Nomads & Berbers 7 DAYS – Marrakech

Greeting at the airport and transfer to hotel. Dinner and night.

In the morning departure with all-terrain vehicle towards the Atlas mountain South of Marrakech. Ascent to the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2260 m altitude. The surrounding mountains are a magnificent view. Then descent to Aït ben Haddou, a superb fortified village that is a must. Lunch, then departure along the Rose Valley, so called for its rose gardens. Arrival in Tinghir, where you will meet a date picker. In this impressive palm grove, placed in the midst of an arid land, an ingenious irrigation system allows for luxuriant crops. Dinner and night in encampment.

We head East where the mountains tops are still snow-capped, towards Erfoud at the edges of the desert. Picnic on the road. This is where the Sahara expedition starts up to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi. The guide will be happy to describe the life of the nomadic people, a pastoralist society with a peculiar lifestyle that you can sometimes meet on the trail. Dinner and night in bivouac, among the dunes.

We cross the great plateau of Tafilet, one of Morocco’s most desert regions, from East to West. Discovery of the Erg, a fascinating lunar expanse. Visit to some small typical villages where also nomads stopover with their goat and camel herds. Picnic on the road. Then we head towards Oum Jrane, where the bivouac will be ready for the evening.

The crossing of the desert plateau leads to the imposing palm grove of Zagora, a magic place punctuated by ksours. Visit of a fortified village, located at the edge of the palm grove, reminder of a time when sedentary peasants seeked shelter from the desert pillagers. Stop in Zagora to buy the necessary ingredients for dinner. The market visit is a pleasant mean to meet the merchants and the inhabitants. Your cook will also be your interpreter and will initiate you to the subtle art of haggling in Morocco. We continue towards Oulad Driss through a small road lined with palm trees. Dinner and night in fixed encampment (with toilet blocks). On this last night in the desert, the cook will teach you how to prepare a real Moroccan couscous.

We head North towards the winding valley of the Dra, particularly rich in palm groves. The road to Ouarzazate is full of surprises, as for the admirable villages made up of earth. In Tamgroute, visit to the ancient Coranic library. In Ouarzazate, a visit to the Taourirt Kasbah is a must. The guide will explain the historic and cultural significance of these Kasbahs, as well as the role that its dwellers played in Moroccan society. Picnic on the road. Dinner and accommodation in hotel.

Return to the ìRed cityî by crossing the great barrier of the Atlas once again. Accommodation in riad. With a Marrakchi guide, visit to the souks, in particular, around the narrow alleys less visited by tourists. Free time to stroll around the medina: from the souks to Djemaa el Fna, for example. Free dinner. Night in riad.

After breakfast, transfer to airport and flight back home.