Day 01
Marrakech to Dades Valley via Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate
- Meet your tour guide and depart from your hotel in Marrakech at 8 o'clock.
- Drive past the High Atlas Mountains and the Tichka Pass, then leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family. The kasbah was abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha fled the country following the departure of the French in 1956. Each addition to the building now stands in ruins, exposed to the wind and rain. Be pleasantly surprised by the traditional interior decoration as you reach the farthest end of the kasbah.
- Continue driving along the beautiful and awe-inspiring Ounila Valley, full of bends in the road, surprises in the hues of the rock and soil, Berber villages and gardens, as well as smaller kasbahs.
- Reach Aït Ben Haddou and stop for a tasty lunch. This is the most famous kasbah in Morocco and one of Morocco's seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, which you can explore after lunch.
- The road passes Ouarzazate and continues to the Skoura Oasis, where olives, almonds, lucerne, barley, and fruit trees such as apples, apricots, figs, and pomegranates are grown. Here, numerous ancient kasbahs, some sadly in ruins, stand among the palm trees.
- Visit a very famous kasbah on the way, Kasbah Amredhil, which used to be depicted on the old 50 dirham banknote.
- Travel through Kela'a M'gouna, the Valley of Roses, with a stop to see cosmetic articles locally made from the valley's abundant roses.
- Arrive at a hotel in Dades Valley for dinner and an overnight stay.
