Kasbahs, Valleys, Chegaga desert tour from Marrakech – 4 days

Morning departure at 8.30 from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to cross the High Atlas Mountains.
After the Tichka pass, the highest in North Africa at 2260 m, you leave the main road to Kasbah Telouet. This was the seat of the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family. The palace was abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha’s property was confiscated for his having plotted the King’s exile.
All the different parts of the Kasbah are in ruins through complete neglect and sadly even the last building is now closed due to the destruction caused by the earthquake that hit Morocco in September 2023. Nonetheless, you can still enjoy the exterior with a local guide to uncover its fascinating history.
The journey south continues along the beautiful, sinuous Ounila Valley whose rock and soil colours are surprising. Berber villages and gardens, as well as smaller Kasbahs delight the eye.
In Aït ben Haddou you stop for a welcome lunch. Energised by this you will visit this UNESCO World Heritage site, which is also a backdrop to a large number of Hollywood blockbusters. Once in Ouarzazate about 45 minutes later, you will stop for the night in a riad or guest house

After the Tizi-n-Tinfifte pass south of Ouarzazate, you will notice the wide oasis and large number of palm trees stretching out below. This marks the head of the Dra’a Valley which produces an amazing 44 varieties of dates. The date harvest begins in September lasting over a couple of months. The souk in Agdez offers the freshest and best
Kasbah Tamnougalte is the oldest Kasbah in the Dra’a Valley, from where you follow the ancient caravan road for a while. On the way, we pass many villages and gardens, indicative of oasis life and subsistence. Shortly before the police check-point in Tansikht, the driver can show you the dinosaur footprints in the rock at the side of the road. In Tinsouline you can drive about a kilometre outside the village to the fascinating rock carvings of animals. These 4000 year-old carvings at Foum Chenna depict animals that have been extinct in Morocco for a very long time.
You will have lunch in Zagora, the largest town in Dra’a Valley. Shortly after the town you reach Tamgroute, well-known for the green glaze of its ceramic products. You may have already seen them in the south in Marrakech and certainly frequently in the south. The ancient Quranic library in the town with exquisite hand-written Arabic texts is famous throughout the country. Many of them have now been transferred to the National Library in Rabat.
You will drive about another 45 minutes to the dunes outside M’hamid on the edge of the Sahara. You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp with private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings and lamps tastefully arranged to enhance your enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.

After breakfast and in the village itself, you will visit the old village across the now frequently dry Dra’a River. It is typical of desert dwellings in adobe and with covered streets; protection against the intense mid-summer desert heat.
In the afternoon, you leave for the Erg Chegaga dunes (300m) about 60km off-road. This route passes characteristic desert features; “erg” (dunes) and “hammada” (stony desert), plus the occasional oasis. These dunes are far away from any settlements and where nomadic life is tough; exposed to the wind, sandstorms, and sparse rainfall.
Here a camel ride leads to the highest dune for an unforgettable sunset. The silence and the expanse of the dunes are quite overwhelming.
Dinner and the night will be in a luxury camp with all the amenities of the first desert luxury camp you enjoyed in in Mhamid

After breakfast, another 90km of leads to the dried-up Lake Iriqi, once a source of water for wild animals and bird, as well as fishes to be caught by local nomads. At the edge of the desert in Foum Zguid, a stop for coffee or even lunch will be welcome. The driver has an opportunity to free the car’s filter system for the Saharan sand.
From Foum Zguid, you travel north with incredible rock formations at the sides of the road. As the road reaches the main east-west highway, you arrive in Taznakht, which is most well-known for its iconic Berber carpets and rugs. If it interests you, this is an opportunity to visit one of the town’s many co-operatives to see the innumerable patterns and designs used.
Once again, we go over the High Atlas on a slightly different route before arriving at the Tizi-n-Tichka pass. We reach Marrakech at the end of the afternoon.