Short and Sweet Sahara

Your journey begins in Marrakech. You depart the Red City and drive through the High Atlas Mountains. Along the way there are plenty of vistas at which to stop for photographs. You will cross the famous Tichka Pass (2,260 m / 7,414 ft), the highest paved pass in North Africa. The road from there continues to snake in and out through canyons and valleys. As the road begins to level out, you will find the famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, an UNESCO World Heritage site, located on the slopes of the High Atlas. After freely exploring the kasbah, you will continue on your journey. Not long after you’ll enter the city of Ouarzazate, known as the Moroccan Hollywood for the numerous movies filmed in the city.

Lunch is in Ouarzazate. Shortly thereafter, you will drive through Skoura, a fertile oasis lined with palm groves, olive trees, and the ruins of kasbahs that date back to the 12th century. As you leave the Skoura Valley behind, you’ll drive through the Valley of the Roses. If it happens to be the first weekend of May, you will encounter the annual Rose Festival. In the early evening hours, you will reach your destination for the night in the spectacular Dades Valley and Gorges.

In the morning, you’ll make your way into the town of Boumalne, which marks the southern entrance to the Dades Gorge. You’ll find that the central market square is a good vantage point to observe the local life. From there you’ll drive through Tinghir, back to High Atlas Mountains, and into Todgha Valley and Gorges where you’ll have the opportunity for a stroll through the gorges in the morning. Afterwards, you will drive back through the Todgha valley, through the small towns of Tinghir and Tinjdad and into Erfoud. Erfoud is the International Capital of Fossils as well as a filming site for the movies The Mummy and King of Persia. Each year in October the city hosts the national Date Festival. After spending some time in the city known as the “Gate to the Sahara Desert,” you will continue your journey off-road to the impressive Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes. In a short time, you will arrive at the camp in time to board camels for a leisurely jaunt to the dunes where you will watch the sun sink below the horizon. Your night will be spent under the stars in a nomad tent.

It is well worthwhile to rise early and observe the sunrise and the shadows as they play amidst the vibrant colors of the dunes. After a hearty breakfast, you’ll begin the long journey to Marrakech, starting in the magnificent Dra’a Valley. On the way, you’ll pass through the village of Tazzarine which was featured in the film, Babel. You may stop there or another small village for a delicious lunch. Later in the afternoon, you’ll continue through the Dra’a Valley toward the small city of Agdz. Along the way, you’ll pass through fertile oases checkered with kasbahs along the river. Some kasbahs lie in ruins and others are still inhabited. You’ll glimpse Berbers working in the fields, carrying out the subsistence farming in the same manner as the generations before them. Shortly thereafter, you’ll enter the town of Ouarzazate. From Ouarzazate, you’ll make your way back through the High Atlas Mountains toward Marrakech, arriving near dusk.