7 days discovering Southern Morocco’s Flavors and Sands

Enjoy delicious kebabs and tagine dishes, and taste the atmosphere from Aladdin. You are more than welcome in Morocco, the people are known for their hospitality. Of course, on this tour of Morocco, you'll take time to explore Marrakesh, with its colorful souks, mosques and palaces. You will explore the Aït Benhaddou kasbah, the wonderful Todra Gorge and experience the Sahara to its fullest between the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Discover the best of Southern Morocco!

Day 1 Arrival Marrakech

You fly to Marrakesh, the pink capital of southern Morocco. This is where your Morocco tour begins. The old city walls of the city are still largely standing. They have been reinforced over the centuries and have grown with the number of inhabitants of this magical city. You reach the old center, the medina, through one of the fifteen gates. In this city, the horse-drawn carriage is still part of the normal transport. Mosques, old palaces and sultan tombs are located within the walls. You usually arrive in the evening. The tour guide will meet you today at 22:00in the lobby of the hotel. If you arrive later, there will be a note waiting for you at the reception.

Day 2 : Marrakech 

Free day in Marrakech. For those who want, an optional half-day excursion is organized to visit the most important monuments . This excursion can be booked on the spot. Of course, you can also go on a discovery tour yourself. Start your walk at the Djemaa el Fna square, the beating heart of this vibrant city. At the end of the afternoon, when the siesta is over, everything and everyone seems to go to Jamaa el Fna. You mingle with the fortune tellers, storytellers, snake charmers, dancers and acrobats. Behind the square, the extensive souks begin. This is where the Moroccans come for herbs, carpets and slippers. In this area you will also find the beautiful Ben Youssef Coranic school and you will undoubtedly pass by craftsmen's workshops where craftsmen are busy. Another highlight is the Bahia Palace. This is a beautiful example of Andalusian-Moorish architecture. It looks like a palace from a fairy tale; because of the mosaic floors, the garden with fountains, palm trees and orange trees.

Day 3 Marrakech– High Atlas– Aït Benhaddou

Today you drive over the High Atlas, via the Tizi n Tichka pass (2260meters high) to the famous kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. The spectacular road winds along deep valleys and wonderful views. You pass several villages that seem to be riveted to the mountain edges. Eventually you arrive in the beautiful desert like landscape, characteristic of the south of Morocco. Only a few families still live in the kasbah, the rest is maintained at the expense of UNESCO. When you walk around here you forget that this is the 21st century. From the top you have a beautiful view of the surrounding white-pink stone desert. In the swimming pool of your hotel, near the photogenic kasbah, you can rinse off the day’s heat! Because you are staying overnight in Ait Benhaddou, you will have the kasbah largely to yourself to discover.

Day 4 Aït Benhaddou- Todra Gorge 

Today you follow the special route of one thousand Kasbahs. On the way you see the kasbahs on your left in the middle of the palm gardens, while above them the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas shine in the sun. You leave the main road at Tineghir and continue your way winding upwards past extensive gardens with date palms and green fields. Eventually you seem to get stuck in a narrow gorge of three hundred meters high and only a few dozen meters wide, the Todra gorge (Gorges de Todra). There are numerous photogenic kasbahs and in the valley you will find a large palm garden. You can go out in the afternoon for a nice walk. Or just laze around for a few hours and enjoy the peace. 

Day 5 Todra Gorge- Merzouga Desert

After spending the night at the Todra Gorge, the journey continues towards Merzouga. You follow an unpaved, rough route in the area of the Erg Chebbi desert until you finally reach your overnight accommodation. The enormous sand dunes in this area give you the feeling that you have ended up in the Sahara. Merzouga desert is one of the few sand dune areas in Morocco. The immense sand dunes here are up to 150meters high. At sunrise or sunset, the dunes are extra beautiful in color. You experience how hot the desert can be. Fortunately, the inn where you are staying, beautifully situated on the edge of the desert, has a swimming pool. Wonderful for a refreshing dip.

Day 6 Merzouga Desert– Rissani N'kob

From Merzouga you drive to Rissani and then on to N'Kob. On the way you pass through the small desert towns of Alnif and Tazarine. The landscape along the way is somewhere between desert, oases and wild west. The road is very quiet. In N'kob you stay in a simple 'auberge', with a magnificent view of the Saghro mountains in the distance and palm gardens in the oasis.

Day7 N'kob-HighAtlas-Marrakech

You travel back to Marrakech, where you have a few more hours to enjoy everything this city has to offer. You may want to go to the souk again, looking for your last souvenirs. Or perhaps visit the bustling Jamaa El Fna one more time… The medina of Marrakech is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the southern part of the medina you will find the Bahia Palace, the El Badi Palace and the Saadian Tombs. The latter in particular show you beautiful Moorish architecture. For lovers of Moroccan houses and gardens, it may be worth visiting the 'Jardin Majorelle', a former home of Yves Saint-Laurent, with its lushly landscaped garden. The house now houses the Berber museum.

Day 8 Marrakech Departure

Today you fly back home. Here your Morocco group tour ends and you take your '1001 nights experience' home with you