Marrakech & the Sahara
Marrakech & the Sahara
Marrakech & the Sahara
8 Days Starting and ending in Marrakech
Visiting: Morocco
Tour operator:
Tour code:
AMS
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
5 - 16
Age range:
16-99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishTour Overview
Experience the grandeur of the Sahara on a journey that takes us from Marrakech and across the High Atlas Mountains. En route, explore the historic ksar (fortified village) of Ait Benhaddou, before a camel trek and night under a thousand stars at a camp in the Sahara. On our return to the city, we stop in the remote mountain village of Tighza to enjoy a peaceful walk and authentic hammam. Finally, there is time to explore Marrakech, one of the great cities of the Arabic world. This itinerary is valid for departures from 1 Oct, 2008 to 16 Dec, 2024. For other departure dates, please contact us.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Start Marrakech
The tour starts at our Marrakech hotel this afternoon.
Accommodation: Akabar Hotel or Hotel Palais El Bahja (or similar)
Day 2 : Across The High Atlas To Ait Benhaddou
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
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 ksar of Ait Benhaddou. This Unesco World Heritage site is one of the most spectacular landmarks in the Atlas and the filming location for several Hollywood movies, including Gladiator (2000). The route takes us over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco, arriving mid-afternoon. We take a tour through the ksar and then return to our hotel for dinner.
Accommodation: Rose du Sable (or similar)
Drive time: Four hours
Day 3 : Draa Valley, Camel Ride And Amazigh Camp
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
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 the site of the Atlas Film Studios, the setting for many Hollywood films and Game of Thrones. It's also home to the impressive Kasbah Taourirt, a grand fort largely constructed from rammed earth and mud-brick.
We then head south with a 4hr 30min drive along the Draa Valley, which contains more than 4m palm trees and is bordered by many ksours (fortified villages). Here we embark on a one and a half hour camel trek and venture further into the Sahara, where we spend the night at a simple Bedouin camp for spectacular stargazing. Surrounded by silence and millions of stars, we can appreciate the immensity of the desert.
Accommodation: Camp Chez Le Pacha (full-service camping)
Drive time: 5hr 30min
Please 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
Meals Included: Breakfast
We wake in the desert silence, then take a return camel ride and a short drive to Zagora. There's time to rest, have a shower and enjoy the pool. Later in the afternoon, we can take an optional walk into the valley and around this famous desert outpost.
Accommodation: Hotel Chez le Pacha (or similar)
Drive time: Two hours
Day 5 : Into The High Atlas Mountains; Walk To Remote Village Of Tighza And Visit The Local Hammam
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We travel west through the Draa Valley to join the Ounila Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. We start our walk from Animeter on a track with short steep inclines passing through small villages. After about 1hr 30min, we arrive at our gite in Tighza where we spend the night. Tighza is a rural village set in the Atlas mountains. From the terrace of our Gite you can look down into the valley and enjoy the sunset over the surrounding 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 Exodus clients. 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 will need to purchase a scrubber and soap for 20 Moroccan dirham (US$2) and pay a customary tip of 20 dirham. Refreshed, we return to the gite for our dinner in the mountains.
Accommodation: Tighza gite (or similar)
Drive time: 4hr 30min
Day 6 : Morning Walk; Afternoon Transfer To Marrakech Through Magnificent Mountain Scenery
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning there is time to relax on the terrace, which has wonderful views across the fertile Tijhza Valley. Alternatively, we offer an optional three hour trek through the villages of this remote area, passing fields cultivated by the Amazigh women, with the peaks of the High Atlas as a fitting backdrop. We leave the gite after lunch, 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. Back in Marrakech, we check into 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.
Accommodation: Akabar Hotel or Hotel Palais El Bahja (or similar)
Drive time: 5hr 30min
Day 7 : Explore Marrakech: Djemaa El Fna, Beautiful Gardens, Palaces And Souks
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today, we have a guided walking tour to see the spectacular sites of Marrakech. Our city guide will lead us to the Bahia Palace and the Saadian tombs, which date to the 16th century. We see the outside of the largest mosque in Marrakech the Koutoubia. We continue through the labyrinthine of souks where you can barter for souvenirs. We can then have lunch together in a restaurant overlooking the square. 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 another hammam.
Accommodation: Akabar Hotel or Hotel Palais El Bahja (or similar)
Day 8 : End Marrakech
Meals Included: Breakfast
Our journey comes to an end after breakfast. Hop into your free transfer to Marrakech Airport to catch your flight. Alternatively, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay in the Red City.
What's Included
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All breakfasts and three dinners
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All accommodation
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Tour leader throughout
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Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone
What's Not Included
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Travel insurance
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Visas and vaccinations
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Single supplements
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.
Accommodation
On this Moroccan adventure, we spend five nights in hotels, one night in a gite and one night in a Sahara camp. The normal accommodations used are on the day-to-day itinerary.
However, the highlight for many is our night in the Sahara, where we can stargaze and spot shooting stars. Distractions are few, which allows everyone to share, what is for many, a bucket-list experience.
We also spend one night in a mountain gite, the name for modest 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 basic 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.
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