1
Day 1: Agadir – Taroudant – Taliouine – Taznakht – Ouarzazate
Our first day of 4 days Sahara Tour from Agadir To Marrakech will start from your hotel in Agadir in the early morning or from Agadir Al-Massira International Airport, and we will drive to the first stop, which is in Taroudant. Taroudant is located in the Sous valley and is known as the “Grandmother of Marrakech” because it looks like a smaller Marrakech with its surroundings. Taroudant was the capital of the Saadi Empire before moving to Marrakech in the 16th century. In addition, the town was occupied by the Almoravids in 1056. Nowadays, Taroudant is well known for its local crafts, including jewelry and carpets. The city also contains a small tannery, which is considered a source of leather goods such as sandals, leather bags, and belts. Here, you will have a small inside town before continuing our journey to Taliouine. Taliouine is our next destination. It’s famous as the producing town for saffron (which is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus) because it is considered the heart of the saffron growing area of Morocco.
Besides, we will visit a cooperative for saffron and buy some saffron if you are interested. Later, we will carry on our trip to the rugs and carpets city of Taznakht. Taznakht is a town in Ouarzazate. Its carpets and rugs are handwoven using the traditional Moroccan methods made of premium wool quality, using different pure Amazigh designs and mostly earthy color palettes. The carpets and rugs use sheep wool and are hand-woven and knotted with natural colors such as saffron, henna, and mint, and they can be used for summer or winter, floor or against the wall. We will continue our expedition to Ouarzazate, where we will spend our first night of 4days Sahara Tour from Agadir To Marrakech, including dinner and breakfast.
2
Day 2: Ouarzazate – Ait Saoun Mountains – Agdaz – Draa Valley – N’koub – Alnif – Rissani – Merzouga Sahara Camel Ride
The second day of the 4 days Sahara Tour from Agadir To Marrakech be started after your breakfast at your hotel/riad, we leave ouarzazate toward to Merzouga sahara by crossing Ait Saouen pass, and Agdz by overpass the Draa Valley; considered as the most extensive river here in Morocco at 1,100 kilometers and it flows out from mountains of High Atlas. In addition to that, the Draa valley knowing with it’s a stunning oasis home to Berber villages, impressive kasbahs, and the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. We will continue our journey by driving toward to Sahara bypassing N’Qob where would have a break for coffee and a toilet, then later continue our trip to Alnif, where we will have a break for coffee and toilet. Thereafter, we carry on to Rissani is the ancient capital of Tafilalet (once Sijilmassa) is the foundation of the Alaouite dynasty, the current ruling family. With most of the women veiled, and men hooded, this is a very traditional Moroccan town, also it was a major road of caravan and considered as a commercial center in the region with a large market “Souk”.
Afterward, we will continue to the Khamlia village, which is 7 km away from Merzouga, to have Berber Pizza for lunch, later on, if you are interested, you may listen to the Gnawa songs sung and played by the dark-skinned Gnawi people who migrated to this area over 100 years ago. The Gnawa keep their culture and traditions going through this music, which they are associated with. We then drive back to Merzouga to have our Berber whisky “Mint Tea” before starting your camel ride to explore the golden Sahara desert with its magnificent views of sand dunes. Just as you approach your overnight desert camp, you will stop for a sunset view on the top of a sand dune, which will be one of the highlights of your trip. After your dinner at the desert camp, you will have a chance to listen to and play the local Berber music with your hosts.
3
Day 3: Merzouga Sahara Camel Ride – Arfoud ( Fossils’s City ) – Underground Irrigation System – Tinjdad – Gorge Todra – Boumalne Dades
day will be started by dating with the sunrise in a panoramic view that is worth waking up for after your breakfast at camp you will have two options to drive back from your desert camp to Merzouga Sahara, which is to come back by camels or by Jeep 4X4. And then, we leave Merzouga after a great lifetime experience in the Sahara desert, driving toward Rissani is the ancient capital of Tafilalet which was a principal road of caravans, and considered as a commercial center in the region with a large market “Souk” where you will take a chance to connect and to interact with locals, then continue our journey to Erfoud “Fossils City” as well-known as filmmaker’s destination thanks to the beauty of the surrounding Desert Sahara and towns of oasis areas, movies had filmed here are March OR Die, The Mummy, and Prince Of Persia. After two hours of driving, we will reach one of the famous spots of the high atlas, called Todgha gorge located 16KM far away from Tinghier consists of several canyons and a large river.
This stunning area affords plenty of opportunities to walk, such as along the river through the garden or up the road on the other side of the gorge. Besides, the Todgha Gorge had deemed as a station for tourists and locals who are interested in climbing and hiking in its canyons and having a walk through the gorge, you will have lunch in a beautiful restaurant which is overlooking the river. In the afternoon, we carry on our journey to the Boumalne Dades is famous with lovely valley located in a desert plateau, 1500m high and is known as an old way of transhumance, and the valley has recognized as Figs Valley going through the Boumalne Dades region, we will have a short walk for exploring the charming of the valley and visiting Monkey Fingers, as well you will spend a night in that valley and dinner in your Riad/Hotel.
Day 4: Boumalne Dades – Kalaat M’guna ( Roses City ) – Skoura – Moroccan Hollywood ( Ouarzazate ) – Kasbah Ait Ben Haddo – High Atlas Mountains – Marrakech
We will start our last day of 4 days Sahara Tour from Agadir To Marrakech, after your delicious breakfast at the accommodation, you can enjoy the stunning view of Dades valley from one strategic lookout in the high atlas mountains, then, later on, we continue our expedition to another valley called Valley of the Roses “Kalaat M’gouna” the city is the central district of many villages, and it has two special days for the local market, first day in Tuesday, it is only for livestock trade, and Wednesday is the second day is for food and other goods. Kalaat M’gouna is well-known for its rose products of beauty recognized as natural products, also used in Moroccan cuisine and the perfume industry, as well the city famous for a festival in early of May because there is no set date for the festival, it determines on the harvest season, during festival local Berber musicians playing traditional instrumentals and dancing.
The last day of a festival is a special day to choose Ms. Roses. After a few stops of enjoying and discovering the fascination of one thousand kasbahs road, we reach Ouarzazate which is identified as the gate of the Sahara desert, which is a city of the Draa-Tafilalet region too. Our first site to visit is Kasbah of Taourirt built-in 17th by a dominant local family the kasbah has an important position which controlling the junction of several river valleys because considered as Desert Sahara Trade Roads, in the 1990s registered as historical attractiveness in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Furthermore, Ouarzazate is an elementary tourist destination and one of the favorite spots for filmmakers over the world, if you are interesting, we can visit the biggest cinema studios in the region that attract international companies to work in. Movies were filmed for instance The Man Who Be King in 1975, The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), and Hanna in 2011, and so on.
The following site to visit is Kasbah Ait Ben-Haddou 15km from our previous site Ouarzazate, we will explore another site that was declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, a kasbah located on the top of a hill affords a view of the Ounila River, and its houses are linked together within a great wall for fortification also inclusive corner towers and gate and houses decorated with geometric motifs. Kasbah Ait Ben-Haddou was the main road for caravans that came from Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as you will have free time for lunch in town. Later on, we will drive to Marrakech through the mountain called Tizi N’tuchka (the second-highest altitude in Morocco at 2260m) It is a part of the High Atlas Mountains well-considered as controlled pass by El Glaoui the last Pasha of Marrakech, where we will have some stops to take pictures of a delightful landscape. Drop you off at your accommodation in Marrakech where our service of 4 days Sahara Tour from Agadir To Marrakech ends.
