Morocco: Marrakech & The Sahara
8 days, Marrakech to Marrakech
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Marrakech to Ouarzazate
Arrival Day. Make your way to the joining hotel for a brief welcome meeting before driving to Ouarzazate for an overnight stay at our accommodations there. Please arrive at the hotel meeting point before 2:30PM.
Please plan for your flight to arrive at the airport in Marrakech no later than 12:30PM.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Meeting - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Hotel Les Jardins de Ouarzazate (or similar)
Meals included:
DinnerDay 2Ouarzazate to Erg Lihoudi Desert Camp
In the morning before leaving the group will explore the famous atlas film studios in Ourzazate and learn a bit about the film making in Morocco. Drive to Zagora and then to Mhamid. From there head out into the Sahara desert for two nights of camping under the stars. The walk will take about two hours and we will arrive at the camp around sunset. Enjoy a cup of tea and watch the colors change in the sky as the sun slips below the horizon.
From Ourzazate we drive to Zagora along rural roads. In Mhamid (Oulad Edriss) we meet the local crew and start the desert journey to Erg Lihoudi. Any luggage will be brought to camp by jeeps. Dinner will be served fireside.The camp is in Erg Lihoudi. Our camps will be comfortable, but still somewhat basic. You’ll see some spectacular night skies.
Atlas Film Studios Tour
Discover the sets of blockbusters from years past at Atlas Film Studios, the largest film studio in the world. Get behind-the-scenes access to the sets and props used in the making of films like Raiders of the Lost Arc and Gladiator (2000), as well as TV show Game of Thrones. Wander past jetplanes, through a colosseum, and into a tomb as your guide reveals the scenes that they were used in and how they were built.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Desert Walk
Head out into the vast landscape of the Sahara, one of the world's largest deserts and walk along the sand dunes around you. Make sure to bring your camera for some fantastic photos of the desert's formidable landscape of sand.
Overnight at a Desert Camp
After travelling by foot into the desert enjoy some tea and watch the sunset near our desert camp for the night. Eat dinner around the fire and enjoy a quiet night beneath the starry skies.
Accommodation
Hotel Zagour - Camp (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 3Erg Lihoudi Desert Camp to Bertam Oasis.
Wake up to a stunning sunrise, enjoy some breakfast at camp and then start the day. This is our second day of the Berber desert journey. Then you have a choice of walking or riding a camel to our lunch stop. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sahara as you travel like people have for millenniums. After lunch we’ll enter the 21st century again and travel to the next desert camp by 4x4. Arrive at the oasis of Bertam to catch sunset before having dinner fireside with stories and music.
4x4
Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle's going, we don't need roads.
Berber Desert Journey
Today you have the choice to walk or ride a camel. Its about a two to three hour walk or ride ride until we reach our lunch stop. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sahara as you travel like people have for centuries.
Bertam Oasis Overnight
After travelling by foot, camel, and 4x4 we'll arrive at the Bertam Oasis. This temporary overnight camp is more basic, and has been set up just for the group. Catch another desert sunset, enjoy dinner and stories around a fire and spend another night in tents under the stars.
Accommodation
Chez Belhou: Mobile desert Camp (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Bertam Oasis to Skoura
After another sunrise out in the desert and some breakfast at camp the group will travel to Zagora by 4x4. Enjoy some free time to shower, freshen up, and relax by the hotel pool after our Sahara adventure. After lunch continue on to Skoura. Explore this oasis city famed for its date palms. Have dinner as a group in Skoura.
4x4
Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle's going, we don't need roads.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Take advantage of some free time in Zagora to freshen up at the hotel. Grab a hot shower washing the desert dust away and spend some time by the pool before lunch. It's the perfect way to feel refreshed after our desert adventure.
Free Time
Wander the town, visit the palm plantations, visit the markets, and imagine discovering this haven after days or months travelling through the desert.
Accommodation
Skoura Lodge (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Skoura/Marrakech
Travel back to Marrakech and enjoy free morning to see the city. In the afternoon the group will attend a cooking demonstration and learn how to make tanjia, a different form of tagine.
We'll make the dish and seal it in the clay pot to cook overnight in the hamman. Then, explore the various food vendors in the Medina with your CEO and learn about the different ingredients. End the day with evening tea on the rooftop terrace overlooking the main square of Jemaa El Fnaa.
Your Foodie Moment: Tanjia Cooking Class
Not to be confused with the popular tagine, "tanjia" is distinct to Marrakech and one of the best local experiences for any traveller. Learn the history and culture behind this dish, then head to the market to pick up a clay vessel called tanjia - which the dish is named after - and the ingredients you will need, traditionally some meat and spices. Drop off your tanjia at the neighbourhood "furan" or communal oven to have it cooked in the ashes that heat the nearby hammam. The next day, pick up your tanjia and enjoy a delicious meal with the group.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Discover Moment
There's plenty to see and do in Marrakech, and we wanted to make sure that you had some time to take it all in. Feel free to relax or try optional activities like practice your barter skills with a local merchant, get lost in the medina, and explore the gardens of Jardin Majorelle. Your CEO has more ideas if you need them. Just ask!
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
El Badi Palace
70MAD per personVisit the ruins of what was once the most ornate palace of the 16th-century. Its sunken gardens and pools give a glimpse into its former glory.
Musée de Marrakech
50MAD per personWander around the salons of the ornate Mnebhi Palace displaying various collections of Moroccan art forms.
Accommodation
Riad Chambres d'Amis Marrakesh (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 6Marrakech
Visit the important sites within the medina this morning. Make stops to Jardin Secret and Bahia Palace. End the morning adventure with a trip to the bakery to learn a brief introduction into Moroccan bread making, then have a taste.
Collect your tanjia lunch on the way back to the Riad. Enjoy your own cooking as lunch on the terrace. The afternoon and evening are free for you to explore Marrakech on your own. Don't miss a chance to visit Jardins Majorelle with their vibrant blue garden houses and thriving plants.
Marrakech Medina Guided Tour
Enjoy a guided tour of the Medina in which you will make stop to Jardin Secret and Bahia Palace. End the tour with a stop at the bakery to grab some Moroccan bread to go with your tanjia lunch.
Free Time
Explore Marrakech on your own. Go back to the food stalls in the Medina, or visit the Djemaa El Fna Market in search of souvenirs.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Musée de Marrakech
50MAD per personWander around the salons of the ornate Mnebhi Palace displaying various collections of Moroccan art forms.
Djemaa El Fna Market Square Walk
Wander past fresh orange juice stalls and water sellers in colourful costumes reminiscent of an era past. See storytellers, magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines as the day progresses. When the sun sets, the square fills with dozens of food stalls, and is packed with locals, entertaining chefs, and waiters.
Koubba Ba’adiyn
40MAD per personVisit one of the lasting relics preserved after the destructive Almohad rule - a 12th-century shrine displaying the sophistication of earlier Almoravid architecture and design.
El Badi Palace
70MAD per personVisit the ruins of what was once the most ornate palace of the 16th-century. Its sunken gardens and pools give a glimpse into its former glory.
Jardins Majorelle
200MAD per personVisit this enchanting garden in the heart of the city designed by French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962). Follow the pathways through trees, exotic plants, streams, and pools while watching the numerous birds who call this peaceful paradise home. (Please note that the entrance fee to Musée Yves Saint Laurent is an additional 30 MAD.)
Accommodation
Riad Chambres d'Amis Marrakesh (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 7Marrakech
Set out on a full day excursion to Ouzoud, a beautiful oasis waterfall near the Atlas Mountains. Walk up the stairs to the top of the falls and enjoy breathtaking views of the flowing water. After a delicious lunch right near the falls the group will travel back to Marrakech. Enjoy a local dinner in the heart of Jamee Lafna Square.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Ouzoud Waterfalls Visit
Travel to North Africa's highest multi-tiered waterfalls. At a height of 360ft (110m), the Ouzoud Falls are named after "the act of grinding grain" in Amazigh culture.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Riad Chambres d'Amis Marrakesh (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 8Marrakech
Depart at any time.
Opt to get up early and catch the sunrise over Marrakech by pre-booking the Hot Air Balloon excursion. Please note this activity will not finish until 10am. We recommend booking your departing flight no earlier than 1pm to ensure you have enough time to make it to the airport.
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Hot Air Balloon Marrakech
Get an early start and watch the sunrise over the red dust, palm groves, and majestic open landscapes of Marrakech from a hot air balloon. After soaking up the sights, refuel with an authentic Amazigh breakfast in a Moroccan tent.
*Please note if you purchase the Marrakech Hot Air Balloon ride on the final day of your tour you will not finish until 10am. We recommend booking your departing flight no earlier than 1pm to ensure you have enough time to make it to the airport.