One week itinerary starting from Marrakech passing via the High Atlas Moutains and Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO World Heritage Kasbah, the Sahara Desert with a camel ride and an overnight at a luxury desert camp, and the windy city of Essaouira. Unique excursions in Morocco for a lifetime.
Exploring the Sahara desert begins with much amazing sceneries and landscapes. As we depart from Marrakech, we will get the chance to enjoy the crossing of Tizi N’Tichka High Atlas Mountain Pass, a zigzagged pass-over the mountains of an altitude of (2260m). Then, we reach the Kasbah of Ait ben Haddou, the famous village for movies production; it was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1987. The structure of this village (ighrem in Berber) is built to make you wonder why it is in such a way; simply it is for defensive purposes. Many movies and series were shot in the Kasbah of Ait ben Haddou: Gladiator, Game of thrones, Kingdom of Heaven, and so many others. Another special experience awaits for you on the way to have lunch in the famous city of Ouarzazate, then we head on to the 1000 kasbah trail, a road with which you can see how Berber families lifestyle. On the way, we will have the chance to visit the most known for the production rose perfumes, Kelaat M’gouna village.
Since that you have opted for this journey deep south of Morocco. You are going to have enjoyable days in Berber hospitality. Today’s special experience makes you fascinated by the culture and lifestyle of southern nomad people of Morocco. Along the journey deep the desert, you will visit Todra Gorges (600m ft high). Then, half way, you can stop to see how people for many centuries used some underground watering technique to preserve water from evaporating as the region looks dry. Ending the day’s tour by a camel trek into the deluxe tents where you will spend the night and have dinner with local party music.
A free day with a desert native to discover the desert and its specificities, the nomad families living in the desert, fossils, to the ever largest sand dunes in Morocco. Also, a visit to the pre-historic engravings near the Sand Dunes will be an immersive idea to get acquainted with how the nomad people would do their paintings and secret messages and their ways of life. After that, the trip continues to the Khamlia village, where you have lunch and visit the Africans slaves are living in this village, they are no longer slaves once they arrived in Morocco. They do in fact have their own style of Gnawa music which you have the chance to see.
Continuing the trip in The Sahara desert of Morocco by which you can settle and watch dazzling desert scenery. Along the way, we will make a stop to visit Rissani’s most worthy places for the huge market that is still a famous area for spices, vegetables, dates, goats, mules, and sheep. Afterwards, we go off to enjoying our scenic views of the desert areas in the desert of Morocco, to arrive to Draa oasis where you can enjoy palm groves, Agdez along with N’kob are all covered with palm trees as most of the population relies on agriculture and since the climate is arid, they would engage in planting palm trees due to their resistance to hot temperature.
Our final day with Southern Morocco, we break with the Sahara desert and lead the way the Atlantic coast. On the way, we will have the chance to discover the famous region for the making of Safron, in the whole country. Taliouine is ranked the first in Morocco for planting Safron, this purple crocus sativus flower which is harvested between mid-October & mid-November. After, you will have the chance to explore the red-walled city of Taroudant, mostly looking like “a little Marrakech” since that it was established by the Almoravids dysnasty right after ruling Marrakech. With its 7.5km huge defensive Kasbah, you get the feeling that you are best preserved. Arrival in Essaouira for the night.
Today is completely dedicated to the city of winds. Essaouira” formerly Mogador” is one of the cities that are influenced by the Portuguese architecture. In Mogador, you will get an exotic sense of life as it is windy all year round and once you set foot in its fishing harbour you will smell sea fish mixed with aroma spices, really suitable for a Moroccan food tour and for windsurfing seekers. Further, Essaouira is very special for the famous Gnawa music, a style that is completely South African making of it a cultural crossroad for Berber, Arab, African, and European civilization.
Depart at any time.
