The 5 Days Marrakech Zagora Desert Tour is a popular tour package that takes visitors from the bustling city of Marrakech to the breathtaking Zagora Desert. The tour typically includes a visit to the famous Bahia Palace, the Majorelle Gardens, and the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, followed by a scenic drive through the Atlas Mountains to reach the desert. Once in the desert, visitors can participate in a variety of activities such as camel trekking, sandboarding, and visiting traditional Berber villages. The tour also includes overnight stays in traditional desert camps and an opportunity to witness the stunning desert sunset and sunrise. The tour concludes with a return to Marrakech. Overall, the 5 Days Marrakech Zagora Desert Tour offers a unique blend of culture, history, and adventure, making it a great option for those looking to experience the best of Morocco’s diverse landscape and culture.
Day 1 : Marrakech Dades Gorges:
We will meet at the designated arrival point in Marrakesh to start our tour towards Dades Gorges which are a series of rugged wadi gorges carved out of the Dades River. We will drive through Tizi-n-Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains where we will have the opportunity to take some outstanding landscape photos. Subsequently, we will visit the Ait Benhaddou fortified village/ksar recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site and then drive a short distance towards Ouarzazate which is known as the desert door. For many centuries this town was an exchange trading route and now is the home to Atlas Studios, the film capital of Morocco where Lawrence of Arabia and the Game of Thrones were filmed. Also, we will have a chance to visit an outstanding abandoned 17-19th century fortified residence, Taourit Kasbah, in the center of Ouarzazate and then move on to Rose Valley where we will have the opportunity to learn about the process of distilling the flowers grown there into rosewater. After our tour of the area, we will drive into Dades for our night’s lodging at a comfortable, traditional Moroccan Riad (courtyard townhouse) and will get a chance to have dinner at leisure.
Day 2: Dades Gorges Merzouga:
Today, we will have breakfast at the Riad and then we will drive to Merzouga known for having the highest Sahara sand dunes in Northern Africa, called Erg Chebbi. On our way to our destination, we will have a chance to see many oases such as the small desert town of Tinjdad. Further on, we will arrive at Rissani where it is possible to visit a number of ruins/museums/ markets. We will continue on our way reaching the dense palm tree oasis (palmerales) of the Ziz “Tafilet” Valley followed by the hard rocky plateaus of the desert, hamada, before arriving in Merzouga, at the edge of the Sahara, where we will take a camel ride later in the day to watch the ever-changing
colors and shapes of the sand dunes. We will spend the night in a well-equipped campsite in the middle of the Sahara which will give us a chance to
observe the day/night/day changes of the landscape and take photos of the sunset along with the sunrise. You will be served dinner at the campsite before turning into your tent for the night under the starlit desert sky.
Day 3 : Merzouga:
After a refreshing night’s sleep in the desert followed by breakfast, we will explore this section of the Sahara desert where you will have the opportunity to sand-board, ski on the dunes, and/or explore the area in a 4×4. Subsequently, we will visit the town of Merzouga and then Khamlia village which is 7 km away from Merzouga. The village is known for the famous Gnawa music throughout Morocco and there is also time to birdwatch along with walking through the small shopping area. We will continue our camping in the desert tents, get a chance to see the spectacular sunset over the sand dunes, have a locally sourced dinner at the campsite, hear some local Gnawa music, and watch the beauty of the desert sky before we retire to your tent for the night.
Day 4: Merzouga Zagora:
After breakfast at the dune campsite, we will ride camels to the hotel in Merzouga where you can take a refreshing shower. Subsequently, we will drive through the Draa Valley which has a stunning Palm Tree Oasis. We will pass through the oasis of Rissani followed by the Berber town of N’Koub and stay overnight in a local Zagora hotel along with dining at a local restaurant before retiring for the night.
Day 5: Zagora – Marrakesh:
After breakfast in your Zagora hotel, we will travel through the scenic Draa Valley, the town of Agdz, Ouarzazate, the Thousand Kasbah route, and end in Marrakech where you will be escorted to your hotel.