4 Days Sahara Desert & Ait Benhadou Tour
Desert Tour from Marrakech to the dunes of Merzouga will allow you to discover the real Morocco.
On this 4day experience the beauty of the dunes stretching out into infinity Follow the path of the dromedary desert caravan Explore the great valleys of southern Morocco
Itinerary
Day 1: Marrakech – Tizi N’tichka – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley – Dades
You will be picked up from your accommodation in Marrakech at 9.00am and head out over the Atlas Mountains, driving over the stunning Tizi-n-Tichka mountain pass.
You’ll pass through lots of Berber villages, and once you’re in the desert, you’ll see riverside oases and barren hillsides dotted with kasbahs (fortified dwellings that house families and their livestock).
Along the way, you will have the option either to take a break and visit the Ouarzazate Film Studios or stop for a hike.
Once you reach Dades Gorge, you have the option of going for a hike, or relaxing at your hotel. Overnight in Dades. 6 to 7 hours drive.
Day 2: Dades Valley – Todra Gorge – Merzouga – camp
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer from the Dades Valley to Todra Gorge – a massive fault dividing the High Atlas mountains, rising up 300 metres in a narrow valley with palmeries and Berber villages.
Here, you can go for a hike to explore the palmery, a green oasis full of large date palms.
After lunch you’ll head further into the desert to the gateway town of Merzouga to pick up supplies for your desert trip. You will then drive on to a kasbah to pick up your camel.
At sunset, you’ll trek for an hour-and-a-half by camel to a Berber camp where you will enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner, and sleep under the stars or in tents at a desert camp. 4 to 5 hours drive.
Day 3: Camp – Merzouga – tinjdad – ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou
Wake to a desert sunrise and then return to the kasbah by camel. You will then have a chance to freshen up and enjoy a breakfast. Once you are refreshed, you will head out of the desert for a drive to Ait Benhaddou.
This is an ancient fortified city containing countless kasbahs and has been the atmospheric subject of numerous hollywood movies (The Mummy, Gladiator, Alexander, Lawrence of Arabia…) You will have the chance to walk around the buildings and explore with your guide. You will overnight in a hotel close to Ait Benhaddou. 5 to 6 hours drive.
Day 4: Ait Benhaddou – Telouiat – Tizi n’ Tichka – Marrakech
Travel along the Ounilla Valley to the Telouet Kasbah, a crumbling kasbah that was once an important stop for traders. Explore the Kasbah and then after lunch, you will head back over the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass to Marrakech . 3 to 4 hours drive.