Marrakech & the Sahara
Marrakech & the Sahara
Marrakech & the Sahara
8 Days Starting and ending in Marrakech
Visiting: Marrakesh, Aït Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Oued Draa, Zagora, Tizza
Tour operator:
Tour code:
AMS
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
5 - 16
Physical rating:
Medium
Age range:
16-99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
From:
$1125 (USD)Tour Overview
The grandeur of the Sahara Desert is truly experienced on this trip as we journey from Marrakech across the High Atlas Mountains to the palm groves of the Draa Valley and the gateway to the desert at Zagora. En route we’ll enjoy the UNESCO listed 16th-century kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, before continuing for a camel trek and a night under a thousand stars on the edge of the worlds largest desert, the Sahara. On our way back to the city, we’ll stop in the remote village of Tighza and enjoy a peaceful walk and authentic hamman. Finally there is some free time to enjoy the sights and smells of Marrakech one of the great cities of the Arabic world.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Start Marrakech.
Location: Marrakesh
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Akabar Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: No Meals
Arrival at our hotel in the evening.
Day 2 : Across The High Atlas To Ait Benhaddou.
Location: Aït Benhaddou
Accommodation Name: Rose du Sable (or similar)
Meals Included: breakfastdinner
With time to explore Marrakech at the end of our journey, we leave the Red City behind and head into the Atlas Mountains. Our destination for the day is the well-preserved Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most spectacular sights of the Atlas, made famous as the filming location for several Hollywood films including 'Gladiator'. The route takes us over Tizi N Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco, arriving mid-afternoon. We will then have time for an afternoon walk around the town.
Ksar el janoub or similar
Day 3 : Draa Valley, Camel Ride And Berber Camp
Location: Ouarzazate, Oued Draa
Accommodation Name: Camp Chez Le Pacha (full-service camping)
Meals Included: breakfastdinner
After a short transfer, our adventure begins in Ouarzazate, nicknamed the 'door to the desert' because it used to be a crossing point for African traders on their way to Europe. It is now the site of the Atlas Film Studios, the setting for many Hollywood films, as well as Game of Thrones and BBC's Atlantis. It's also home to the impressive Kasbah Taourirt. Originally this kasbah was later owned by T'hami El Glaoui who is better known as the Lord of the Atlas. The Krupps field gun that secured the Glaoui power is now displayed outside the kasbah.
We then head south 4,5 hours’ drive along the Draa Valley, a huge palmery containing over four million palm trees, bordered by many ksours (fortified villages). Here we embark for 2hours camel trek and venture further into the desert, where we spend the night at a simple Bedouin camp for some spectacular star-gazing. Surrounded by silence and millions of stars lets us appreciate the immensity of the Sahara Desert.
Full-service Camping
NOTE - as we venture into the desert, you are requested to only bring an overnight bag and leave all your remaining luggage with the vehicle. Please pack your overnight bag ready for today.
Day 4 : Camel Ride; On To Zagora And Free Time.
Location: Zagora
Accommodation Name: Hotel Chez le Pacha (or similar)
Meals Included: breakfast
After waking in the silence of the desert we take a return camel ride and a short drive to Zagora. Here there is time to rest, have a shower and enjoy the pool. Later in the afternoon we can take the optional walk in to the valley and around this famous desert outpost.
Hôtel La Fibule Zagora or similar
Day 5 : Into The High Atlas Mountains; Walk To Remote Village Of Tijhza And Visit The Local Hammam.
Location: Tizza
Accommodation Name: Tighza gite (or similar)
Meals Included: breakfastdinner
Travelling west through Draa valley to join Ounila valley at the High Atlas Mountains. Start our walk from Animeter on a gentle uphill gradient to our well-equipped gite at Tijhza where we spend the night.
In the evening we will visit the village hammam, built with money raised by Exodus clients. This is a truly authentic experience and terrific fun. It is very much a traditional hammam and you are likely to get the opportunity to mix with the villagers, which further adds to the experience. A standard treatment is included, but you will need to purchase a scrubber and soap for 20MAD (£1.50) and pay a customary tip of 20MAD. Refreshed, we return to the gite for our final dinner in the mountains.
Tijhza Gite or similar
Day 6 : Morning Walk; Afternoon Transfer To Marrakech Through Magnificent Mountain Scenery.
Location: Marrakesh
Accommodation Name: Akabar Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: breakfast
There is time to relax this morning on the riad terrace, which has wonderful views across the fertile Tijhza Valley. Alternatively, we offer an optional 3-4 hour trek through the villages of this remote area, passing fields cultivated by the Berber women, with the peaks of the High Atlas as a fitting backdrop. After lunch, we leave the gite making the scenic drive over the High Atlas Mountains back to Marrakech, with some stunning scenery along the way. Once again we cross Tizi'n'Tichka, at 2260m which is the highest road pass in Morocco. Back in Marrakech we check-in to our hotel. In the evening we visit Djemma el Fna, the open-air central square around which Marrakech revolves. The name literally means 'place of death', as the sultans once displayed the heads of their enemies here. Now, with the food stalls, snake charmers, juice-sellers and acrobats, it is a place of night time entertainment for locals and tourists alike.
Hotel Gomassine or similar
Day 7 : Explore Marrakech: Djemaa El Fna Square, Beautiful Gardens, Palaces And Souks.
Location: Marrakesh
Accommodation Name: Akabar Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included: breakfast
Today we set off on foot on a guided tour to see the spectacular sites of Marrakech. Our city guide will lead us to the Bahia Palace and the Saadian tombs, which date back to the 16th century. We continue through the labyrinthine of souks, bartering for souvenirs, or we can visit the largest mosque in Marrakech, Koutoubia. Alternatively, you may prefer to head off on your own today and take a calèche ride (horse-drawn carriage) to the peaceful Majorelle gardens, owned by Yves St Laurent and decorated throughout in indigo blue; or simply enjoy a hammam (traditional Moroccan steam bath).
Hotel Gomassine or similar
Day 8 : End Marrakech.
Location: Marrakesh
Meals Included: breakfast
Our tour ends after breakfast
What's Included
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All breakfasts and 3 dinners
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All Accommodation
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Transfers for group flights
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Tour leader throughout
What's Not Included
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Travel insurance
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Single supplements
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Visas & Vaccinations
Food
All breakfasts and 3 dinners included. Moroccan food is, generally speaking, excellent though not particularly varied. Breakfasts usually consist of bread and jam with coffee or tea. Meals eaten out are reasonably priced - kebab and bread cost is approximately GBP8 (USD13). In main towns, it is possible to find very good French and Moroccan restaurants where a meal and French wine will cost anything from GBP20 (USD30) upwards. Generally, dinner is likely to cost between GBP5-10 (approx. USD8-15) not including drinks. Local beer, wine and soft drinks are reasonably priced, but you can pay UK prices or more for imported alcohol. Your leader will recommend restaurants for each evening. Vegetarians can be catered for but there is a fairly limited choice of vegetarian couscous, tajine or omelettes. This is particularly the case during the more rural sections of the trip. Please note that if you have any special dietary requirements you should inform the Exodus Office prior to the trip. If you have a specific medical/dietary need (i.e. coeliac or vegan) you may find it helpful to bring some items of food with you from home.
Accommodation
On this Moroccan adventure, we spend five nights in hotels, one night in a gite and one night in a Sahara camp. Below are the accommodations we typically use.
Marrakech: Hotel Akabar (nights 1 and 6-7)
We begin and end the adventure at Hotel Akabar, which has a sun terrace with a pool, a restaurant and bar. If you're ready for a cultural adventure, it's just a 20-minute walk to the Djemaa el Fna square, where you can explore the mazy souks, excellent restaurants and street-food stalls. Alternatively, if you don't fancy the walk, a taxi will take you there in around five minutes.
Ait Benhaddou: La Rose du Sable (night 2)
Just a 15-minute walk from the magnificent Ait Benhaddou, La Rose du Sable occupies a prime address for our adventures. Though the location is undoubtedly a highlight, the hotel also has a swimming pool for any spare moments, plus there’s an upstairs terrace where our groups often gather to chat and relax.
Sahara: Camp Chez Le Pacha (night 3)
The highlight for many is our night in the Sahara, where our camp is circled by bronze dunes you can climb to watch the sun set and rise. Our accommodation is a ring of traditional mud huts, though most prefer to take their beds outside to sleep under a blanket of stars – look out for the tell-tale streak of a shooting star. In the centre of the camp is a fire, which is lit at night and typically becomes the place to share stories and bond with our guide and hosts. Distractions are few here, which allows everyone to share, what is for many, a bucket-list experience.
Zagora: Hotel Chez Le Pacha (night 4)
After a night under the desert sky, the large pool, sun loungers and swinging hammocks at Hotel Chez Le Pacha make for a nice change. There's also a restaurant serving Moroccan dishes, plenty of seating spaces to gather as a group, and traditionally styled rooms.
Tighza: Mountain 'gite' (night 5)
Our night in the Atlas village of Tighza is spent in a gite, which denotes simple rural accommodation (like a refuge or hostel) in Morocco. Here, we receive a lovely welcome from our hosts, who bring us tea as we sit on the terrace taking in countryside views. Our rooms are simple and sparse and you could be sharing with other group members depending on room availability; however, the spectacular location and chance to spend a night in a traditional village is reason enough to visit.
Worth knowing
There are shared bathroom facilities at the Sahara camp and mountain gite.
Single supplement not available in the desert camp or mountain gite.
Check out our Q&As
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
Reviews from Travellers on this Tour
Dates & Availability
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus, 43 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.