Itinerary - Morocco: From Marrakesh to the Sahara Desert

Roundtrip flights are not included in the package, so you can choose from where and when you want to fly. Check-in to your hotel in Marrakech and then it is time to start this trip right, with food of course! Let's try out some specialities from the local cuisine. Raise a glass and let yourself be swept away by the mix of flavours and aromas the city has to offer!

Morocco’s tour starts now! We’ll collect our cars and off we go to... Ait Benhaddou! We will also meet our local guide who will tell us a bit more about this incredible country. The best part of today is undoubtedly the drive: once we leave the city behind, we are immediately surrounded by the Moroccan desert. To get to our final destination, we will cross a mountain pass that offers incredible views of the Atlas Mountains where, unbelievable as it might be, you may even spot some snow!

We’re finally here in Ait Benhaddou... the first kasbah of this trip! A kasbah is in fact a fortified city and this one in particular is one of the nine sites in Morocco that UNESCO has included in its World Heritage Sites. The view of the city is truly spectacular, with its tall towers and buildings built with organic materials, including the red mud that gives them the characteristic colour. Ait Benhaddou seems to blend in with its surroundings... let’s take our time to explore the city before we enjoy a well deserved dinner.

Our journey to discover the treasures of Morocco continues: today we will drive several miles, so be sure to take in the view outside the car window! Say goodbye to Ait Benhaddou and get ready to set off towards Merzouga, today's final destination. We will travel through El Kelaa M'Gouna, also called "the city of roses" - where they produce incredible scents and perfumes – and through the Gorges of Todra and Dades, stunning places where the walls of red rock rise for miles creating a real canyon.

On the road we will see many other kasbahs and ksour (castles) and we’ll surely make a stop to appreciate the famous Moroccan hospitality. The journey continues until we finally arrive in Erfoud, where we leave our cars to get on the 4x4 that will take us to the Sahara desert! We reach Merzouga, surrounded by high sand dunes: here we change our mode of transport again to get familiar with... camels! They will take us to explore the Sahara at sunset - an experience we will have a hard time forgetting, alongside a night’s sleep in a tented camp under the starry sky.

We wake up in the middle of the desert after a spectacular night - the early birds can even set their alarms before dawn to admire the sand dunes “catching fire” underneath the first rays of sunshine. After a good breakfast we set off again to reach Tazzarine and then continue to explore the incredible Draa Valley - get ready to see completely new landscapes once again! The valley is crossed, as you can easily guess, by the Draa river, which makes this place rich in palm trees and lush vegetation.

Along the way we will certainly find amazing kasbahs, which we can stop to visit - Morocco truly is full of surprises! We’ll stop in one of these for lunch and then continue until we reach Agdz, a town still located in the Draa valley, on the slopes of the Jebel Kissane, in the Atlas Mountains. Here we’ll spend a relaxing afternoon exploring our surroundings. During the evening, if we haven't already done so, it's time to taste a delicious tagine!

Good morning Morocco! It’s a new day for us WeRoaders to discover the hidden beauties of this country. This morning we’ll head to Taroudant, a town located in the fertile valley of the Souss, surrounded by the mountains of the High Atlas and Anti Atlas. It literally feels like being in a miniature Marrakech so it won’t take long to explore it: we can spend the morning getting lost among its souks - the perfect time to buy some locally handmade souvenirs!

We then continue towards Taliouine, which is considered the African center for the production of saffron: so we just HAVE to stop here for lunch and taste some of the dishes made with "the king of spices". We then head west; it's time to say goodbye to the inland and finally reach the coast! The drive will take about three hours, so get comfortable and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Later in the afternoon we’ll arrive in Agadir and have time to explore the town - at least to find a little restaurant and grab a bite to eat!

This morning, after a hearty breakfast, we have just enough time to take a walk on the promenade in Agadir. We then head north following the coast so be prepared to admire yet another kind of scenery - today we enjoy the view of the Atlantic Ocean! We’ll stretch our legs a little in Taghazout, which apparently since the 70s has been the top destination for surfers and those who love freedom. Just enough time to drink a good mint tea and off we go again; next stop: Essaouira!

We arrive in Essaouira and have a free afternoon to enjoy this town overlooking the ocean. Here there is the famous Medina on the sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an example of the European military architecture of the eighteenth century of North Africa. We explore Medina and some other neighbourhoods near the centre and then we are ready to taste some typical dishes of the local cuisine - on the menu tonight is the delicious harira soup, made with chickpeas and lentils!

What better way to enjoy the last few hours in Essaouira than with a nice quad excursion? So let's don our helmets, jump on a quad with our now most faithful travel companion, and cross the vast expanse of dunes of Essaouira beach. We end this experience with a nice picnic overlooking the sea and relax before resuming our march towards Marrakech.

In the afternoon we get comfortable in our cars for the last stretch of our journey discovering Morocco. The drive back to Marrakech takes about three hours, so let's enjoy these last moments on the Moroccan roads. After so many days outside the city, it will be a bit of a shock to return to the chaos of Marrakech - but that’s what Morocco is all about, many different aspects to discover every day!

We have a full day to explore and discover Marrakech: we start from Jemaa el Fna Square, the centre of the city. This square is home to a large open-air market, called souk, where you can buy soft fabrics, tasty dates and fragrant spices. We can have our body decorated with henna or have our palm read by a fortune teller. We then move on to Place des Epices, the spice square, and Bahia Palace, a true masterpiece of traditional Moroccan architecture.

Since this is our last evening here, let’s treat ourselves to a refreshing mint tea on one of the cafés’ terraces around the main square, while we enjoy a beautiful sunset. The evening continues with the farewell dinner, packed full of tasty Moroccan delicacies, and a stroll around the bubbling streets of Marrakech.

Check out and farewell! We have to say goodbye: see you on the next WeRoad adventure!