From Marrakech To The Sahara Desert 5-Day

Discover the beauty of Morocco with this exciting From Marrakech To The Sahara Desert 5-Day. Begin and end in Marrakech, visiting the rocky peaks of the High Atlas mountains and the colossal sand dunes of the Sahara. You’ll wander medieval medinas and souks, marvel at palaces and mosques, and explore ancient kasbahs and desert towns.

Highlights

Explore The Red City Marrakech – the busiest city in Africa
Ascend the High Atlas Mountains range.
Swim in natural pools at the base of the Todra Gorge
Ride a camel over the dunes of the Sahara

Brief Itinerary of From Marrakech To The Sahara Desert 5-Day

Day	Highlights	Overnight
Day 1	Arrive; Exploring the Red City	Marrakech
Day 2	Over the High Atlas mountains and into the desert	Boumalne Dades
Day 3	Desert towns, fossil workshops, and Sahara camping	Erg Chebbi
Day 4	Date palms, movie locations, and AïtBenhaddou Kasbah	Aït Benhaddou
Day 5	Return to Marrakech; Depart

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech: Exploring the Red City

5-Day Marrakech-Sahara Trip The “Red City” of Marrakech was a prominent commerce hub. El Attarin, Haddadine, and Smata souks are north, Koutoubia Mosque and Gardens are west, and the Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace, and El Badi Palace are south of Marrakech’s main plaza, Jemaa el-Fna. Horse-drawn calèches provide a unique perspective of the southwest medina (old quarter).

Ville Nouvelle’s Majorelle Gardens are tranquil. Start your day at the minaret-topped Koutoubia Mosque. Fondouks or caravanserai housed merchants and their animals. The Souk des Teinturiers (Dyers’ Souk) dyed wool and cloth. The 16th-century Ben Youssef Madrasa Islamic school contains carved cedar ceilings, zellij (intricate tile work), and Arabic calligraphy.

See the 19th-century Bahia Palace or 500-year-old Saadian Tombs. Compare the 17th-century El Badi Palace if time permits (be sure to check out the sunken gardens).

Day 2: Over the High Atlas mountains and into the desert

Ascend the High Atlas mountains east into the desert. Find 13,671-foot Mount Toubkal (4,167 m). You’ll pass several mud-brick Berber communities.

Eat in Taddert and visit the local Argan Oil Cooperative to see how local women collect the rich oil from the argan nut for health, food, and cosmetics. Take a break at the Tizin’Tichka pass.

Proceed east through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, many of which are crumbling pisé mud kasbahs (rammed earth). Several tiny settlements along the way to BoumalneDades employ traditional agricultural practices. As you go through fragrant Kela’aM’gouna, the “Valley of the Roses,” watch for nomads caring to their livestock. You’ll spend the night at BoumalneDades, a significant town across the Dades River.

Day 3: Desert towns, fossil workshops, and camping in the Sahara

Today you’ll reach Merzouga’s Erg Chebbi sand sea. Stop at Tinerhir to see its river oasis on each side. Buttes, mesas, and plateaus dominate the desert.

The Todra River carved the 984-foot-deep Todra Gorge nearby. Erfoud is next. Visit a craft studio to see how fossil-rich rocks are turned into useful and attractive items in this fig and fossil-rich region. And purchase fresh figs here!

See the cattle auction and “donkey parking lot” in Rissani, a market town in Merzouga, the nearest town to the Desert. After leaving Rissani, the vast Erg Chebbi sand sea will appear in the horizon.

After arriving in Merzouga, get aboard a camel to reach your Bedouin tent. Before eating by the fire, climb a neighboring dune to view the sunset.

Day 4: Date palms, movie locations, and AïtBenhaddou Kasbah

Get up early to see a desert sunrise and explore the Sahara: hire a sandboard, take a quad ATV tour of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, or relax by a Merzouga pool. South to old Saharan village Khemliya (with its people originally from Mali).
Traditional music, drumming, and dancing precede the town and sand-farmed plots.
MaisonTuareg sells carpets, jewelry, and leather in Rissani.
Alnif’s umbrella-shaped acacias before lunch.
Purchase more Draa Valley dates.

West, Ouarzazate, desert shooting.
Visit one of the two movie studios and consider how many movies have depicted the area.
Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Prometheus, American Sniper, and Game of Thrones matter.
Musée du Film teaches local filmmaking.
Medieval AïtBenhaddou.
The trans-Saharan trade route between Marrakech, Ouarzazate, and the southern desert halted at Aït Benhaddou, Morocco’s most renowned kasbah and UNESCO monument.
Explore the old town at night.
Pay to climb kasbah rooftops.

Day 5: Return to Marrakech

Before the crowds filter into the old kasbah, explore the narrow passageways and alleys to get a real feel for this 11th-century fortified city. Leave AïtBenhaddou behind, and return to Marrakech, traveling one more time up and over the High Atlas mountains and through the Tizin’Tichka Pass. After exploring Morocco’s quiet desert towns and various deserts, soon you will be back in the bustling city of Marrakech. You may wish to take the afternoon at a slower pace—find a café near Jemaa el-Fna and enjoy your last (local) Moroccan meal before catching your flight home, end of your From Marrakech To The Sahara Desert 5-Day.