Complete Desert Culture – 8 days
Complete Desert Culture Tour
Ouarzazate, Dades, Todra, Erg Chebbi, Rissani, Draa, Tamegroute, Aït Ben Haddou and more / 8 Days
Savor southern Morocco’s infinite array of colors with this exclusive tour of the Sahara in a 4×4. You’ll admire unique landscapes, visit unusual kasbahs and dive deep into Berber culture. Starting at €1075. <<Private and completely customizable>>
Includes
The Complete Desert Culture Tour includes:
Private transfers to and from the airport.
4×4 vehicle and private English-speaking driver for the entire tour.
Two nights in Marrakech including breakfast.
One night in Ouarzazate including breakfast and dinner.
Camel ride through the dunes of Merzouga.
One night in a superior tent in Erg Chebbi including breakfast and dinner.
One night in a room in Erg Chebbi including breakfast and dinner.
One night in Agdz including breakfast and dinner.
One night in Aït Ben Haddou including breakfast and dinner.
Tickets to all the sites mentioned in the itinerary.
Local taxes and fees.
Travel insurance.Does not include
The Complete Desert Culture Tour does not include:
Cancellation insurance (available for purchase at reservation). See price and terms here.
Lunch and drinks (soft drinks and bottled water cost around 20 Dirhams).
Anything not specifically mentioned here as “included in the price”.Observations
Citizens of the EU need a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months
Other nationalities: valid passport (check visas)Price
This is a private tour and the cost varies based on how many people are in your party (prices below are per person for a double room):
4
3
2
Bcat
€1075 €1210 €1475 Acat
€1620 €1760 €2020 High season supplement
+ €150/250 Accommodations
B Category (Premium):
Marrakech: Riad Wow
Dades: Riad Tama & spa
Erg Chebbi (tent): Oasis Luxury Camp (first night)
Erg Chebbi (room): Riad Serai (second night)
Agdz: Kasbah Itrane
Aït Ben Haddou: Kasbah TebiA Category (Luxury):
Marrakech: Art Place Hotel & Ryad
Dades: Ksar el Kebbaba
Erg Chebbi (tent): Africa Luxury Camp (first night)
Erg Chebbi (room): Riad Chebbi (second night)
Agdz: Ecolodge Bab El Oued Maroc Oasis
Aït Ben Haddou: Ksar IghndaHigh season: from April 1 to May 31 and from September 1 to December 31.
Triple rooms are usually double rooms with an extra bed (cot).
Accommodations specifically mentioned except in exceptional cases where we will stay in similar accommodations.
Prices are valid until 31 December 2023.
Itinerary
Complete Desert Culture Tour
Day 1
Starting Point · Marrakech
Arrival at the Marrakech airport (flight arranged by the traveller), private pick-up and transfer to the riad.
Day 2
Marrakech · Telouet · Ouarzazate
Breakfast in the riad, pick up and departure to the desert. En route we get a chance to admire the Atlas Mountains in all their splendor, traveling on one of the highest roads in North Africa until we reach the Tichka Pass (2660 m; around 8000 feet in altitude).
Later we go to Telouet, known for its kasbah, former Andalusian style Galoui palace. We can see the interior of several rooms, accompanied by the guide-keeper who holds the keys to the palace and who provides us with helpful explanations of its history and its inhabitants.
Continue to Ouarzazate, with short stops on the road. Upon arrival, we visit the Kasbah of Taourit, former residence of one of the most powerful governors of the region and today a World Heritage Site. We visit both the courtyard and the palace. Then, we take a walk through the old Berber district, located around the Kasbah.
Transfer to the riad, dinner and accommodations included.
Day 3
Ouarzazate · Dades · Todra · Erg Chebbi
Breakfast. Today’s first stop is the Palm Grove of Skoura, with its charming little nooks, its small villages, and its orchards and olive groves hidden under the palm trees. We discover the silhouettes of the old buildings and the art of its decoration.
Next we see the Valley of the Roses, a beautiful place known for the cultivation and manufacture of the rose of Damascus. Later we take in the Dadès Gorges, also known as Monkey Fingers or Atlas Brain, an abrupt landscape filled with impressive rock formations and ravines.
Then we continue through the Todgha Gorges, a more than 300 meter high gorge wall created over time by natural erosion.
In Merzouga, we leave the 4×4 behind and take a camel ride to our desert camp. We recommend bringing a backpack with a change of clothes. Bringing a suitcase is not feasible on this trip. We enjoy dinner with live music and sleep in Berber tents.
Day 4
Erg Chebbi · Khamlia · Rissani
Sunrise in the desert. Today we ride camels until we reach the inn where our rooms are and where we have breakfast. Free time to clean up and meet the camel driver. Head to Erfoud, with a visit to a fossil extraction center.
Continue to Khamlia, also known as “the village of the black people.” Arrival with welcome from local music groups and welcome tea. Free time then head to Rissani, where we can see the city with its typical market.
Free time for lunch and return to the accommodations in Merzouga.
Day 5
Erg Chebbi · The Draa Valley • Tamegroute • Agdz
Breakfast and meet with the driver at 8:00 am. Then we cross the Draa Valley, formed by the river that gives it its name. We take the opportunity to go along its shore, which will allow us to see how the life of the inhabitants of nearby towns revolves around it.
Next we go to Tamegroute, the old religious center of Morocco and today known for its green pottery. We visit its buried kasbah, with a labyrinthine underground network of alleys where hundreds of families still live today. We also visit its library, historically one of the richest in North Africa and the most important in Morocco. We can also visit the courtyard of the mausoleum, which is a good vantage point to see the whole Zaouia.
Arrival at accommodations in Agdz. Dinner included.
Day 6
Agdz · Aït Ben Haddou
Breakfast and tour of the city of Agdz. On today’s route, we cross the Saghro mountain range, and make various stops to admire its landscape with its stony needles, as well as the nomads who surprisingly are able to continue their way of life in this harsh landscape. We also visit some of the Berber villages in the area.
Head to Aït Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and one of the best ksars because of its exceptional state of conservation and being a setting for famous films (Gladiator, The Mummy and Babel among others). We enjoy a meal while contemplating the fortress. Walking tour around the ksar and free time.
Dinner and accommodations in a Kasbah inside Aït Ben Haddou. Our trip in time is so authentic that we won’t have electricity, and will use candles to illuminate the night.
Day 7
Aït Ben Haddou · Marrakech
Breakfast in the Kasbah and free time (possibility for a horse or quad ride along the riverbed). Departure to Marrakech with short stops en route.
Arrival in Marrakech and free time. Accommodations included.
Day 8
Marrakech · Return
Breakfast in the riad and check-out. At the agreed time, private pick up and transfer to Marrakech airport. Arrival and end of our services.
Please don’t hesitate to inquire about any adjustment you want to make to this itinerary (number of days, places to visit, departure location, etc.).
Places we visit during the Complete Desert Culture tour:
Telouet, Ouarzazate, Dades, Todra, Erg Chebbi, Khamlia, Rissani, Agdz, Draa Valley, Tamegroute and Aït Ben Haddou
1.5 = an hour and a half
Approximate time
Feel free to contact us with any questions
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