Sands of Time: Morocco’s Kasbahs, Ksour & Desert Oases

Upon arrival in Marrakech, our representative will meet you outside the Arrival Terminal with a sign. A brief review of the tour during your transfer to the riad. Check-in and relax.

If time permits, you can enjoy the facilities of the riad or be picked up for a must-do activity in Morocco like a hammam offering scrubs and massages, or a camel ride at The Palmeraie in Marrakech.

Then, a welcome dinner in a traditional Moroccan restaurant in the Medina awaits you.

Overnight riad or hotel

After breakfast, enjoy a tour of Marrakesh with a local guide.

Marrakesh or the “Red City”, is a majestic place filled with palaces, gardens, markets, and mosques. Upon arrival, you will first stand by the Koutoubia Mosque with its 282 ft minaret, an architectural landmark dating back to the late 12th century.

You will continue to the 19th century stunning Bahia palace and discover the intricate work done by the local artisans to decorate this splendid home built by a powerful Vizir for his Harem. The building includes one hundred and fifty rooms, countless courtyards and interior gardens, a veritable labyrinth of corridors, a Koranic school, hammams, a harem, stables.

From explore artisan quarters and the colorful Souks to interact with the real life of Marrakech people.

Continue on to Dar El Bacha Museum, built in 1910. It was the residence of Thami El Glaoui, named Pasha of Marrakech by Sultan Moulay Youssef in 1912. It is one of the medina’s finest examples of Riad architecture, dripping with Moroccan Zellige (colorful geometric tilework), intricate white plasterwork and heavy carved cedar-wood lintels.

Before sunset stroll in the square of which the city is so famed, Jemaa El Fna, where hundreds of locals and tourists come to spend the end of the day watching jugglers, dancers, fortune tellers, story tellers and traditional musicians.

After the tour, head to your hotel to freshen up. When you are ready, transfer to a local restaurant in the medina to enjoy a typical Moroccan dinner with entertainment.

After the dinner, back to your hotel or riad for overnight.

As you leave Marrakech, the distant haze begins to resolve itself into a jagged mountain range, the High Atlas Mountains, jutting abruptly from the plain.

Your route follows the same route that caravans used centuries ago, to bring into Marrakech gold and precious wood from the other side of the Sahara. Pass beautiful scenery and small villages built on terraces among oak trees, walnut groves, and snow patches before arriving at the Tizi n Tichka pass, 2,260m high.

Once over the pass a totally different scenery is unveiled: the lunar landscape of the Anti-Atlas.

Later, skirt past Ouarzazate and stop for a lunch (own expense).

Past Ouarzazate, you’ll reach a lush oasis, nested between the deserted crest and the desolate plateaus: Skoura Palm Grove.

Afterwards arrive at Kelaa des Mgouna, famous for the nearby Valley of Roses and its Rose Festival, where at the end of a 3-day celebration usually held in May, a local girl is crowned Rose Queen. The region is home to the sought-after product – eau-de-rose and two factories in the area distil and export the product. The process uses approximately three thousand kilograms of rose petals to extract a liter of rose oil.

Further on, Boulmane Dades is the starting point to explore the spectacular Dades Gorges, a luxuriant carpet set against the massive rocks – popular among those who like trekking.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Continue to follow the Caravan Trail. Your first stop is Tinghir, with its extensive palm grove, ksour (fortified village) built into the rocky hills above and its mysterious decaying Jewish quarter.

Tinghir has been for generations a stop for nomadic Berber tribes travelling from the northern mountains towards the desert. A rather inconspicuous hidden gem is the 19th century adobe mosque nested within the old crumbling ksour, great for photography enthusiasts.

The Gorge of Todra, lie only 15km from Tinghir, presenting a captivating scene with its crystal-clear river emerging from it, its huge walls changing color walls, a magical effect as the day unfolds. The Gorge’s 300m high walls are home to more than 150 bolted routes and at any time of day you can catch a glimpse of someone rock climbing his way up the gigantic walls.

Before reaching Merzouga where the tarmac ends, pass Erfoud and Rissani. In Erfoud you may stop for a visit at Musée des Oasis if time allows. Rissani used to serve as the last stop on the great caravan southern route. Gold and slave auctions took place there in the 1800s. Prior 1800, the caravan trade and the most important city in Morocco was Sijilmassa, the ruins of which lie opposite Rissani. From its gates, Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus left Morocco to embark on their illustrious journeys across the Sahara into African countries.

Soon after you reach Merzouga and in the distance you glimpse the first leviathans of sand forming the Sahara: the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Surf the sandy seas on a powerful 4WD Land Rover to the desert camp.

Dinner and overnight under a Berber tent and the starry desert skies.

Enjoy a sunrise camel ride along the golden sand dunes in Merzouga.

Return to your camp for breakfast before transferring to Zagora via the Amazigh (Berber) villages of Alnif and Tazarine.

The road to Tazzarine sees almost no traffic, providing a scenic link between Tafilalet and the Draa Valley. Aside from the landscape, fossils and prehistoric rock carvings are this region’s main attraction. The scenery grows wilder as you approach Tazzarine, set in a grassy oasis surrounded by bare mountains.

Continue to Zagora. Famous for its palm forested valley that is the largest in Morocco.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, go on a tour of Zagora including the oldest villages of Morocco.

Stop in Tamegroute to visit the village’s famous library, which houses ancient Koranic scripts dating back to the 12th century. Visit the pottery quarter, then transfer to Ouarzazate along the Draa valley.

Stop for lunch at Agdez, then continue to Ouarzazate for dinner and overnight.

Begin the day by exploring Ouarzazate, a city originally built as a French garrison in the 1920s. Today, the city is a regional trade center, known for its pottery and carpets.

Visit the Taourirt Kasbah, which now consists of simple clay houses and crenellated towers that are beautifully decorated with geometric motifs.

On the way, optional visit of the Film Studios. Continue to elaborate ksar Ait Ben Haddou, listed as UNESCO World Heritage, and home of the region’s most exotic Kasbahs, where all structures defy the laws of gravity as they perch upon a steep slope.

Many of these buildings have been featured in films, including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Games of Thrones among others.

Finally, journey back over the High Atlas Mountains, observing everyday life in remote rural towns, to the fascinating and vibrant city of Marrakech.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Transfer to the airport – homeward or to continue your travels.