5-Day Southern Morocco Tour: Kasbahs, Merzouga and Zagora

Trip overview

Five private days in the south from Marrakech: Aït Ben Haddou, the Dades, the Todra, the Merzouga dunes, Zagora and the Draa Valley, with 4 to 7 hour drives.

• Duration5 days / 4 nights
• Starts inMarrakech
• GroupPrivate · 1–16 people
• DifficultyEasy
• LanguageEspañol
• DeparturesDaily departures all year round

Highlights

• Southern loop with 4 to 7 hour drives
• Aït Ben Haddou and the Taourirt kasbah in Ouarzazate
• Valley of Roses, the Dades and the Todra Gorge
• Camel ride and a night in camp in Erg Chebbi
• Kasbah road through Alnif, Tazarine and N'kob
• Koranic library and pottery of Tamegroute
• A night in Zagora, in the Draa Valley
• Stops planned for photography in good light

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1: Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Aït Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate

   We pick you up from your accommodation in Marrakech in the morning and cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass. On the way up we stop at viewpoints over Berber villages and, if you are interested, at an argan oil cooperative.

   After lunch we reach Aït Ben Haddou. We walk through the ksar, crossing the river and climbing its lanes to the granary on the hill, and wait for the afternoon light to turn the mud-brick walls orange. We continue to Ouarzazate, where you can visit the Taourirt kasbah, once a residence of the Glaoui family. Dinner and overnight at a hotel or kasbah in Ouarzazate. About 4 or 5 hours of driving.

   Hotel or kasbah in OuarzazateDinner

2. 2

   Day 2: Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of Roses – Dades Valley

   After breakfast we go to the Skoura palm grove and walk among earthen kasbahs such as Amridil. We continue to Kalaat M'Gouna in the Valley of Roses, where you can visit a cooperative making rose water and creams. They will show you products to buy, but there is no obligation.

   In the afternoon we enter the Dades Valley and drive up its winding road, stopping at viewpoints over the reddish rock formations and the riverside villages. If you feel like walking, the driver will point you to a short path between orchards and walnut trees. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in the Dades Valley. About 4 hours of driving spread over the day.

   Hotel in the Dades ValleyBreakfast and dinner

3. 3

   Day 3: Dades Valley – Todra Gorge – Merzouga: camel ride and camp

   We set off for Tinghir and its palm grove and enter the Todra Gorge. We walk along the canyon floor between sheer rock walls, with time for photos and a tea on a terrace by the river.

   In the afternoon we continue through Tinejdad, Erfoud and Rissani to Merzouga, at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes. As the sun goes down, you ride a camel to the camp, stopping on top of a dune to watch the sand change colour. Dinner, Berber music by the fire and a night in a tent. Bring a warm layer, because it gets cool at night. About 5 or 6 hours of driving.

   Desert camp in Erg ChebbiBreakfast and dinner

4. 4

   Day 4: Merzouga – Rissani – Alnif – N'kob – Tamegroute – Zagora

   We get up early to watch the sunrise over the dunes and ride back by camel or 4x4 for breakfast. We pass through Rissani and take the southern road to Alnif, known for its fossils, and Tazarine, between dark mountains and mud-brick hamlets.

   We stop for lunch in N'kob, a village with dozens of kasbahs. In the afternoon we reach the Draa Valley and visit Tamegroute, with its old Koranic library and workshops making green-glazed pottery. Late in the afternoon we arrive in Zagora, once a stop for the caravans heading to Timbuktu. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Zagora. About 5 or 6 hours on the road with stops.

   Hotel in ZagoraBreakfast and dinner

5. 5

   Day 5: Zagora – Draa Valley – Agdz – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

   After breakfast we drive up the Draa Valley, one of the longest palm groves in Morocco, stopping at viewpoints and at a ksar by the road. In Agdz, at the foot of Mount Kissane, you can see a kasbah or walk among the palms.

   We cross the Tizi n'Tinififft pass and have lunch in Ouarzazate. In the afternoon we climb the High Atlas again over the Tizi n'Tichka, with plenty of bends, and come down to Marrakech, where we drop you at your accommodation in the late afternoon. About 7 hours with stops, much easier than the direct drive back from Merzouga.

   Tour ends in MarrakechBreakfast

What's included

Prices per person

The vehicle and driver are paid per day and shared between the travellers, so the price per person goes down the more of you there are. Accommodation is charged per person per night (4 nights).

• Standard: Comfortable hotels and riads, standard desert camp
• Superior: More characterful accommodation and a superior desert camp
• Children aged 3 to 11: 3% less than an adult.
• Groups of more than 7 people travel in two vehicles. The booking calculator takes this into account.

Payment and cancellation

You pay a 15% deposit when you book. The rest is paid on the first day of the trip, in cash or by bank transfer. You can also pay it by PayPal or card, with a 5% surcharge.

Private: free up to 48 hours before the start. If you cancel in time, we refund the full deposit.

Extras you can add

Chosen when you book and added to the total. You can also ask for them later, subject to availability.

Frequently asked questions

Destinations on this trip