Deep South & Hidden Culture
Day 1: Arrive Marrakech Upon arriving into the Marrakech Airport, you’ll be picked up and taken to your hotel for the evening. If you arrive into Marrakech early that day, it can be a good idea to visit the famous square JAME EL FNA. Day 2: Marrakesh Guided Visit After breakfast, you can start exploring […]
Book Now Ask a QuestionDay 1: Arrive Marrakech
Upon arriving into the Marrakech Airport, you’ll be picked up and taken to your hotel for the evening.
If you arrive into Marrakech early that day, it can be a good idea to visit the famous square JAME EL FNA.
Day 2: Marrakesh Guided Visit
After breakfast, you can start exploring Marrakech «the red city of Morocco”.
We will ensure that you see the most important sites of historical and cultural interest, including the Majorelle Gardens, the Koutoubia Tower, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia Palacel.
After Lunch at a restaurant near the square, you will walk through the souks and view hundreds of handicrafts.
On the afternoon, you will have some free time to wonder by yourself the other parts of the city.
Day 3: Agadir – Taroudant
We”ll meet in Agadir and drive towards Taroudant, a city of much history – always referred to as “little Marrakech” for its red walls and narrow alleys – built by the Saadian dynasty, the same one that built Marrakech in the sixteenth century.
Our explorative journey starts by visiting the Kasbah and the Ramparts, and then a walk through the alleys of the Medina. (Unlike the other Moroccan cities Taroudant has a Berber Souk and an Arab one).
After the visiting the Souks we will visit the tanneries, before taking lunch at the main square.
In the afternoon go for a carriage ride around the ramparts.
Dinner will be in a restaurant outside the walls; overnight accommodation at a guest house.
Day 4: Taroudant – Dades Gorge
After breakfast in the guesthouse leave for Ouarzazat through Taliouine and Taznakht.
Stop to visit the Safran Cooperative in Taliouine and carry on to Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, the largest Kasbah in Morocco.
Built by the last Berber chieftain El Glaoui Et-Hami in the late 19th century, it is now a UNESCO matrimonial historical site, which today still houses many Glaoui family members.
Lunch by the Kasbah and continue to Ouarzazat, ” the Hollywood of Africa”.
Here you have the option of visiting the studios to see props used in some movies you might have seen, such as “Gladiator”, “Jewel of the Nile” and “The Sahara”.
Our travel continues to the Dades Gorge through the road of “the Thousand Kasbahs”, which offers many fine photo opportunities of nature and people.
We’ll get to Kalaat Mgouna – famous for roses and its annual festival during the roses harvest in May – visit the Berber Souk of Kalaat Mgouna, then continue to our hotel in the heart of the gorge.
Day 5: Dades Gorge -Todra Gorge – Merzouga
After breakfast in the hotel, drive back through the valley to see the amazing rock formation known as “the Monkey toes”, and the still-standing 19th century Kasbah of Ait Yul.
Leave Dades valley towards the city of Tinghir and Todra valley, whilst taking-in the panoramic views of the old mud Berber villages overlooking the valley.
At Todra Gorge we’ll walk under the 300m high red cliff, popular with many rock-climbers.
Continue our trip to Erfoud and Rissani where we have lunch; afterwards, we leave for the village of Merzouga – the home of your guide Lahcen and where your camel will be awaiting you.
After a welcoming glass of mint tea, you’ll mount your camel, guided by an experienced Camel man, to explore within the mysterious sand-sea of the Erg-Chebbi.
On your way, pause to watch the sunset then continue your ride – seemingly in the middle of nowhere! You’ll be welcomed by your next night’s hosts: a Bedouin family with whom you will share – even if just for a while – a bit of their simple lifestyle.
Communicate with their kids and learn one or two words from their language, whilst their mother prepares a couscous dinner for you to enjoy with them.
Time spent with the nomads will be a lasting memory.
Overnight you’ll sleep in a traditional Bedouin tent.
Day 6: Merzouga and its Wonders
After breakfast with the Bedouin family you’ll peacefully camel-trek back to the village of Merzouga.
Enroute you couldn’t fail to appreciate the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi dunes – changing with the light as the day progresses.
Arriving late morning back in Merzouga, freshen-up and start an explorative journey of the area.
You’ll visit the Gnawa people, originally slaves brought from Sudan, to experience their music and culture.
Not far away there’s the lake of Merzouga, with its bird populations, where you will have the opportunity to see the Flamingos.
For lunch you will have the Berber pizza known as “Madfouna”, a speciality of the area.
You may also visit the nomad wire house where many Berber handicrafts are priced lower than in the big cities.
You will be accommodated overnight in a local guesthouse.
Day 7: Merzouga – Zagora
After breakfast in the guest house, leave for Rissani.
If it is a Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday this is an opportunity to explore the souk , once a meeting place for many caravans coming from Timbuctou in Mali.
Rissani – once Sijilmassa – is the foundation of the Alaouite Aynasty, the current ruling family.
With most of the woman veiled, and men hooded, this is a very traditional Moroccan town.
We’ll continue driving towards Zagora , via Alnif and Tazarine, before we get to the fascinating Draa Valley at the edge of the Atlas Mountains, along which lay hundreds of Berber Kasbahs.
Stop by the famous Kasbah Tinzouline and continue to Zagora.
Overnight accommodation will be at a luxurious riad.
Day 8: Zagora and Tamegrout
After breakfast at the riad we’ll head southwards to the well-known Tamegrout.
Visit its underground village with its narrow dark streets which are lined with traditional homes built of thick earthen bricks made from wet clay and covered with a mixture of mud and straw.
Visit the Islamic-book shop, the oldest in the area, which served as a school and the source of Islamic education.
Our visit continues to the hand-made pottery works where you will see men baking the clay to make different pots and kitchen dishes, and making fire to heat them in high temperature.
After lunch in Tamegrout, drive back to the riad, and in the afternoon you have the choice to have a walk in the valley or relax and enjoy the beauty of the building.
Overnight riad
Day 9: Zagora – Tata
After breakfast in the Riad , travel in a 4-wheel-drive to Tata, following the road of the famous Paris-Dakar race.
This is a day to discover the variety of the Saharan landscape.
Our adventure starts amongst the Sahara sand dunes of Chegaga and the famous Iriki Lake; stop off in the Bedouin camps of Chegaga for Mint Tea with the Bedouins, then cross the dry deserted lake of Iriki before we stop at the Hamada of Zguit for our picnic lunch.
Continue to Tata for the night.
Overnight in a hotel in Tata.
Day 10: Tata – Tafraout
After breakfast in the hotel, start your new day with a new landscape as if you are in a different country.
Leave Tata and drive within Paradise valley, where you will see the Berber Nomads – living with the minimum of things – either in caves or in small tents at the bottom of the canyon.
It is a real hidden valley with a hidden culture, a place with no sign of modern civilisation.
Stop at the valley of Ait Mansour for our picnic lunch. After a short walk through the valley, continue to Tafraout .
Overnight in a hotel in Tafraout.
Day 11: Tafraout – Agadir
After breakfast, walk through the beautiful small village of Tafraout and the attractive valley of Ameln, a fertile valley with Argan culture.
Meet the Berbers in the valley and taste the Argan oil – famous for its culinary, cosmetic and medical properties.
Lunch in Tiznit, once, the meeting place for many Nomad Tribes coming from different African countries.
Tiznit is known for its high quality Berber Silver jewelleries, so you’ll have a chance to visit the cooperative of silver before we drive to Agadir.
Overnight in a hotel in Agadir.
Day 12: Agadir – Marrakech
Breakfast in the hotel, then depart for Marrakech.
On our way – since this is the land of Argan culture – this is an opportunity to visit the women’s co-operative of Argan oil where they extract the oil that is famous for its culinary, cosmetic and medical properties.
Day 13: Depart Marrakech
You’ll be departing Morocco today, we hope you had a magical time with us and thank you for choosing Medina Tours to assist you during your visit to our beautiful Morocco.
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