photographic shots of the trip. We will stop at Ait Benhaddou Kasbah for lunch, the largest Kasbah in Morocco, built by T-hami El Glaoui, one of the last Berber chieftains. Now the kasbah is a UNESCO heritage site. After that we will shift the way to cross high atlas mountains full of panoramic views and attractive Berber villages all along the way until Marrakesh, where we will spend the night in a traditional riad.

After breakfast in the riad, we will start exploring Marrakesh, the red city of Morocco. We will ensure that you see the most important sites of historical and cultural interest, including the Majorelle Gardens, the Koutoubia Tower, the Saadian tombs and the Bahia Palace. After Lunch at a restaurant near the square, you will walk through the souks and view hundreds of handicrafts. On the afternoon, you will have some free time to wander by yourself near the main square.

Seaside day trip! After breakfast in your riad, you will start travelling to the coastal city of Essaouira. You’ll visit the Skala Fortress, see Thuya wood carved by artisans, walk through the alleys of the medina and view hundreds of handicrafts. This “City of the Wind” attracts surfers from all over the world. Essaouira knew many civilisations – including the Portuguese occupation, which affects much of its architecture – however, it remains a small village with much history. Because of its size and its characteristic blue doors and washed walls, it is also regarded as Morocco’s “Jewel of the Atlantic.” Lunch will be done the Moroccan way – fresh fish from the seafood market. In the afternoon you will travel back to Marrakech. We conclude the tour when we drop you off at a location of your choice in Marrakesh