Can’t choose which amazing Morocco experience to have? This epic trip means you don’t have to. You’ll hike through the Sahara to a desert oasis camp where you’ll stay overnight and watch the sun rise and set over towering dunes. Next, you’ll explore the markets of Marrakech and Agadir, learn about regional cuisine with a tanjia-making demonstration, and then visit the Ouzoud oasis and waterfall for a refreshing dip and a delicious lunch. Then, you’re off to the coast! You’ll sandboard on dunes and visit a Berber Village, visit the walled city of Essaouira and the ceramic market of Safi, before capping off your trip by kicking back on the beach at Oualidia.
Travel Style
Classic
Service Level
Standard
Physical Grading
3 - Average
What's Included
Your Discover Moment: Marrakech
Your Foodie Moment: Tanjia Cooking Class, Marrakech
Your Foodie Moment: Local Lunch and Traditional Cooking Demonstration, Sidi Kaouki. Visit to the Souk Lhad market. Tamri Beach Sandboarding. Bread making and lunch with a local family. Visit to Essaouira. A stop at Safi old town and pottery market. Free time in Oualidia and Marrakech, Cooking class in Marrakech. Food tasting in the medina. Tea on terrace overlooking Jemaa El Fnaa. Visit to Jardin Secret or Bahia Palace and Ben Yousset Medressa. Local bakery stop for some moroccan bread. Tanjia pots lunch. Visit to Ouzoud, an oasis waterfall. Dinner in Jamaa Fnaa Square food stall. Film Studio visit in Ouarzazate. Welcome Tea and bonfire at Erg Lihoudi desert camp. A camel ride and 4x4 jeep excursion to desert oasis camp. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.
What are the main highlights of this trip?
Ride a 4x4 to a desert oasis to catch the sunset, Take part in a multi-day food experience and preparation of "tanjia": a delicious local specialty, Walk along Tamri beach before taking part in an exhilarating sandboarding experience on the nearby dunes, Visit a Berber village for a bread making lesson with a local family.
How large will the group be?
Max 14, Avg 12.
What meals are included in this trip?
11 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners
What are the modes of transportation on my trip?
Private vehicle, walking, 4x4.
Is there an extra cost for travelling solo?
We believe solo travellers should not have to pay more to travel so our group trips are designed for shared accommodation and do not involve a single supplement. Single travellers joining group trips are paired in twin or multi-share accommodation with someone of the same sex for the duration of the trip. Some of our Independent trips are designed differently and solo travellers on these itineraries must pay the single trip price.
Where will we stay during the trip?
Hotels (6 nts), Traditional Riad (3 nts), Desert Camp (2 nts).
Itinerary
Marrakech to Ouarzazate
Arrival Day. Make your way to the joining hotel for a brief welcome meeting before driving to Ouarzazate for an overnight stay at our accommodations there. Please arrive at the hotel meeting point before 2:30PM.
Please plan for your flight to arrive at the airport in Marrakech no later than 12:30PM.
Ouarzazate to Erg Lihoudi Desert Camp
In the morning before leaving the group will explore the famous atlas film studios in Ourzazate and learn a bit about the film making in Morocco. Drive to Zagora and then to Mhamid. From there head out into the Sahara desert for two nights of camping under the stars. The walk will take about two hours and we will arrive at the camp around sunset. Enjoy a cup of tea and watch the colors change in the sky as the sun slips below the horizon. From Ourzazate we drive to Zagora along rural roads. In Mhamid (Oulad Edriss) we meet the local crew and start the desert journey to Erg Lihoudi. Any luggage will be brought to camp by jeeps. Dinner will be served fireside.The camp is in Erg Lihoudi. Our camps will be comfortable, but still somewhat basic. You’ll see some spectacular night skies.
Erg Lihoudi Desert Camp to Bertam Oasis.
Wake up to a stunning sunrise, enjoy some breakfast at camp and then start the day. This is our second day of the Berber desert journey. Then you have a choice of walking or riding a camel to our lunch stop. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sahara as you travel like people have for millenniums. After lunch we’ll enter the 21st century again and travel to the next desert camp by 4x4. Arrive at the oasis of Bertam to catch sunset before having dinner fireside with stories and music.
Bertam Oasis to Skoura
After another sunrise out in the desert and some breakfast at camp the group will travel to Zagora by 4x4. Enjoy some free time to shower, freshen up, and relax by the hotel pool after our Sahara adventure. After lunch continue on to Skoura. Explore this oasis city famed for its date palms. Have dinner as a group in Skoura.
Skoura/Marrakech
Travel back to Marrakech and enjoy free morning to see the city. In the afternoon the group will attend a cooking demonstration and learn how to make tanjia, a different form of tagine.
We'll make the dish and seal it in the clay pot to cook overnight in the hamman. Then, explore the various food vendors in the Medina with your CEO and learn about the different ingredients. End the day with evening tea on the rooftop terrace overlooking the main square of Jemaa El Fnaa.
Marrakech
Visit the important sites within the medina this morning. Make stops to Jardin Secret and Bahia Palace. End the morning adventure with a trip to the bakery to learn a brief introduction into Moroccan bread making, then have a taste.
Collect your tanjia lunch on the way back to the Riad. Enjoy your own cooking as lunch on the terrace. The afternoon and evening are free for you to explore Marrakech on your own. Don't miss a chance to visit Jardins Majorelle with their vibrant blue garden houses and thriving plants.
Marrakech
Set out on a full day excursion to Ouzoud, a beautiful oasis waterfall near the Atlas Mountains. Walk up the stairs to the top of the falls and enjoy breathtaking views of the flowing water. After a delicious lunch right near the falls the group will travel back to Marrakech. Enjoy a local dinner in the heart of Jamee Lafna Square.
Marrakech/Agadir
Take advantage of a free morning in Marrakech to do some walking around and maybe shop in the medina for spices and Moroccan pottery. Depart for Agadir in the early afternoon. Upon arrival, visit Souk Lhad, the local market and have dinner on your own from one of the many food stalls.
Agadir/Sidi Kaouki
Today we go local. Drive to Sidi Kaoukki and walk along Tamri beach to take in the views of the shoreline and rock formations before an exhilerating sandboarding experience on the nearby towering dunes. Finish the journey to Sidi Kaouki for lunch and take part in a cooking class with a local family. After lunch, have tea on the terrace and end the day with free time to simply go for a walk along the beautiful waterfront of this small fishing town or stroll down the beach and search for the perfect place to watch sunset.
Sidi Kaouki/Oualidia
Travel to Oualidia today with a few stops en route. First up is Essaouira for a visit to this historic walled city. Spend time in the old city and oldest international port city in Morocco. Choose to grab some lunch or visit the beach and sample some of the fresh fish dishes prepared by the local food stalls along the water. Then continue further north to Safi, famous for having the largest pottery market in Morocco. See the old town and the Ceramic Market. You’ll arrive in Oualidia in the evening.
Oualidia
Enjoy a full free day in Oualidia. Here the beach is beautiful and there’s a lagoon that allows for a more quiet area for swimming away from the surf. Later in the day choose to go to the OSTREA oyster farm for a farewell dinner overlooking the beach. In the evening if the weather is permits, the group will enjoy the sunset.
Oualidia/Marrakech
After breakfast transfer back to Marrakech, about three hours from Ouilidia, arriving around 12pm. The tour ends on arrival to the airport or at the Marrakech hotel for those have booked post-tour nights.
Please do not book departing flights any earlier than 4PM.
Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.
