Overview
Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Morocco during this 8-day small group adventure. Traverse the High Atlas Mountains, destress in relaxing Agdz, and camel trek into the sea dunes in Erg Chebbi. Includes a special desert region tour and much more as part of your Morocco Desert Immersion.
Highlights
- Become acquainted with the excitement of beguiling Marrakech
- Explore the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Ben Haddou
- Discover the relaxing calm of the Valley of a Million Palms
- Dance to rhythm of the desert in a Gnaoua village
- Unearth ancient fossils
- Ride through the shifting sand of the Sahara on a shore-footed camel
- Pretend to be in the movies in the Hollywood of Morocco
Itinerary
Welcome to Morocco! Your Morocco Desert Immersion tour will start in your riad in Marrakech (details provided upon booking). You can arrive any time, as today will be a day of leisure to recover from your travels and prepare for the journey ahead. In the evening, you’ll meet your group for a welcome dinner.
Airport transfers can be arranged by request and are complementary from Marrakech. Transfers from airport in Casablanca can be arranged for an additional fee.
Overnight: Marrakech
After breakfast, your local city guide will meet you at your riad and show you all around Marrakech. Your tour will include visits to important monuments such as Bahia Palace, Ben Yousef Madrassa, and Koutoubia Mosque. In between visiting these spots, you’ll wander with your guide through the maze-like souk filled with local artisans hard at work at their crafts. Marrakech is known for its spices, used for medicine for thousands of years, so your tour will include a visit to a traditional pharmacy to learn about these various uses. The entire experience will set the tone for the Morocco Desert Immersion that awaits.
Overnight: Marrakech
Today, after breakfast, you will depart from your riad in Marrakech at 8 AM to begin your adventure of a lifetime as you travel over the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka path, reaching an altitude of nearly 7500 feet above sea level. They say that life is about the journey and not the destination, and this is certainly true when you are on this road. There will be plenty of stops for tea and photographs as you take in the breathtaking vistas before arriving in Ouarzazate – the Hollywood of Morocco and home to Atlas Film Studios. You’ll walk in the footsteps of Hollywood stars during a guided backlot tour of this active film studio where movies and TV shows like Kingdom of Heaven, Blackhawk Down, The Mummy, Game of Thrones, and many others have been filmed. After your visit, you’ll continue to Agdz in the Draa Valley – the Valley of a Million Palms – to relax and unwind, completing your Morocco Desert Immersion experience.
Overnight: Agdz
After breakfast, you will be given a guided tour of the nearby Kasbah Tamnougalt. No one knows exactly how old the kasbah is, but it dates back to at least the 18th century. After exploring the kasbah, you’ll check out the adjacent palmeraie and quickly see why the Draa Valley is referred to as the Valley of a 1000 palms. After your tour, you will continue through the Draa Valley toward the desert, stopping to visit the small city of Rissani. If it happens to be a market day, you will have an opportunity to shop like a Berber. You’ll also visit the tomb of Moulay Ali Sharif (the founder of the current dynasty of Morocco), before you complete the final stretch of the journey to one of the great sand seas of the Sahara, Erg Chebbi, where your Kasbah on the edge of the dunes awaits. This adventure is a highlight of your Morocco Desert Immersion.
Overnight: Merzouga
Today, after breakfast, you will experience the special rhythm of the desert with a tour of the region around the giant dunes! If the season is right, you may have a chance to have tea with a nomad family. The tour will include a stop at the village of Khamlia, a community of Gnawa musicians. You’ll enjoy tea while they perform, and we dare you to try to keep from moving in time to the music! After this, you’ll head for lunch and sample the local specialty, Medfouna, aka Berber Pizza. After lunch and a bit more exploring, you will head back to the kasbah where you can relax a little and prepare for your camel trek. Just before sunset, you will climb aboard your trusty camel and trek to your luxury Berber camp. Dinner will be served, and traditional music will be played around the campfire before you retire to the warmth of your cozy Berber tent for the night, making it the perfect finale for your Morocco Desert Immersion.
Overnight: Merzouga
This morning, you will want to wake early to watch the sunrise over the dunes. After taking in the breathtaking view, breakfast will be served at camp, and you’ll have time to shower and prepare for your day before embarking on one more camel trek back to the edge of the dunes. From here, you’ll transfer to your more conventional transportation and head to the breathtaking Dades Gorge. Along the way, you’ll stop to search for fossils and visit the ancient irrigation system that once brought water to the desert from the distant Saghro Mountains. After this, you’ll head to the oasis town of Tinghir, where you will have a guided walk through the palmeraie and Mellah (the old Jewish area). Next, you’ll visit the nearby Todgha Gorge, where you’ll walk through the most impressive part of the canyon. Afterward, you’ll continue your journey to the beautiful Dades Valley, where your accommodations for the night await. Dinner will be served, marking a memorable end to another day of your Morocco Desert Immersion.
Overnight: Boumalne Dades
Following breakfast, you will make your way back to Marrakech, traveling along the Road of 1000 Kasbahs. You’ll take a slightly different route and stop along the way to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Ben Haddou, located just outside of Ouarzazate. If this impressive ksar looks familiar, it’s because it has starred (or at least made an appearance) in many movies and TV shows including Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile, and Game of Thrones. After exploring and having lunch, you will travel along the route of the Old Salt Caravan in the Ounilla Valley, passing the Glaoui Kasbah of Telouet. If time permits, you may stop for a quick tour before traveling once again over the breathtaking High Atlas Mountains, returning to your riad in Marrakech. You’ll enjoy one final dinner together as a group, reflecting on the unforgettable experiences of your Morocco Desert Immersion.
Overnight: Marrakech
This morning after breakfast, depending on your departure time, you may have some free time to explore Marrakech on your own before transferring to the Marrakech Airport in plenty of time of your departing flight.
Note: Transfers can be arranged to Casablanca Airport for an additional fee.
Booking fixed dates
Frequently Asked Questions
The tour meeting point is the first riad (listed in your finalized itinerary) in Marrakech. They will be expecting your arrival. We will meet in the lobby of your riad at 6:45 PM to head to your welcome dinner where you will get to meet your fellow travelers and ask any questions you might have. Just look for the Morocco Immersion Sign.
Note: The meeting time may change depending on the arrival time of the majority of the participants. You will receive more details prior to your tour start date.
You can arrive any time on Day 1, but if you would like to join the welcome dinner, please plan to arrive in Marrakech by 5 PM. If you will be arriving later than that, just let us know.
Remember when you are booking your flights that most flights depart in the evening and arrive the following morning. Double check your flight to be sure that the arrival date is the same as the Tour Start Date.
This tour ends in Marrakech on the morning of Day 8. Since there are no planned activities for Day 8, you can leave anytime.
Note: Transfers to Marrakech Airport are complimentary. Transfers to Casablanca Airport can be arranged for an additional fee.
Since the tour begins and ends in Marrakech, Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) is the ideal airport to fly in and out of and we will provide complementary transfers to/from there.
If you prefer to fly in and out of Casablanca, there is train service that connects the two cities.
Private transfers can be arranged to/from Casablanca Mohammed V Airport for an additional fee.
No problem! We are happy to arrange accommodations and/or transfers if needed. Just let us know!
We are pleased to provide complementary ground transfers to/from the Marrakech train station or airport.
Transfers to/from other airports or cities can be arranged for an additional fee.
We will operate this tour as long as we have a minimum of 2 participants.
12 participants. We are not a “big bus” tour operator and prefer to keep our group tours small so that you can truly experience Morocco’s rich culture and way of life.
Contact us! Groups of 8 or more qualify for special discounts and groups of 13 or more can be accommodated as a private tour (again, for special pricing).
Simply follow this book now link. We request a 30% deposit at the time of booking. The balance is due prior to the Tour Start Date.
After you book, you will be contacted by the Morocco Immersion Adventure Organizer who will guide you through the pre-Adventure registration process, keep you updated on any tour changes, and answer any questions you might have.
If we must cancel the tour due to a lack of participants, we will give you the following options:
- Switch to a different tour.
- Convert your tour to a private tour for an additional fee.
- Refund 100% of your deposit and any other additional payments made to us.
We will not refund any loss not paid to us such as airfare change or cancellation costs. For that reason, we STRONGLY recommend the purchase of travel insurance.
If you cancel up to 14 days prior to your Tour Start Date, you will receive a credit for your deposit (for use on a subsequent trip) and any additional money paid shall be refunded. For cancellations made 14 or less before the in-country start date, no refund or credit for the deposit will be given; however, any final payments made will be refunded until 1 day prior to the tour start date. Please refer to our terms and conditions.
If you must cancel your tour, please notify as soon as possible.
No, it is not required, but we strongly recommend it to cover any losses due to trip cancellation or interruption. Travel insurance that includes medical evacuation is also advised as some areas of Morocco are remote and may lack proper medical facilities.
Because we do highly recommend it, we have partnered with World Nomads to provide “one-stop-shopping” for your tour. You can check out our travel insurance page for a free quote today.
Yes! We will help you with that during the pre-tour registration process. If we are unable to find a roommate for you, we will ask you to pay a portion of the single/private room supplement (typically 50% roughly $17.50 USD per day) to cover the additional expense.
No vaccinations are currently required for travel to Morocco; however, it is generally advised that you be up to date on your normal vaccinations and consider vaccinations for Hep A and Typhoid to prevent food borne pathogens. For more information, you should contact a travel clinic or review the CDC guidelines for travel to the area.
There may be additional travel requirements due to COVID-19 (such as a negative PCR test prior to arrival). While we will advise to the best of our ability, it is your responsibility to make sure that you adhere to any additional requirements.
US Passport holders currently do not need a visa to travel to Morocco for a duration of less than 3 months for tourism purposes. If you do require a visa, you are responsible for acquiring it.
It is your responsibility to acquire and bring required travel documents such as passport and visa (if applicable). Be sure to put that on your packing list!
