Category: Travel Tours

The Highlights of The Tour :

Wanna explore the magic of Morocco in 4 days? Easy! Jump on this 4 days Morocco tour from Casablanca. You will get to see the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca & the Hassan Tower in Rabat, experience camel trekking across Erg Chebbi dunes, watch an amazing sunset/sunrise over the giant sand dunes of Merzouga, sleep under a sky full of stars in the desert, and many more! It will be a 4-day Morocco trip you won’t soon forget.

• Stop at the Hassan 2 Mosque in Casablanca
• Visit the Hassan Tower in Rabat
• Meet Barbary Apes in Azrou Cedar forest
• Panoramic aspects of Erg Chebbi dunes
• Experience Camel ride in Merzouga Sahara
• Watch Sunset over the sand dunes
• Do Sand Boarding activity
• Overnight Camping at Merzouga Desert Camp
• Hearty dinner and party around campfire (Berber Drums)
• Merzouga explore tour & a visit to a nomad family
• Visit Atlas Studio & Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate
• Visit the UNESCO world heritage of Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
• Spectacular views of the Atlas Mountains landscapes

Itinerary of 4-days Kasbahs, Gorges, Merzouga desert tour from Marrakech

1st day: Casablanca – Rabat – Fes

The 4 days desert tour from Casablanca to Marrakech will start with a sightseeing tour of Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco, we visit the exterior of the Hassan II Great Mosque, one of the Islamic world’s greatest monuments, followed by a short walk through corniche… we’ll visit different attractions depending on the time.

Depart to Rabat, the administrative capital of Morocco. In Rabat, we will visit the splendid Mohammed V Mausoleum, the Hassan Tower.

Late in the afternoon, we will depart for Fes, we’ll pass by Meknes probably with a stop to see Bab Mansour which was founded at the end of the 17th Century by Moulay Ismail and is known as “the Moroccan Versailles” Then we will continue to Fes and check-in at your hotel.

2nd day: Fes – Azrou – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga Sahara Desert

After having breakfast at your hotel, we’ll pick up you and we drive towards Ifrane the Moroccan – Swiss-style town of Ifrane, we’ll continue to Azrou where we’ll stop at the cedar forest the largest in Morocco in the Middle Atlas Mountains.

Here we can see the Barbary Apes. after lunch, in Midelt we’ll be traveling towards Merzouga with a stop at the panoramic view of Ziz Valley. Arriving in Merzouga Sahara desert late afternoon, from here we’ll start the camel trek to explore Erg Chebbi dunes.

Night at our camp in the desert where you will have your dinner. The camp is fully equipped and enjoy a portion of delicious food, music, and song by the Berber people.

3rd day: Merzouga Sahara Desert – Ziz Valley – Todra Gorges & Dades Valley

Continuing our 4 days desert tour from Casablanca to Marrakech, today, early in the morning, we recommend you wake up to watch the sunrise and after these beautiful moments, you will have breakfast at the camp and take a shower. Then we’ll drive to Tinghir and Todra Gorges – the highest and narrowest gorges in Morocco.

After lunch, we’ll travel toward Dades Valley and drive through Dades gorge where you will see the majestic castles and amazing rock formations. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.

4th day: Dades Valley – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Marrakech

After breakfast, we drive through the Dades Valley to Ouarzazate. The road through the Dades Valley is the way of the thousand Kasbahs – providing many opportunities to take photos.

We will stop at Kalaat Mgouna “Pink City” or the city of roses before reaching Ouarzazate where we will visit the Taourirt Kasbah and Atlas Film Studios. Continue to Marrakech via the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou.

This fortified kasbah was built by El Glaoui one of the last Berber leaders during the 18th century, after the visit of the Kasbah, your journey continues through the majestic Tizi n’Tichka (2260m) over the High Atlas Mountains, before arriving in Marrakech in the late afternoon, drop off at your hotel in Marrakech and end of our 4 days desert tour from Casablanca to Marrakech.

Also Included in this tour:

• Pick-up & drop off at/from your accommodation
• Transport by private modern vehicle with A/C
• Experienced English speaking Driver/Guide
• Car Fuel
• Camel Trekking (Camel per person)
• Sunset camel ride
• 2 nights in a private room at a hotel/riad (At your preferred room type)
• Overnight at the Desert Camp (At your preferred tent type)
• (Breakfast & Dinner) x 3
• 4×4 transfer from and to the camp (Alternative to Camels)

Excluded from this tour:

• Beverages
• Lunches
• Entrance to monuments (Optional)
• Leaving a tip (Optional)

The Highlights of The Tour :

• Driving over the High Atlas and the Middle Atlas Mountains with breathtaking views
• Exploring Kasbah Telouet, Kasbah Aït ben Haddou, and Kasbah Amredhil in Skoura
• Hiking in the Toudgha Gorges and Dades Valley with a local guide, or walking by the river
• Spending peaceful nights in a private luxury tent with private bathroom in Erg Chebbi
• After dinner, joining in an evening of local Berber music and drumming around a fire camp
• Enjoying a full day’s camel trekking in Merzouga, or a half day’s drive round the dunes

Itinerary of 4-days Kasbahs, Gorges, Merzouga desert tour from Marrakech

1st day: Marrakech – Skoura

Morning departure at 8.30 from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to cross the High Atlas Mountains. After the Tichka pass, you leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family, and which now stands in ruins after the last Pasha’s property was confiscated for his having plotted the King’s exile.

Sadly, the entire Kasbah is presently closed due to the destruction caused by the earthquake that hit Morocco in September 2023. Nonetheless, you can still enjoy the exterior with a local guide to uncover its fascinating history.

From there you continue for lunch at Ait Ben Haddou along the newly asphalted connecting road. This is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which we visit after lunch.

After visiting the Kasbah, you continue to Ouarzazate, where you visit us in the office for tea and to pay your balance.  From here you travel another short distance to Skoura to the oasis and a night’s quiet rest.

2nd day: Skoura– Dades Gorges

Skoura Oasis has numerous ancient kasbahs, with many sadly in ruins, standing amongst the palm trees. In the morning you can visit the restored and fascinating Kasbah Amredhil and walk in the oasis with its innumerable olive and fruit trees.

From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May. Here we stop to see the cosmetic articles which are made locally from the valley’s abundant flowers. These products are well-known throughout Morocco and are highly valued.

From here, you take an off-road route to have a better impression of the landscape. Along the way, you will stop at caves, used by whichever Berber nomads happen to pass and claim residence there. We will have a glass of tea with them before continuing to the Dades Gorge for lunch. This leaves you half a day to walk in the valley or to spend it relaxing or simply strolling by the fields and gardens, or having tea with a Berber family. You spend the night in a guest house.

3rd day: Dades Gorges – Merzouga

After breakfast, the trip continues a short distance to Tinghir and the very different Toudgha gorges where you can take a short walk to appreciate the steep sides to the gorge and the narrow expanse of the sky above.

From there, you continue to the Chebbi dunes via Tinjdad, and the Oasis of Tafilalet near Erfoud, famous for its Date Festival, and Rissani, which is the seat of the Alaouite family of the present king of Morocco. Between Tinjdad and Erfoud, you can stop to go down into the fascinating underground water channels deep below the earth, always cool and preventing the evaporation of this source of irrigation.  Lunch will be in a Berber village along the way.

Im Merzouga you will take camels to reach the desert camp, where you will be welcomed with tea and biscuits.  As the sun goes down, you can walk to the summit of the nearest and highest dunes to watch the full splendour of the sunset.

You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp with private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings and lamps tastefully arranged to enhance your enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.

4rd day: The Sahara Desert of Merzouga

After breakfast, you take the camels, either riding or walking behind, as they carry everything needed to cook your lunch, which will be prepared out in the dunes by your camel man. You’ll walk about three hours in the morning, followed by another three in the afternoon returning to the bivouac for dinner and the night.

Alternativly : after breakfast, you will explore the desert area more fully. First of all, you will be visit the Gnawa people in the village of Khamlia. They specialize in Gnawa music brought from sub-Saharan Africa with the slave trade. They will play some for you.

 Afterward, you will visit the old city of Rissani. This small town was the foundation of the Alaouite dynasty – the current ruling royal family in Morocco. It is surrounded by 360 ksars (a ksar is a fortified village with many towers) and has a large souk (an open market) held three times a week. Here you’ll walk through the souk, which sells spices, vegetables, household goods, and handicrafts. Rissani has been built on the site of Sijilmassa, which was the meeting place for the salt caravans, coming from Timbuktu in Mali.

And then in the afternoon, you will mount your camel, and be led by an experienced camel man through the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi at Merzouga for an hour to an hour and a half to watch the sunset and spend the night back in your chosen luxury camp. 

Weather conditions and temperatures in South Morocco are rarely stable. Should it become too hot from May through to the end of September, we may have to advise you not to attempt the trekking in the dunes but to take this alternative instead.

5th day: Merzouga – Fes

After breakfast, you make a departure for Rissani and possibly a visit to the local souk. In Erfoud, there will be a stop to see how the abundant locally found fossils are worked into furniture and artefacts.  They bear witness to the fascinating geological history of the area, which used to lie beneath the ocean.

From here, the road leads north to Er Rachidia, a main mining town, and the Ziz Valley, remarkable for the extent of its palm trees. Lunch is in Midelt, known as “the apple capital”, in the Middle Atlas and at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain.  This town is also one of the main mining areas of Morocco.

Lunch is in Midelt, 1508M, which is called “the apple capital”, in the Middle Atlas and at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain.  The town serves as the commercial agricultural center for the surrounding area and is also one of Morocco’s principal cities for the mining of several minerals, such as fluorite, vanadinite, quartz, and cerussite.  

You cross the Tizi-n-Talremt pass to reach Azrou on the edge of the mountains. Here you can see Barbary apes looking out for tidbits in the cedar forests. This fragrant cedar wood is used for wonderful chests of drawers and wardrobes. We reach Fes, a truly historic Imperial city in the early evening.

Your driver will escort you to your riad, bringing your Marrakech to Fes desert tour 5 days to a close.

Also Included in this tour:

• Transport in a private air-conditioned vehicle; 4×4 Toyota Prado TX or deluxe van and fuel
• Pick up from your hotel or riad in Marrakech and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Fes
• Experienced local English/French/Spanish/Italian-speaking Berber and nomad driver/guide
• Accommodation in air-conditioned rooms/suites with private bathroom
• Two nights in a luxury camp in Erg Chebbi with a private toilet and shower, lamps, and traditional handmade Moroccan furnishings
• All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
• A camel ride with a guide. And if you wish to do some sandboarding, just speak to the camp staff!. Plus a whole day trekking in the dunes
• The option of going to and from the camp by 4×4
• Luggage service to the luxury desert camp and all accommodation
• Berber drumming and music
• Free time to explore the sites such as Ait Ben Haddou, the Ounila Valley, for walks, photos, and tea/coffee breaks
• The opportunity to ask the driver to stop when and where you wish
• Tea, coffee and mineral water in the desert

Excluded from this tour:

• Beverages
• Lunches
• Entrance to monuments (Optional)
• Leaving a tip (Optional)