A sight-seeing-packed 3 day trip over the High Atlas through the beautiful Draa Valley and into the stunning dunes of Chegaga and the famous M’Hamid… taking in Kasbahs and Berber culture along the way.
3 full days out spending 1 night in the Draa Valley and the other in the beautiful sand dunes of Chegaga
ITINERARY
1st day: Marrakesh – Agdz
At 8am our driver collects you from your Marrakech accommodation in an air conditioned, comfortable 4×4, you will travel across the High Atlas Mountains and over the famous Tizi n’Tichka pass (2260m). From these mountains, you will see the most spectacular views of the valleys and the Berber villages which are sat on the edges of the sides of the mountain but appear to be part of the mountain – an awe inspiring sight.
After the Tichka pass, you will take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which now stands in ruins after the last Pasha left following the departure of the French. It once belonged to the Lords of the Atlas – the Glaoui family. The next stop will be Ait Benhaddou which is approached down a brand new road and there you will explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou.
This Kasbah is the most famous in Morocco and has been used in many Hollywood films. It was one of the most important fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road caravan routes – where traders brought salt, ivory, gold and slaves from Saharan Africa to Marrakech and beyond.
After lunch in Ait Benhaddou, we head towards Agdz and we have dinner and spend the night at a lovely hotel in the Draa valley.
2nd day: Agdz – Chegaga
When you have finished your breakfast we then head off down the ancient caravan road between the river and the mountains. As you drive along you will see many villages and gardens giving you a close up idea of how people live. We continue onto M’hamid, the gate to the desert, where we stop for lunch. Here you get to enjoy a majestic two-hour camel ride. Then we head to the Erg Chegaga dunes (50m high) with 60km of off-road driving. The dunes are far away from civilization and you get the feeling of being in the real desert. The peacefulness, colours and size of the dunes are life enhancing and breathtaking. After dinner you will spend the night in the dunes in a Berber tent.
3rd day: Chegaga – Marrakesh
After your breakfast, we take you through another 90km of desert with fantastic, big and varying scenery where you will see Lake Iriqui plus the mountains and lots of fossils. We will stop for lunch in Foum Zguid, which is the first village after the desert, where there is a swimming pool for you to relax in. The drive back to Marrakesh is along paved roads through the village of Taznakht which is famous for its Berber carpets and rugs and then crossing the stunning High Atlas road to reach Marrakesh by the end of the day.