3 Days: Private Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga via Atlas & Camel Trek

Day 1: Marrakech - Aït benhadou - Ouarzazate - Dades Gorges

1. Tizi n Tichka
   10m
   Tizi n´Tichka is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.260m (7410ft) above the sea level in Morocco, linking the south-east of Marrakesh to the city of Ouarzazate through the High Atlas mountain.
   At the summit visitors will have the changes to enjoy stunning views of the surroundings landscapes.
2. Ait Ben Haddou
   1h
   Ait Ben Haddou has been used as the backdrop for many popular movies including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), TheLast Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gladiator (2000), to name a few. But there is more to this ksar than just Hollywood blockbusters. Ait Ben Haddou is a massive fortification made up of six kasbahs all protected by UNESCO. You can spend several hours in its maze of winding streets until reaching a fortified granary at the top which provides an amazing view of the valley.
3. Taourirt Kasbah
   30m · Admission ticket not included
   Taourirt Kasbah, a citadel set against the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains. As far as fortifications are concerned in Morocco, this is one of the most impressive of its kind. With almost 300 rooms and a true maze of passageways, steps, and keylock doors, it’s easy to feel lost within this immense structure that only connects to the outside world through a narrow entrance doorway.Originally built in the 19th century, the Taourirt Kasbah was owned by the el Glaoui clan, a family that had a powerful stronghold of one of Morocco’s most significant southern caravan routes to West Africa. This power and wealth made the clan one of the country’s most influential families. Its most notable member was Thami El Glaoui, also known as the Lord of the Atlas, who was the Pasha of Marakesh between 1912 and 1956.
4. Valley of the Roses
   20m
   Roses are mainly farmed to produce and sell rose water, a bi-product of making rose oil through the distillation of pure, fresh rose petals. High in vitamin E, rose water is popular in Morocco and internationally for both its cosmetic and culinary use. The rose season and harvest is so important to the Dades region that a special festival celebration is held each year in Kelaat Mgouna – a small town in the Dades region which is named the valley of roses. During full bloom it’s not hard to see how it got its name; its possible to smell a strong rose fragrance to the air even when passing through the main town.
5. 12h
   The Dades Valley is scattered with oases, palm groves and elaborate kasbahs. The valley itself is made lush and green by the Dades River, which rises from the High Atlas Mountains before emptying into Morocco’s largest river, the Draa. The waters of the Dades provide life for a variety of almond, fig, walnut and birch trees on the valley floor offering a spectacular contrast to the earthen-colored rocky formations rising from the valley floor.

Day 2: Dades Gorges - Todra Gorge - Erfoud - Rissani - Merzouga

1. Todra Gorge
   30m
   The Todgha Gorges are a series of limestone river canyons, or wadi, in the eastern part of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, near the town of Tinerhir. Both the Todgha and neighbouring Dades Rivers are responsible for carving out these deep cliff-sided canyons, on their final 40 kilometres (25 mi) through the mountains. The height of the canyon walls can vary, but in some places can be up to 400 metres (1,312 ft) high.
2. Erfoud
   Pass by
   Located on the Ziz River, it is different than most Moroccan villages. It does not have century-old buildings, but was instead built in the early 1900s by the French as an administrative headquarters. Buildings are made of red sand of the area mixed with lime. The settlement with its high walls and tightly packed houses were constructed as protection from the marauding nomadic tribes.
   Erfoud has the usual winding streets and alleyways. Near Erfoud are large palm groves that have been used by travelers for respite. Not far away is the desert and sand dunes of Merzouga. Erfoud is known for its precious, unique fossils.about 500 million years ago, the sahara desert was submerged under water producing the many fossils hidden in its dunes. it also have a flourishing marble industry. Marble from this area is red, brown and black.
3. Erg Chebbi
   12h
   Erg Chebbi is one of two ergs (large areas of windblown sand dunes) in Morocco. Most of Morocco’s desert is made up of flat, rockier terrain known as hamada, but Erg Chebbi has sweeping dunes that reach 525 feet in height. Both the 1999 movie The Mummy and 2005’s Sahara were filmed at Erg Chebbi. Overnight with dinner and breakfast.

Day 3: Merzouga - Rissani - Draa valley - Ouarzazate - High Atlas Mountains - Marrakech

1. Rissani
   30m
   Wake up early to catch the spectacular desert sunrise then have leisure breakfast and shower after that you take the camel ride back to the car where you will find you driver waiting for you. We depart for the ancient city of Rissani is a town in Errachidia Province in eastern Morocco, located near Erfoud. It is the closest town of significant size to the Erg Chebbi, the largest sand desert in Morocco. It was once home to the Alawite dynasty as they took power, as well as Moulay er Rachid. It is a cultural destination in Morocco boasting beautiful examples of early Moroccan architectural styles and noteworthy palaces and temples.
2. 15m
   Is a little oasis nestled on the southeast edge of the Anti Atlas Mountains is starkly picturesque, one would likely keep driving through were it not for one thing: For fossil hunters, this is paradise. Alnif and the surrounding basin is the best place in Morocco, and one of the most renowned in the world, for collecting the prehistoric creatures known as trilobites.
3. High Atlas Mountains
   Pass by
   High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas, is a mountain range in central Morocco, North Africa, the highest part of the Atlas Mountains.
   The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. At the Atlantic and to the southwest the range drops abruptly and makes an impressive transition to the coast and the Anti-Atlas range. To the north, in the direction of Marrakech, the range descends less abruptly.
4. Marrakech
   Pass by
   End of Your trip and drop off in Marrakech at accommodation/airport

Pickup details

Free Pick-up and Drop-off: accommodation/airport/port

• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels