9-Day Morocco Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakech with Aït Ben Haddou

• You will be met at the airport for the short journey to Marrakesh Medina and your riad. Depending on your arrival time, there may be an opportunity to explore some of the local shops and enjoy your first glass of mint tea.

Overnight at your riad.

• Leaving Marrakesh, we cross the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, which, at an altitude of 2260 m (7417 ft), is the highest pass in Morocco.
• You will be able to enjoy amazing views of this fascinating landscape and Berber villages. Continuing on to Ouarzazate - the Hollywood of Africa - you can explore the impressive Taourirt Kasbah and film studios before checking into your hotel or riad.

• After breakfast, your Saharan adventure continues as we drive along the Draa Valley and through the small towns of Agdz and Alnif.
• Here we go off-road through the arid desert, where you may see a mirage of an oasis. There will also be an opportunity to meet local nomads.
• Arriving in the Ouzina Desert, you may choose to be accommodated in a small auberge or in a camp.

• Leaving the Ouzina Desert behind, we travel through the desert of Jdaid, where the black desert meets the small mountains of the Sahara. En route, you will pass through the villages of Taous and Khamlia, where you will experience the music and life of the Gnaoua, descended from slaves brought to Morocco from Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, and Ghana.
• Your driver-guide will take you to join a Berber family for lunch, giving you the chance to learn more about Moroccan culture and history.
• In the afternoon, a camel ride will take you across the sand dunes to a Bedouin camp, where you will spend the night experiencing the immensity and silence of the desert.

• After experiencing a beautiful sunrise in the desert, you will travel to meet nomads in the Hamada "black desert" and take tea in their tent.
• You will learn about the culture and local environment and experience a little more of the real Morocco.
• After lunch, you may choose to explore a little more of the Sahara on a quad bike.

Overnight in a hotel or riad.

• After breakfast, we set off for Erfoud - fossil town. Here you will see stalls selling crystals and semi-precious stones, as well as fossils. The workshop Usine de Marmar is open to visitors.
• We will then travel through Todra Gorge, a narrow corridor with sheer cliffs 300 m (985 ft) high rising dramatically on each side. These are the most impressive cliffs in southern Morocco, and they are well known to experienced mountaineers.
• Here you will have lunch before continuing to the Dades Valley, where you will see some impressive rock formations known by locals as "monkey toes", as well as interesting mud kasbahs.

Overnight in a hotel or riad overlooking the Dades Valley.

• Today we travel off-road between the Dades Valley and the Valley of the Roses. It's a great opportunity to encounter the local nomads, some of whom still live in caves and tents. At El-Kelaa M'Gouna, up to 4000 tonnes of rose petals are picked every spring to be processed into rosewater or exported for the perfume industry. The Rose Festival is held here in May.
• We will then travel to the Kasbah Aït Ben Haddou, probably the most celebrated, filmed, and photographed kasbah in Morocco. Featured in numerous films, including Lawrence of Arabia, The Sheltering Sky, and Gladiator, it is the best-preserved kasbah in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• We will cross the Atlas Mountains by the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, which, at an altitude of 2260 m (7417 ft), is the highest pass in Morocco. You will be able to enjoy amazing views of this fascinating landscape and Berber villages.
• Arriving in Marrakesh, you will stay overnight in a riad near the famous Jemma el Fna square.

• In the morning, your local guide will take you to see the historic sites of Marrakesh, including the Koutoubia Mosque, Jemma el Fna square, the souks of the Medina, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and the famous Ben Youssef Medersa.
• In the afternoon, your private driver-guide will take you to visit the Majorelle and Menara gardens.
• You will have dinner at a local restaurant and stay overnight at your riad.

• Depending on your flight time, there may be an opportunity for some last-minute shopping before we collect you for your transfer to the airport.

Trip ends.