DAY 1: MARRAKECH - ATLAS MOUNTAINS - OUARZAZATE - ZAGORA

This tour departure Marrakech , available every day, including private transfers, organised by Private Marrakech Trips. After breakfast, leave from your Marrakech hotel/riad to the High Atlas Mountains and the famed Tizi N'Tichka pass (2260m). Views of valleys and Berber communities perched on mountain slopes are stunning from these heights, often scarcely discernible from the mountains themselves. It continues to rain after you cross the pass until you get in Ouarzazate for lunch. You next cross another minor pass, Tizi N'Tinfifite, before arriving at the Valley Dra'a, which leads to Agdez.

We travel along the traditional caravan route between the mountains and the river, stopping at many villages and gardens along the way to give you a better sense of life along the oasis. Then you'll arrive in the Zagora desert, where you'll have dinner among the dunes at the nomad tent camp where you'll spend the first night of your two-day excursion from Marrakech to Zagora. (Overnight Camel Trek in Zagora).

DAY 2: ZAGORA - OUARZAZATE - AIT BENHADDOU - MARRAKECH

We get up early enough to watch the sunrise, and the gorgeous dance of shadows on the sand dunes will reward you. After breakfast and a shower at the berber camp, you'll take a short detour back to the north. To access the Unesco World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou, you must deviate from the main road to Marrakech through Ouarzazate (declared World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1986). This renowned Moroccan Kasbah has appeared in a number of Hollywood blockbusters and was one of the most important strongholds on the ancient Salt caravan routes, when traders transported slaves, gold, ivory, and salt from Sub-Saharan Africa to Marrakech and beyond.

Continue down the new road to Telouet Kasbah, formerly home to the Lords of the Atlas, the El-Glaoui dynasty, and now in ruins after the last Pasha fled the country when the French departed. The primary road back to Marrakesh follows the river as it enters the mountains, passing through various Berber communities. You may occasionally go down into the river valleys, which are lined with oleander and fruit trees. The gardens are abundant with olives, walnuts, pomegranates, apples, pears, and quinces. Berber women and children care for goats and cattle, climbing even the steepest hill in search of fodder and fuel. We get at Marrakech late in the afternoon. Our two-day desert trip from Marrakech to Zagora has concluded.

INFO:

Please keep in mind that Zagora is a stony desert that, unlike the Erg Chegaga Sahara desert, lacks large dunes.

This Zagora desert tour is well-known for its sunsets and stunning draa valley, as well as its camel trek and stay in a desert tent. When you arrive in Zagora, you will be greeted by your camels, who will accompany you into the desert. After around an hour riding camels, you will arrive at your Zagora desert camp, where you will eat dinner, play drums, and spend the night in authentic nomad tents.