Taste of the Desert

Marrakech > Dades Valley > Ergi Chebbi > Marrakech

3 days/2 nights

Day 1 Marrakesh – Dades Valley

We will make an early morning departure from Marrakesh to cross the Tichka pass in the High Atlas Mountains.
We will stop for lunch at UNESCO World Heritage site, Ait Ben Haddou, the most famous Kasbah in Morocco. After lunch we will continue through the Skoura Oasis, where numerous ancient Kasbahs stand amongst the palm trees. From here, the route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, with a stop to see cosmetic articles locally made from the valley’s abundant roses. We will continue to the Dades Gorge where we will stay in a hotel by the river for the night.

Day 2 Dades – Erg Chebbi

After breakfast, we will have time to walk by the river before continuing to Toudgha Gorge for lunch. We will drive via the Ziz Valley, and the towns of Erfoud and Rissani and arrive at Erg Chebbi hotel around 3pm, to prepare for departure on the camel into the desert to see the sunset on top of the dunes. We will spend the night in a bivouac and after a traditional tagine dinner and delicious mint tea we will spend the night watching the stars and the rising moon.

Day 3 Erg Chebbi – Marrakesh

We will rise early to see the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. We will make our way back to the hotel for breakfast and a shower. The drive back east to the Dra’a Valley takes us along the length of the Saghro mountains via the villages of Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob, where we have lunch overlooking the mountains.

In the afternoon we drive to Tanasikht, where we reach the Dra’a valley, full of large palm trees and ancient kasbahs. Here we go along the track of the ancient caravan route to Agdez. Back on the paved road again, we return to Marrakesh again over the High Atlas to arrive in Marrakech in the early evening.