Itinerary
Days 1-2: Marrakech
This Moroccan journey begins in the vibrant city of Marrakech, with two days of exploring from your base in the medina, a small hotel with an array of amenities. City delights include Menara Gardens, Jema El Fna Square, and the souks. Near Marrakech are the Atlas Mountains, and a day trip takes you by way of the local market in Asni and the Imlil Valley, to a small, adobe Berber villages, clinging to the slopes of the mountains.
Day 3: Skoura
Today’s travels stretch across the fertile countryside of the Haous Plain, up and over the Atlas Mountains via Tizi N’Tichka Pass, and beyond. Travel through Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara Desert, stopping at the Kasbah Taourirt, the 17th century home to the el Glaoui clan. Continue to the Kasbah complex of Ait Ben Haddou, an 11th century structure and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Finally, at the end of the Road of 1,000 Kasbahs, arrive into Skoura.
Days 4-5: Chegaga Desert
Through grand peaks and ridges of the Djebel Sarhro Range, to the 5,500-foot mountain pass at Tizi N’Tinififft, the mountains are left behind and the dunes of the Sahara come into view. Erg Chegaga is one of the two largest dunes in the Moroccan Sahara, and home for two nights. With full-service accommodations in luxe, canvas tents, highlights of this desert visit include camel trekking and riding, sandboarding, guided walks, stargazing (extraordinary!), visiting an oasis, and meeting local people.
Day 6: Zagora
Bidding farewell to Chegaga, travel to Zagora by way of fascinating sites – Oum Laalag, a desert oasis along an old trade route to Timbuktu, M’hamid, a small village where trade caravans gathered, and Tamegroute, home to a library founded in the 16th century, boasting a collection of 11th-century manuscripts written on gazelle skin and nearly 4,000 books. Zagora is an oasis town in the Draa Valley, and there will be opportunities to visit local potters and enjoy amenities at the hotel before dinner.
Day 7: Marrakech
Return to Marrakech today, for one last night in Morocco. Along the way, stop at Ouarzazate, a fortress city set at the edge of the Sahara, and featured in many Hollywood films.
Day 8: Fly Home from Marrakech and Casablanca
Today begins your journey home from Marrakech and Casablanca.
Start Planning My Trip