Meals

All breakfasts and three dinners included. Moroccan food is, generally speaking, excellent, though not particularly varied. Breakfasts usually consist of bread and jam with coffee or tea. Where meals are not included budget for the following approximate prices. Lunches: 60-100 dirhams (US$6-US$10) Dinners: In cities: 80-200 dirhams (US$8-US$19) In small towns and villages: 60-100 dirhams (US$6-US$10) Drinks in restaurants Soft drinks: 10-20 dirhams (US$1-US$1.90) Beer: 30-50 dirham (US$2.85-US$5) Wine: 150 dirham (US$14) and more Vegetarians can be catered for but there is a fairly limited choice of vegetarian couscous, tajine or omelettes. This is particularly the case during the more rural sections of the trip. Please note that if you have any special dietary requirements you should inform the Exodus Office prior to the trip. If you have a specific medical/dietary need (e.g. coeliac or vegan) you may find it helpful to bring some food with you from home.

Guide

There will be a local leader and a driver and local guides at various sites.

Others

Experience varied scenery from the Sahara Desert to the High Atlas Mountains. Journey into the desert Bedouin style, by camel. Visit Tijhza and experience a traditional hammam. Walk in the magnificent High Atlas Mountains. Explore Marrakech with its lively souks and peaceful gardens.

Transport

For most of this trip, we use a private bus, the size of which will depend on the group size, with a local driver. The roads in Morocco are reasonably good, and driving conditions in towns and on the plains are good. On mountain roads, the pace will be slower. Buses usually have air conditioning and heating, but may not be up to European standards.

Accommodation

On this Moroccan adventure, we spend five nights in hotels, one night in a gite and one night in a Sahara camp. Below are the accommodations we typically use. Marrakech: Hotel Akabar (nights 1 and 6-7) We begin and end the adventure at Hotel Akabar, which has a sun terrace with a pool, a restaurant and bar. If you’re ready for a cultural adventure, it’s just a 20-minute walk to the Djemaa el Fna square, where you can explore the mazy souks, excellent restaurants and street-food stalls. Alternatively, if you don’t fancy the walk, a taxi will take you there in around five minutes. Ait Benhaddou: La Rose du Sable (night 2) Just a 15-minute walk from the magnificent Ait Benhaddou, La Rose du Sable occupies a prime address for our adventures. Though the location is undoubtedly a highlight, the hotel also has a swimming pool for any spare moments, plus there’s an upstairs terrace where our groups often gather to chat and relax. Sahara: Camp Chez Le Pacha (night 3) The highlight for many is our night in the Sahara, where our camp is circled by bronze dunes you can climb to watch the sun set and rise. Our accommodation is a ring of traditional mud huts, though most prefer to take their beds outside to sleep under a blanket of stars – look out for the tell-tale streak of a shooting star. In the centre of the camp is a fire, which is lit at night and typically becomes the place to share stories and bond with our guide and hosts. Distractions are few here, which allows everyone to share, what is for many, a bucket-list experience. Zagora: Hotel Chez Le Pacha (night 4) After a night under the desert sky, the large pool, sun loungers and swinging hammocks at Hotel Chez Le Pacha make for a nice change. There’s also a restaurant serving Moroccan dishes, plenty of seating spaces to gather as a group, and traditionally styled rooms. Tighza: Mountain ’gite’ (night 5) Our night in the Atlas village of Tighza is spent in a gite, the name for modest rural accommodation (like a refuge or hostel) in Morocco. Here, we receive a lovely welcome from our hosts, who bring us tea as we sit on the terrace taking in countryside views. Our rooms are basic and sparse and you could be sharing with other group members depending on room availability; however, the spectacular location and chance to spend a night in a traditional village is reason enough to visit. Worth knowing There are shared bathroom facilities at the Sahara camp and mountain gite. Single supplement not available in the desert camp or mountain gite.

Not included:

Flights

As we have travellers from all over the world, flights before and after the tour are not included in the tour price and you need to arrange these separately by yourself once your tour is guaranteed. As we specialise in organising the best tours around the world for you, we are unable to advise on flight prices or book flights on your behalf. We recommend that you do not book your flights until your place on the tour has been confirmed. Check out the following link which is powered by Skyscanner to book your flight - https://flights.tourradar.com

Optional

Optional experiences are available on this tour for an additional cost and will be provided to you with your finalised travel documents.

Insurance

Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with World Nomads to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (http://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).

Others

— Travel insurance — Visas and vaccinations — Single supplements

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Start Marrakech
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Start Marrakech

The tour starts at our Marrakech hotel this afternoon. Accommodation: Akabar Hotel (or similar)
Day 2 Day 2: Across The High Atlas To Ait Benhaddou (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Across The High Atlas To Ait Benhaddou (Breakfast,Dinner)

With time to explore Marrakech at the end of our journey, we leave the Red City behind and head into the Atlas Mountains. Our destination for the day is the well-preserved ksar of Ait Benhaddou. This Unesco World Heritage site is one of the most spectacular landmarks in the Atlas and the filming location for several Hollywood movies, including Gladiator (2000). The route takes us over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco, arriving mid-afternoon. We take a tour through the ksar and then return to our hotel for dinner. Accommodation: Rose du Sable (or similar) Drive time: Four hours
Day 3 Day 3: Draa Valley, Camel Ride And Amazigh Camp (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Draa Valley, Camel Ride And Amazigh Camp (Breakfast,Dinner)

We travel through Ouarzazate, nicknamed the door to the desert because it used to be a crossing point for African traders on their way to Europe. It is now the site of the Atlas Film Studios, the setting for many Hollywood films and Game of Thrones. It’s also home to the impressive Kasbah Taourirt, a grand fort largely constructed from rammed earth and mud-brick. We then head south with a 4hr 30min drive along the Draa Valley, which contains more than 4m palm trees and is bordered by many ksours (fortified villages). Here we embark on a one and a half hour camel trek and venture further into the Sahara, where we spend the night at a simple Bedouin camp for spectacular stargazing. Surrounded by silence and millions of stars, we can appreciate the immensity of the desert. Accommodation: Camp Chez Le Pacha (full-service camping) Drive time: 5hr 30min Please note: As we venture into the desert, you are requested to only bring an overnight bag and leave all your remaining luggage with the vehicle. Please pack your overnight bag ready for today.
Day 4 Day 4: Camel Ride; On To Zagora And Free Time (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Camel Ride; On To Zagora And Free Time (Breakfast)

We wake in the desert silence, then take a return camel ride and a short drive to Zagora. There’s time to rest, have a shower and enjoy the pool. Later in the afternoon, we can take an optional walk into the valley and around this famous desert outpost. Accommodation: Hotel Chez le Pacha (or similar) Drive time: Two hours
Day 5 Day 5: Into The High Atlas Mountains; Walk To Remote Village Of Tighza And Visit The Local Hammam (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Into The High Atlas Mountains; Walk To Remote Village Of Tighza And Visit The Local Hammam (Breakfast,Dinner)

We travel west through the Draa Valley to join the Ounila Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. We start our walk from Animeter on a track with short steep inclines passing through small villages. After about 1hr 30min, we arrive at our gite in Tighza where we spend the night. Tighza is a rural village set in the Atlas mountains. From the terrace of our Gite you can look down into the valley and enjoy the sunset over the surrounding mountains. It is a peaceful retreat and provides the opportunity to meet local villagers and share their way of life. In the evening, we visit the village hammam, built with money raised by Exodus clients. This is a truly authentic experience. It is very much a traditional hammam and you are likely to get the opportunity to mix with the villagers, which further adds to the experience. Please don’t expect a spa treatment. A standard treatment is included, but you will need to purchase a scrubber and soap for 20 Moroccan dirham (US$2) and pay a customary tip of 20 dirham. Refreshed, we return to the gite for our dinner in the mountains. Accommodation: Tighza gite (or similar) Drive time: 4hr 30min
Day 6 Day 6: Morning Walk; Afternoon Transfer To Marrakech Through Magnificent Mountain Scenery (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Morning Walk; Afternoon Transfer To Marrakech Through Magnificent Mountain Scenery (Breakfast)

This morning there is time to relax on the terrace, which has wonderful views across the fertile Tijhza Valley. Alternatively, we offer an optional three hour trek through the villages of this remote area, passing fields cultivated by the Amazigh women, with the peaks of the High Atlas as a fitting backdrop. We leave the gite after lunch, making the scenic drive over the High Atlas Mountains back to Marrakech, with some stunning scenery along the way. Once again, we cross Tizi n’Tichka. Back in Marrakech, we check into our hotel. In the evening, we visit Djemma el Fna, the open-air central square around which Marrakech revolves. The name literally means place of death, as the sultans once displayed the heads of their enemies here. Now, with the food stalls, snake charmers, juice-sellers and acrobats, it is a place of night-time entertainment. Accommodation: Akabar Hotel (or similar) Drive time: 5hr 30min
Day 7 Day 7: Explore Marrakech: Djemaa El Fna, Beautiful Gardens, Palaces And Souks (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Explore Marrakech: Djemaa El Fna, Beautiful Gardens, Palaces And Souks (Breakfast)

Today, we have a guided walking tour to see the spectacular sites of Marrakech. Our city guide will lead us to the Bahia Palace and the Saadian tombs, which date to the 16th century. We see the outside of the largest mosque in Marrakech the Koutoubia. We continue through the labyrinthine of souks where you can barter for souvenirs. We can then have lunch together in a restaurant overlooking the square. Alternatively, you may prefer to head off on your own today and take a calèche ride (horse-drawn carriage) to the peaceful Majorelle gardens, owned by Yves St Laurent and decorated throughout in indigo blue or simply enjoy another hammam. Accommodation: Akabar Hotel (or similar)
Day 8 Day 8: End Marrakech (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: End Marrakech (Breakfast)

Our journey comes to an end after breakfast. Hop into your free transfer to Marrakech Airport to catch your flight. Alternatively, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay in the Red City.

8 days tour

Marrakech & The Sahara

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Marrakech & The Sahara

Day 1: Start Marrakech

Day 2: Across The High Atlas To Ait Benhaddou (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 3: Draa Valley, Camel Ride And Amazigh Camp (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 4: Camel Ride; On To Zagora And Free Time (Breakfast)

Day 5: Into The High Atlas Mountains; Walk To Remote Village Of Tighza And Visit The Local Hammam (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 6: Morning Walk; Afternoon Transfer To Marrakech Through Magnificent Mountain Scenery (Breakfast)

Day 7: Explore Marrakech: Djemaa El Fna, Beautiful Gardens, Palaces And Souks (Breakfast)

Day 8: End Marrakech (Breakfast)

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