Your itinerary
Day 1
Adventure starts in Marrakech
Buzzy Marrakech is an invigorating introduction to Morocco. However, today is a relaxing one, a chance for our group to congregate and settle in. If you have time you may want to jump in a taxi to visit Djemaa El Fna, the central square, where you can explore the souks and watch the world pass from a cafe.Around 6pm, say hello to your tour leader and fellow travellers at the hotel, where we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.Your tour leader then ensures a big Moroccan welcome over a group dinner together.Want to explore further? Secure pre-tour nights through your sales representative.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2
Across the High Atlas to Ait Benhaddou
With time to explore Marrakech at the end of our adventure, we leave the Red City and head into the Atlas Mountains. Our destination for the day is the well-preserved ksar (fortified village) of Ait Benhaddou. This World Heritage site is one of the most spectacular landmarks in the Atlas and the filming location for several Hollywood movies, including Gladiator (2000). Our route takes us over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco, and we arrive mid-afternoon.We then join our tour leader for a tour of the ksar, navigating the maze of alleys as we make our way to a hilltop granary, where we can enjoy views back over the site and to the Atlas Mountains. We then return to our hotel for dinner.Drive time: Four hours with two stops
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 3
Hike through Todgha Gorge; lunch prepared by a local family
Leaving Ait Benhaddou after breakfast, we travel through 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 home to the Atlas Film Studios, the setting for many Hollywood films and Game of Thrones.We then carry on to Todgha Gorge, a spectacular river canyon with towering limestone walls. Here, our tour leader takes us on a 1hr 30min walk and we enjoy lunch cooked by a food-loving family in their home.Drive time: 4hr 30min with two stops
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 4
Camel trek into the Sahara; night at an Amazigh camp
We journey to the largest hot desert on Earth after breakfast. Upon arrival, we explore the dunes and desert landscape on a one-hour camel trek with expert handlers showing us the ropes and guiding our convoy.The trek ends at our desert camp, where we are sleep on beds in Amazigh-style tents. Surrounded by silence and millions of stars, we can appreciate the immensity of the desert and enjoy dinner in the communal dining tent.Please note: You need to pack an overnight bag for the Sahara – your remaining luggage stays with the vehicle.Drive time: 4hr 30min
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 5
Transfer to Zagora; optional walk in the Draa Valley
We wake in the desert silence. Rise early to climb a nearby dune and catch sunrise from the top, a magical experience. After breakfast, we return to our vehicle and drive to Zagora, a town in the Draa Valley.After a night in the desert, you might like to relax in the hotel gardens or take a dip in the pool. Later in the afternoon, we can take an optional walk into the valley and around this famous desert outpost.Drive time: Five hours
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 6
Walk to Tighza in the Atlas Mountains
After breakfast, we travel west through the Draa Valley to join the Ounila Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. We then leave our vehicle for a hike with steep inclines, which takes us through a series of small mountain villages. After about 1hr 30min, we arrive at our gite (a simple inn) in the village of Tighza, where we spend the night.From the terrace, you can look down into the valley and watch the sun set over the mountains. It is a peaceful retreat and provides the opportunity to meet local villagers and share their way of life.In the evening, we visit the village hammam, built with money raised by our groups. This is a truly authentic experience. 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. Please don’t expect a spa treatment. A standard treatment is included, but you need to purchase a scrubber and soap for 20 Moroccan dirham (US$2) and pay a customary tip of 20 dirham. We return to the gite for our dinner in the mountains.Drive time: 4hr 30min to 5hr
Meals: Dinner
Day 7
Explore Marrakech: Djemaa el Fna, Bahia Palace and souks
We leave the gite after breakfast, making the scenic drive over the High Atlas Mountains back to Marrakech, with some stunning scenery along the way.In the afternoon, we have a walking tour to see the spectacular sites of Marrakech. Our city guide leads us to the Bahia Palace, we see the outside of the Koutoubia, the largest mosque in Marrakech, and continue through the labyrinthine of souks where you can barter for souvenirs.We can then have dinner together in a restaurant overlooking the square. Alternatively, you may prefer to head off on your own today and take a calèche (horse-drawn carriage) to Yves St Laurent’s Majorelle Gardens.Drive time: Four hours
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8
Adventure ends in Marrakech
Our journey comes to an end after breakfast. Hop into your free transfer to Marrakech Airport to catch your flight.If you’d like to extend your adventure, stay a little longer in Marrakech or take a free transfer from Marrakech to Casablanca and join our Discover North Morocco and Chefchaouen trip – speak to your sales representative for more information.
Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
What’s not included
Additional information
Food
The included meals are listed on the day-to-day itinerary.
Moroccan food is, generally speaking, excellent, though not particularly varied. Breakfasts usually consist of bread and jam with coffee or tea. Where meals are not included, budget for the following approximate prices.
Lunches: 60-100 dirhams (US$6-US$10)
Dinners:
In cities: 80-200 dirhams (US$8-US$19)
In small towns and villages: 60-100 dirhams (US$6-US$10)
Drinks in restaurants
Soft drinks: 10-20 dirhams (US$1-US$1.90)
Beer: 30-50 dirham (US$2.85-US$5)
Wine: 150 dirham (US$14) and more
Vegetarians can be catered for but there is a fairly limited choice of vegetarian cous cous, 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 us prior to the trip. If you have a specific medical/dietary need (eg coeliac or vegan) you may find it helpful to bring some food with you from home.
Todgha Gorge Walk & Local Family Lunch
Walk beneath the soaring limestone walls of the Todgha Gorge, where a cool river threads through palms and ochre rock. Follow easy paths along the canyon floor as your leader shares insights into oasis life, geology, and the seasonal rhythms that shape this spectacular valley.
After time to pause for photos and reflection, settle in for a convivial meal, often lunch hosted by a local family. Expect market-fresh salads and slow-cooked tajines, with stories of daily life adding warmth and context to the flavors on your plate.
Sahara Camel Trek & Desert Camp under the Stars
Journey by camel with skilled cameleers to journey by camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes, where apricot sands roll to the horizon. Feel the hush of the desert deepen as you reach a camp of sleep in Amazigh-style tents and share dinner in a communal tent awash with lantern glow.
As night falls, stargaze under a canopy of desert stars in remarkable silence. In the soft pre-dawn, many choose to climb a nearby dune at sunrise for rippling light and long, wind-etched shadows across the Sahara.
High Atlas Village Hike to Tighza & Traditional Hammam
Hike terraced valleys and shepherds’ paths on a hike High Atlas village trails approach to Tighza, passing walnut groves, irrigation channels, and adobe hamlets. Arrive to a warm village welcome, where mint tea and mountain silence frame views down the Ounila Valley.
In the evening, visit a traditional hammam supported by community initiatives, experiencing the authentic scrub-and-rinse ritual locals rely on. This is not a spa; it’s everyday culture—simple, steamy, and sociable—offering a rare window into rural Amazigh life.
Marrakech Walking Tour: Bahia Palace, Koutoubia & Djemaa el-Fna Souks
Join a guided walking tour through the Red City’s storied heart. Step into the 19th-century Bahia Palace to admire carved cedar, zellij tiles, and cool riad courtyards, then view the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque from its gardens, the minaret a landmark above the medina.
Continue into Djemaa el-Fna and the souks, where spice pyramids, brass lamps, and leather workshops animate a maze of lanes. Your guide decodes bargaining etiquette, crafts traditions, and the nightly theatre of storytellers and food stalls that defines Marrakech’s pulse.
Guided Walk in the Draa Valley Palm Groves (Zagora)
Stroll with a local guide through the Draa’s ribbon of shade—date palms, earthen lanes, and mud-brick kasbahs set against a desert backdrop. Trace village paths beside irrigation channels and gardens of mint and figs while learning how oasis agriculture sustains life at the Sahara’s edge.
This optional guided walk explores landscapes once linked to old caravan routes converging on Zagora. Expect soft light for photos, bird calls in the groves, and a gentle pace. Offered at additional cost, bookable on tour.
Calèche Ride to Jardin Majorelle
Ride a horse-drawn calèche through Marrakech to the lush Jardin Majorelle, an artist’s garden of bamboo, lilies, and sculptural cacti framing pavilions painted in electric Majorelle Blue. Wander shaded paths and pools that offer a cool counterpoint to the medina’s bustle.
Created by painter Jacques Majorelle and lovingly restored by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, this urban oasis fuses botany with design. Time permitting, you may visit the adjacent museum independently. This experience is at additional cost, bookable on tour.
Ait Benhaddou Ksar Guided Walk & Hilltop Granary Views
Explore the desert outpost of Ait Benhaddou on a guided ramble through sunbaked alleys and mud-brick towers. Follow in the footsteps of traders as you join a guided walk across stepped lanes to the hilltop granary, pausing to admire ramparts, intricate gateways, and sweeping vistas of the Ounila Valley.
Learn how this UNESCO-listed ksar of Ait Benhaddou guarded caravan routes across the High Atlas and later became a famed filming location. Your guide brings the site’s earthen architecture and Amazigh heritage into focus while you pause for photos and reflection over the labyrinth below.
