Family Desert Adventure

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will be at your disposal for the day.

After breakfast you will be met at your hotel and taken on a full day guided tour of Marrakech. Your tour usually starts at the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque but you can discuss all of the options with your guide. The mosques beautiful minaret dominates the skyline of Marrakech and can be seen from almost every approach to the city thanks to a long-standing planning ordinance that forbids any other building in the old city to rise above the height of a palm tree. You will also visit the El-Bahia Palace, this 19th century palace is elaborate in its decoration and was built over a period seven years for Ba Ahmed, the son of the Grand Vizier Si Moussa, there are row after row of apartments—that once housed Ahmed's harem—a trapezoidal garden, a huge tiled courtyard, and many hidden treasures, both in the form of antique objects d'art and the palace's convergence of Andalusian and Moorish architecture. One of most visited sites in Morocco is the Saadian Tombs which were only accessible via the mosque next door. However, in 1917 they were opened to the public and can now be accessed via a narrow passage that leads to an enclosed garden watched over by two mausoleums that include more than one hundred mosaic decorated tombs. The Koranic School Medersa Ben Youssef which is a Theological college founded by the Merenid Sultan Abu Hassan in the 14th century, and restored in 1564 by the Saadians who made it the largest theological college in the Maghreb and a rival to the important Medersa Bou Inania in Fés.

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will be at your disposal for the day.

The legendary restaurant at La Maison Arabe today offers cooking workshops designed for the amateur and professional alike.  The workshops are conducted by a dada (traditional Moroccan cook) or a chef from our Moroccan restaurant, and are held either at the hotel or at the casbah of our Country Club. Small groups of maximum 8-10 participants work alongside a translator (Arabic/English/French), using easy-to-use modern equipment found in everyday kitchens. At the end of each workshop, participants dine on the meal they have prepared. At a typical half-day workshop, one learns to prepare an appetizer and a main dish, or a main dish and dessert.

Enjoy an afternoon guided tour by horse drawn carriage through the Gardens of Majorelle, a property acquired in 1922 by the painter Jacques Majorelle. In 1980 the ownership of the garden changed and now belongs to the families of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge. Also enjoy a brief tour of the Gardens of Menara. This garden area extends over a hundred hectares and has in its center an immense pool dating from the XIIth century. At the edge of water, amongst the various plants and olive trees is a small Saadien house which over the last century has been rebuilt and renovated back to its original beauty. Enjoy the remainder of the evening exploring the nearby monuments which surround the gardens.

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will provide a transfer between Marrakech and Skoura.  The approximate travel time is 5 hours.

Enjoy lunch in the mountains at one of the best restaurant with great views (not included in tour price).

You will be visiting the fantastic old fortified kasbah Ait Benhaddou protected by UNESCO, Taourirt Kasbah which is the old fortified town of Ouarzazate and the famous Ouarzazate's Cinema Studios.

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will be at your disposal for the day.

Take a two hours exploration of the palm grove, or of the environs by horse, bike, or quad. The views of the High Atlas from here are simply wonderful.

Kid bikes available.

Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price).

Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

Travel today between Skoura and Erfoud in a private vehicle with an English speaking driver. En-route, stop in the Dades Gorge located just southwest of Tinerhir, some 110 kilometers away from Ouarzazate. The beauty of the Dades River is most evident in the mid-spring through early summer, giving the valley an unprecedented amount of greenery. In the valleys along the Dades Gorge, grows a variety of argan (nut) trees opposed to the palmeries that grow and surround the Todra Gorge.  Upon arrival to the top of the gorge, prepare for slightly cooler temperatures and truly amazing views.  Located just Northwest of Rissani and Northeast of Ouarzazate, near to the city of Tinerhir are the Todra Gorges.   Experience the unbelievable might of the massive canyon walls reaching some 300 meters high.

En route enjoy a short walk in the Dades gorge, via the pretty village of Ait Youl. Marvel at the natural beauty of the unusual rock shapes and colours that enclose the lush farmland on the banks of the river. Explore the splendour of abandoned kasbahs perching on vantage points along the Gorge.

Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price).

A private vehicle with English speaking driver will be at your disposal for the day.

After breakfast, departure by private car to visit a local fossil museum and collection in the town of Erfoud. The ‘hammada’ region is home to abundant findings of fossils and beautiful rock formations. With a sharp eye, it is quite possible to walk in this region and stumble across many unusual treasures within a few footsteps, examples of which will be displayed in Erfoud.

Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price).

A 4x4 vehicle will be waiting for you to continue your adventure by heading towards the dunes of Erg Chebbi, possibly the largest dunes in the Sahara desert. The dunes of Erg Chebbi are a strikingly strange natural formation. On the top of the flattest area you could imagine, suddenly a long mountain of sand rises. This mountain is surrounded by flat and desolate nature on all sides, and you could end up wondering if it really is real. But so it is, even if its existence is so weird that it has given rise to legends and myths among the locals. Upon arrival at the camp you will witness the sunset from over the desert dunes and be astounded by the peace and calm as well as the changing colours of the landscape. If you're up to it you can also ride a camel!

Breakfast at the camp and continue to Ouarzazate. En route, visit Rissani, the holy city where Moulay Ali Cherif, ancestor of the Alaouite dynasty, is buried. Visit the ruins of Sijilmassa, a famous capital of the old caravan routes in the 8th century. Continuation to Tineghir via the Tinjdad road and stop to view the Todgha canyons ; a massive fault in the plateau diving the High Atlas from the Jbel Saghro, with a crystal-clear river running through it, the gorge rises to 300m at its narrowest point. Arrival in Tineghir we will visit its Mellah gateway and the ancient and colorful Jewish quarter. Tinghir is believed to have one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Morocco. Departure to Ouarzazate via El Kelaa des M'Gouna and optional visit of Tiliit (5 miles from El Kelaa Des M'Gouna), known as the Ancient City of the Jews of the Dades. A really interesting day, all one valley to discover, the most beautiful valley of all the Moroccan south, cultivated mountain, population more than smiling, then valley of Dades, valley of roses, valley of the 1001 Kasbahs. Arrival to Ouarzazate late afternoon.

Relax as a private vehicle with English speaking driver provides a transfer to Marrakech, for a visit to the village of Ait Ben Haddou.  Located approximately 60 kilometers from Skoura this fortified village (or ksar) is ideally positioned along a once frequented, ancient caravan route linking the Sahara and Marrakech. Ait Ben Haddou has been used in numerous Hollywood film productions for its distinctive architecture. In 1987 this famed location was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Next, travel to the village of Telouet, located approximately 1 hour north of Ait Ben Haddou. Telouet hosts one of the area's most recognized structures, the palace of the 'Lord of the Atlas.'  This palace was the residence of the once Vizier of Marrakech, back in the early 20th Century. An evocative relic of the time when the Glaoui clan ruled over the Atlas and Marrakech, the palace was the family’s Headquarters and was situated in a dramatic location, on a broad mountain valley, providing sweeping views of the peaks on all sides. Continue from here back onto the main road back to Marrakech, crossing on the dramatic Tizi n'Tichka passage through the High Atlas Mountains range on the way. Whilst passing take time to notice the many beautifully-terraced valleys and adobe villages perched precipitously on the hillsides.

Take an airport transfer in Marrakech with a private vehicle and driver.