4 days/3 nights - Departure Marrakesh Merzouga - Kasbahs, gorges, dunes
1st day: Marrakesh – Dades Morning departure at 8 o’clock from your hotel or riad in Marrakesh to cross the High Atlas Mountains. After the Tichka pass, you leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family, and which now stands in ruins after the last Pasha fled the country following the departure of the French. From there, you continue for lunch at Ait Ben Haddou along the connecting road soon to be asphalted. This is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which we visit after lunch. The road continues through the Skoura Oasis, where numerous ancient kasbahs, some sadly in ruins, stand amongst the palm trees. From here, the route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses , with a stop to see cosmetic articles locally-made from the valley’s abundant roses. You stop in the Dades gorge in a hotel by the river for the night.
2nd day: Dades – Merzouga After breakfast, there is time to walk by the river before continuing to Toudgha to the very different gorges there. Lunch will either be here in the gorges or later at the bivouac at the Erg Chebbi dunes. You drive there via the Ziz Valley , and the towns of Erfoud and Rissani. In the afternoon you can take a two-hour camel ride in the Sahara . The sunset from the top of the dunes is spectacular (250m) and afterwards there is dinner and the night in a nomad tent at the foot of the dunes.
3rd day: Merzouga – Agdez If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. The itinerary continues to the Dra’a Valley via the village of Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘ Babel ’), and on to N’Qob for lunch. In the afternoon, we drive along the Dra’a Valley towards Agdez, passing oases and Kasbahs, beside the river. There we stop for the night at Kasbah Tamnougalte, which is the oldest kasbah in the Dra'a Valley.
4th day: Agdez – Marrakesh After breakfast there is an opportunity to visit the rest of the kasbah, some of which lies in ruins and some of which is still fully occupied. We then cross the Tizi-n-Tinfifite pass (1660m), to Ouarzazate where we visit Kasbah Taourirt, which also belonged to the Glaoui family, the Pashas of Marrakesh. Lunch will either be in Ouarzazate or in the mountains. We reach Marrakesh at the end of the afternoon.
